Georgia Teacher Fired for Reading Children's Book about Acceptance in Class

[muriel_volestrangler]

Rinderle had recently purchased the book by Australian author Scott Stuart at the school’s Scholastic Book Fair. Before she read it, the students voted on a variety of books Rinderle offered and overwhelmingly chose My Shadow is Purple, which was nominated for a 2023 Australian Book Industry Award. After the reading, the class discussed the book’s message of acceptance of oneself and others and embracing diverse and complex identities and experiences.

The students reflected upon how they, as academic achievers, are often perceived as different from their peers. They discussed the importance of recognizing and accepting people as individuals. And they expressed how supported the main character must have felt when they found friends that accepted them and valued them for their differences and uniqueness.
...
Less than a month later, the Cobb County School District gave Rinderle the choice to resign or be terminated for violating the district’s policies. She refused to resign. On May 5, she was told she would be terminated by the district, and she was issued her official notice of termination on June 6.
...
The day after Rinderle read My Shadow is Purple, a Cobb County middle school teacher – and mother of one of Rinderle’s fifth grade students – complained to the principal, assistant principal and the area superintendent.

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2023/06/22/georgia-teacher-fired-reading-childrens-book-about-acceptance-class

It's that it was another teacher who thought that acceptance and diversity were things that should get a teacher fired that's the awful thing. Good teacher fired, bad teacher still in place. Here's hoping the legal challenge to Rinderle's firing goes well - the district seem remarkably unable to define what "divisive concepts" means, and how the book broke rules or laws. I half suspect it's the cover - child wearing trousers, but child's shadow has a dress.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. As a substitute teacher in 1983 (40 years ago),

I was reprimanded by the Principal for opining to a fourth grade class that it wasn’t important to get married. Apparently, being unrepentantly single was subversive in those days.

[Carlitos Brigante]

2. K&R! nt

[Lonestarblue]

3. Republican curriculum: Reject all kids who aren't just like you and hate them for being different.

[RKP5637]

18. And the wretched GOP wants everyone else to hate kids too! F the GOP Barbarians! n/t

[NH Ethylene]

4. If the book explicitly talks about sexual diversity,

Getting into hot water over it was inevitable, given the current climate.

[Maru Kitteh]

16. Where in that did you see explicit discussion of sexual diversity?

[NH Ethylene]

32. I didn't; that's why I said IF.

But that is the hot-button issue for right-wingers at this time, so it seems likely.

[obamanut2012]

17. what the hell

And, wtf is "sexual diversity."

[NH Ethylene]

33. LGBTQ encompases a lot of diversity, which relates to people's sexuality.

I'm surprised I need to explain that.

[Bettie]

5. "Divisive Concepts"

include teaching kids that it's OK if someone is different than they are...yeah, that tracks with general Republicanism as it is today.

[Funtatlaguy]

6. Here's the cover of the book.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/My_Shadow_Is_Purple/YkVuEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1

[pazzyanne]

20. Thank you. I was just looking that up.

[edhopper]

7. This is what they are afraid of.

[murielm99]

8. This should be an OP.

[Phoenix61]

9. What a beautiful story! nt

[70sEraVet]

12. Thanks for that. Too bad books like that weren't around a generation or two ago.

We might not be having all of these problems.

[edhopper]

14. We fucking hippies

were preaching this, it didn't get through to the mouth breathing assholes.

[orangecrush]

23. +1

[uponit7771]

13. +1

[70sEraVet]

10. Well, they're certainly teaching their kids about 'bullying' in schools -

The kids are watching their favorite teachers getting bullied out of their classrooms!

[Xanchez]

11. It's about a non-binary boy (or girl) who says he (or she, or they) has (or have) no gender

And asks for acceptance.

[gopiscrap]

34. welcome to DU

[TeamProg]

15. Thre GOP is purely about cruelty. Economic, Social, medical, history.. are all reasons to be cruel,

They are the party of hate. We've known that for a while now.

[DENVERPOPS]

19. The first thing that came to my mind was

"first they came for the __________and I did nothing,
then they came for the____________and I did nothing," etc etc......

[SouthernDem4ever]

21. Parents who fear this must be really insecure about themselves and their kids

What they fail to realize is their kids will choose because of who they are not what their parents want them to be. It may not happen right away but it will happen. Teaching their kids to be understanding of others isn't something that should wait until they are adults.

[lindysalsagal]

22. The War On Education

The fascists are winning. Children are losing.

[RevBrotherThomas]

24. My God

They are so SO frightened.

Talk about snowflakes...

[AllaN01Bear]

25. first off i wouldnt return to that district for anything and second i hope

she sues.

[AllaN01Bear]

26. what the heck is wrong with this book? idk . so sensitive .

[EnergizedLib]

27. I think a lot of adults are worse than kids

Kids can be mean and immature, but we expect less out of them.

[andym]

28. Understand that this is where conservatives are drawing lines in the sand

over what they call "traditional values": defined roles for everyone. It's always been a thing with them and that's what informs these situations.

From the 1970's theme song for All in the Family: (sung by Archie and Edith Bunker):

"And you knew who you were then,
girls were girls and men were men
we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again."

DeSantis wants to be the pied piper of this culture war retreat into the last century.

[Martin68]

29. Fascism in action.

[Casady1]

30. Cobb County

is the worst of the suburban counties in Atlanta. Lot's of RW nuts.

[AwakeAtLast]

31. A book from their own book sale?

She will sue and win.