California School District reverses its ban on Webster Dictionary.

[sinkingfeeling]

http://www.newser.com/story/79384/school-relents-webster-dictionary-safe-for-kids.html

Newser) – School authorities in Southern California's Menifee district have reversed a ban on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary after a parent complained about its references to oral sex. A committee of parents and teachers decided the dictionaries can be returned to fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms, the LA Times reports. Concerned parents, however, can request that their kids use a different dictionary.

See post below for initial story:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7591494

Edited to add DU link.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Anyone else remember looking up "Fuck" in the giant library dictionary?

I do.

The "Big Dictionary" had LOTS of cool words!

:P

[Dappleganger]

2. Hey, dictionaries can give a great education...

I know I learned a lot!

[tonysam]

8. Everything I ever knew about life I found in Webster's and the American Heritage

dictionaries.

[Warpy]

6. Yep, that school OED was great

We didn't have the internet but we did have the OED.

Those of us who were precocious brats who were allowed into "the stacks" at the public library also found things like "The Unexpurgated Dictionary of American Slang." I can't tell you how many sticky situations that one got me out of simply because I understood the language.

The fundy parents who are terrified their precious little dollies are going to learn about the big, bad world need to homeschool them.

[tonysam]

10. The internet isn't a substitute for the "great" books, and

it never will be.

[Warpy]

16. You can find great books on the internet

and kids who are curious about sex can find out about that, too. Net Nanny might be good at blocking the Democratic Party sites but she sucks at blocking every porn site out there.

[d_r]

7. absolutely

it was a right of passage

[FSogol]

3. Our library had a big dictionary of slang with page after page of words for F***.

:-)

[tonysam]

9. I remember students going through the slang dictionary

during our library time in middle school. I would spend time in the library during lunch to go through the book.

[Brickbat]

4. Geez, sometimes I *wish* my kid would look up some of those words in the dictionary.

[rd_kent]

5. WTF? This uber-PC protectionist parenting has got to stop!

[hayu_lol]

12. Certainly the bible needs to be banned...

as most of us have discussed over time. (LOL) Kids will look up and actually research such words as are found in the larger dictionaries...the OED for example. They may not do their homework, but they will spend hours looking for the 'spice' to add to their otherwise mostly boring lives.

I believe that most of us did that when in school. Grade school sounds about right for the time period. We were only guilty of interest in an area that we did not understand completely.

Normal childhood behavior. Like playing doctor etc.

[rd_kent]

13. Agreed. Brainwashing your child with that nonsense should be outlawed.

If, when a child has the capacity to make rational decision, THEN they can be introduced to religion by their parents, but until then, its just brainwashing.

[tonysam]

11. There are dictionaries specifically for younger students

Teachers teach students dictionary skills--hopefully they still do, because the internet isn't the be all, end all--and the children's dictionaries fill the bill nicely. I can tell you kids LOVE doing dictionary searches because they can make a game out of it.

Glossaries in the back of textbooks also are useful in teaching this important skill.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Do dictionaries in the homes of parents have those words?

Or have they been banned there too?

[niyad]

15. I would say that idiot parent needs to homeschool the kid--but that poor kid would get a really

useless "education"

that whole school board needs to be replaced for even considering banning a dictionary. what spineless little wimps.