It’s a collection of poems by teens. Lots of subjects dealt with, including, to various degrees, sexuality, the drug scene, abuse and gangs. Might not be much left of the book if the principal in question is easily offended.
Our copies of “The Awakening” in high school showed this woman wearing a “toga” with one of her breasts exposed–or so we figured since someone had diligently colored it in with a black sharpie on every copy. Yeah–that made it totally un-noticeable.
hey, that’s as bad as the gocomics people shielding our tender eyes from words like @ss or d@mn…..
It really get’s me when movies broadcast on commerical TV take out the word @ss and leave in the knife plunging into the chest or the gunshot to the head
While I’m against censorship of adult materials for adults, I’m not sure that sexual lifestyles, colorful language, and the like are all that appropriate for materials in the school system. Part of the problem with education today is that too much attention is paid to classes which don’t adequately promote literacy, which should be the ultimate goal of schooling, imho.
Yes, there probably are materials that are not appropriate for some young people at certain points of their development. But, as a school system that decision should be made prior to buying the book. It is not censorship to not purchase the book but it is to rip out pages, color over phrases etc. Also, I feel as a parent I should be able to decide if a book is appropriate or not for my child and not someone in power at any level.
Back in the 1970s (i think) the Greater London Council planned to remove all books older than fifteen years from school libraries, because they were “no longer relevant”
The local school board (in 1967) provided “sanitized” copies of “Rome and Juliet” for our use. My English teacher, God bless him, made us go out and buy the unexpurgated version – and that’s what we worked from!
Allen, I appreciate your point, although that abbreviation has been around much longer than Twitter has, and is in common usage on internet bulletin boards. Just trying to save space, colon, close parenthesis, smiley emoticon.
kimberphi about 15 years ago
LOL… thanks Pab! this is going to be a terrific week of strips~~~
zero about 15 years ago
Hey! good editing helps good writing be even better. This comment was originally 500 words. Of course, most edits are done before publishing….
Pab Sungenis creator about 15 years ago
True story. No embellishment. He literally ripped the pages out of the book. And this bozo still has a job.
Vineland Board of Education 625 E Plum St Vineland, NJ 08360-3796 (856) 794-6700
FlashfyreSP about 15 years ago
And idiots like this will be the first to scream “censorship!” if held accountable for what they say.
PhantomPlumber about 15 years ago
“I don’t like the gannet - they wet their nests…”
3hourtour Premium Member about 15 years ago
…The repu-nazi are coming the repu-nazi are coming…or ..freedom for only those we think deserve it…
LibrarianInTraining about 15 years ago
Never heard of the book. Anyone know what it’s about?
ChiehHsia about 15 years ago
It’s a collection of poems by teens. Lots of subjects dealt with, including, to various degrees, sexuality, the drug scene, abuse and gangs. Might not be much left of the book if the principal in question is easily offended.
steverinoCT about 15 years ago
Maybe he’s just a grammar freak… shouldn’t it be “Paint Me AS I am”?
Aikidodog about 15 years ago
Our copies of “The Awakening” in high school showed this woman wearing a “toga” with one of her breasts exposed–or so we figured since someone had diligently colored it in with a black sharpie on every copy. Yeah–that made it totally un-noticeable.
Joe_Minotaur about 15 years ago
“Here’s your book. Now, buy it.” “I can’t buy that. It’s torn.”
Nighthawks Premium Member about 15 years ago
hey, that’s as bad as the gocomics people shielding our tender eyes from words like @ss or d@mn….. It really get’s me when movies broadcast on commerical TV take out the word @ss and leave in the knife plunging into the chest or the gunshot to the head
rustyraby Premium Member about 15 years ago
Gotta give the public what it wants… otherwise it’s censorship!
MisngNOLA about 15 years ago
While I’m against censorship of adult materials for adults, I’m not sure that sexual lifestyles, colorful language, and the like are all that appropriate for materials in the school system. Part of the problem with education today is that too much attention is paid to classes which don’t adequately promote literacy, which should be the ultimate goal of schooling, imho.
Pab Sungenis creator about 15 years ago
There is a big difference between taking a book off the shelf in a school library and actually destroying part of it.
One is debatable, the other is indefensible.
ducher about 15 years ago
Yes, there probably are materials that are not appropriate for some young people at certain points of their development. But, as a school system that decision should be made prior to buying the book. It is not censorship to not purchase the book but it is to rip out pages, color over phrases etc. Also, I feel as a parent I should be able to decide if a book is appropriate or not for my child and not someone in power at any level.
fairportfan about 15 years ago
Back in the 1970s (i think) the Greater London Council planned to remove all books older than fifteen years from school libraries, because they were “no longer relevant”
allanbrown about 15 years ago
@ Misng NOLA
Sorry couldn’t resist.
If you are championing literacy in schooling what does the little item at the end of your post stand for?
allanbrown about 15 years ago
ME AGAIN
Thanks openminded for trying to help
I guess the irony was only amusing to me
NOLA was defending literacy in school and then using twitter short forms.
Hence my apology in advance in first post
JP Steve Premium Member about 15 years ago
The local school board (in 1967) provided “sanitized” copies of “Rome and Juliet” for our use. My English teacher, God bless him, made us go out and buy the unexpurgated version – and that’s what we worked from!
MisngNOLA about 15 years ago
Allen, I appreciate your point, although that abbreviation has been around much longer than Twitter has, and is in common usage on internet bulletin boards. Just trying to save space, colon, close parenthesis, smiley emoticon.