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I think this is one of multiple objections that were raised to the book. It is, frankly, absurd to think they were "looking for a pretext" to ban Maus. They hav

I think this is one of multiple objections that were raised to the book. It is, frankly, absurd to think they were "looking for a pretext" to ban Maus. They have taught and will continue to teach module(s) on the Holocaust. There's absolutely no evidence anyone is trying to conceal it or that any of the parents or administrators are Nazis.

otterley 5y ago
If they’re really serious about teaching the Holocaust, it seems pretty dumb to ban Maus because it’s one of the most effective books for teaching it to students at that age.
- ALittleLight 5y ago
  I don't really have an opinion on how to choose school curriculum. That's not my wheelhouse. As I've said, I've not read Maus, so I don't have an opinion on that either. I do have an opinion on the meta level though. That is, I have an opinion about the "controversy" which is that it has been sensationalized. A school board decided to sideline this book if they could find a suitable replacement and use it if not. They are the proper authorities to set the curriculum and they seem to be following a reasonable approach (listening to complaints from parents, and taking time to see if they can find a solution, defaulting to what they have if they can't). There is absolutely no reason for this to repeatedly hit national news outlets. Further, I think it's perverse to sensationalize non-events like this and act like they are censorious or evidence of latent-Nazi'ism.
  - otterley 5y ago
    I disagree. School boards are supposed to be leaders in a mission to provide the best education to their students, and should be influenced primarily by educational experts and the “boots on the ground,” i.e., school administrators, teachers, and other leaders with training and experience in curriculum development and education. While parents’ opinions do matter, they aren’t experts in education, and school boards should be influencing the parents instead of the other way around. Otherwise education is going to be beholden to irrational whims, fads, and politics, and I believe society will be far worse off as a result. And that’s really the story here - that politics, rather than educational effectiveness, seems to be prevailing with this and other school boards across the U.S.
    - ALittleLight 5y ago
      What percentage of eighth grade schools currently have Maus in the curriculum?

otterley 5y ago

If they’re really serious about teaching the Holocaust, it seems pretty dumb to ban Maus because it’s one of the most effective books for teaching it to students at that age.

ALittleLight 5y ago
I don't really have an opinion on how to choose school curriculum. That's not my wheelhouse. As I've said, I've not read Maus, so I don't have an opinion on that either. I do have an opinion on the meta level though. That is, I have an opinion about the "controversy" which is that it has been sensationalized. A school board decided to sideline this book if they could find a suitable replacement and use it if not. They are the proper authorities to set the curriculum and they seem to be following a reasonable approach (listening to complaints from parents, and taking time to see if they can find a solution, defaulting to what they have if they can't). There is absolutely no reason for this to repeatedly hit national news outlets. Further, I think it's perverse to sensationalize non-events like this and act like they are censorious or evidence of latent-Nazi'ism.
- otterley 5y ago
  I disagree. School boards are supposed to be leaders in a mission to provide the best education to their students, and should be influenced primarily by educational experts and the “boots on the ground,” i.e., school administrators, teachers, and other leaders with training and experience in curriculum development and education. While parents’ opinions do matter, they aren’t experts in education, and school boards should be influencing the parents instead of the other way around. Otherwise education is going to be beholden to irrational whims, fads, and politics, and I believe society will be far worse off as a result. And that’s really the story here - that politics, rather than educational effectiveness, seems to be prevailing with this and other school boards across the U.S.
  - ALittleLight 5y ago
    What percentage of eighth grade schools currently have Maus in the curriculum?