Friday, July 15, 2011

Revisiting Kaffir Boy

The English department received a letter yesterday asking us to sit down with our superintendent, two school board members, and our principal to explain our rationale behind our selection of the controversial book Kaffir Boy.

As I understand it, one of our new school board members objects to the use of the book.  So this is reason to revisit the entire issue over again?  Even after the school board (several of whom are still on the board) settled in favor of using the original text and an abridged version.

I wonder if every time a new member is added, if all resolved issues will be opened and re-examined?

I learned a lot from the previous firestorm over the book.  The most important lesson I learned was how to best conduct myself.  Our department was under attack and I used this blog to lash out at several people.  I realized, in lashing out, that I was falling victim to the same type of extreme (and at times incendiary) remarks were the same as those who I loathe (Michael Moore and Glenn Beck and Phlylis Schlafly) who do the same thing.  Lesson learned.

I still, though, stand by this letter to the editor I wrote.

Letter to the Editor: Kaffir Boy

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