Arizona Schools Ban Mex-Am Studies, Angry Kids Put On Janitorial Duty

[Starry Messenger]

http://wonkette.com/460717/arizona-schools-ban-mexican-american-studies-angry-kids-given-janitorial-duty

In a page right out of Newt Gingrich’s alternate-history science-fiction wingnut-polygamy utopian epic Candyland Space Land, the school district in Tucson has completely banned Mexican-American studies, seized all the textbooks and even wall posters from the classrooms, and punished the students who protested by sentencing them to janitorial duty.

<snip>

The students bravely marched five miles from Cholla High School (better change that name!) to the Mexican-American Studies headquarters … and as punishment for this crime against white society, they were all put on janitorial slave duty. Sounds like Tucson needs to be occupied! (Weather is very nice this time of year. It’s a good season for a Mexican-sounding revolution.)

Totally disgusting. This is a result of Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal declaring that: “Education programs should never teach children to resent or hate or feel victimized by another group of people for any reason, let alone simply because of certain individuals’ ethnicity and skin color. Children of all backgrounds should be empowered by education programs to get ahead, not embittered to ‘get even’ or disheartened to give up.”


How do you say "irony" in Spanish? Mexican-American studies were supposedly teaching "resentment" but tearing apart classrooms and banning books like fascist thugs won't? And then using child labor for punishment? I'd laugh, but this story makes me ill.

[KansDem]

1. So when do they ban the Bible?

Education programs should never teach children to resent or hate or feel victimized by another group of people for any reason.

[Starry Messenger]

2. Or any work about the American Revolution.

You wouldn't want kids to think ill of the British.

[Drale]

5. Na the British are cool,

hell they gave us Doctor Who. Its those damn smelly French you have to worry about. "P

[nanabugg]

3. I give up!!! nt

[Alameda]

4. Unbelievable!!! You can't make this stuff up, nobody would believe it....but here we are

[Starry Messenger]

6. I'm trying to find more about this story.

The conservative sites are crowing away at their racist victory. Tell me this doesn't sound like something that might have happened in the run up to WW2. This is some scary shit.

http://consortiumnews.com/2012/01/21/banning-books-in-tucson/

According to various news reports, and interviews with teachers directly affected by the book ban, the banned books were seized from classrooms right in front of students. The teachers were given a couple of days to figure out what to teach in place of the Mexican Ethnic studies curriculum. Some students in these classes were reported to be in tears as the books were packed up and shipped off to a book depository.

As a teacher, I can't even imagine being in this situation.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. They came in the classrooms WHILE STUDENTS WERE IN CLASS and seized these materials

If this wasn't done for show, I'm a right winger.

Reminds me of the summer session I spent substituting at a charter school. While I was there, the charter sponsor changed hands. The sponsor who was leaving sent movers to the school during the school day to pack their materials. The movers came into my classroom and took the pencils from my students' hands while the students were completing their work.

People who do this are not thinking about what is best for the students. I would not even say they like children. If they did, they wouldn't seize materials from kids WHILE THEY ARE IN CLASS.

[Starry Messenger]

8. How insanely traumatic is that!

I was just trying to picture it, but you had something like that happen to your classroom. Ugh, that is so sickening. A classroom should be a place of trust and security and the students depend on that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I kicked them out.

Called the office and said if they really wanted me to continue as a substitute, they would come get these movers out of my classroom NOW. Then I stopped on my way home that evening and bought pencils and paper, labeled it all with MY name and put everything else in that classroom in a box and took it to the office. Movers never came back while I was there.

[Starry Messenger]

11. Excellent!

Good for you! People are sick.

[JackRiddler]

12. Machiavelli: Commit your biggest crimes at the start of your rule.

Adapted, it's also the principle behind shock and awe.

Of course this is theater to crush spirits and crush resistance.

[Starry Messenger]

9. Shameless self-kick

[varelse]

13. Ah, facism

Always so empowering.