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The index, which is linked in the article, reveals that the banned books are not How to Code books but a series of chapter novels that feature girls who are int

The index, which is linked in the article, reveals that the banned books are not How to Code books but a series of chapter novels that feature girls who are interested in coding but know nothing about it. Furthermore, they are only banned as classroom curriculum books, not banned from the library, which makes sense because the first book appears to contain no classroom merit whatsoever -- just like most chapter books aimed at kids. I skimmed through the first book. It's cute. A bunch of girls who are excited to learn to make apps join the coding club and get tricked by their female teacher into solving a bunch of coding trivia outside the classroom in order to develop friendships. They finally learn some actual coding from the protagonist's older brother. There really is no merit to this as a classroom assigned reading book, and it would probably be a drag for boys to read. The writing style and thoughts and feelings of the main character are obviously directed heavily at girls, except for the older brother who's a cool prankster and who actually knows how to make basic utilities. The Girls Who Code textbook by the same author, Learn to Code and Change the World, is not banned.

drbeast 4y ago
Thank you for doing the needful kind sir.
Volundr 4y ago
Is there a reason we don't trust the teachers to make that call? I imagine there are a near infinite number of books that have "no classroom merit", do we need to spell them all out? It's also hard to square "it just doesn't provide any benefit in the classroom" with this quote from the board president: > What we are attempting to do is balance legitimate academic freedom with what could be literature/materials that are too activist in nature, and may lean more toward indoctrination rather than age-appropriate academic content. That sure seems to suggest someone thought a group of girls bonding in coding club was "too activist".
- deleted 4y ago
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- spoils19 4y ago
  > Is there a reason we don't trust the teachers to make that call? As a conservative, I don't trust teachers because their interests often don't align with my own. I heard from a friend in Florida that their kid started identifying as an ATI Radeon HD4850, which is absurd and not respecting AMD's brand.

drbeast 4y ago

Thank you for doing the needful kind sir.

Volundr 4y ago

Is there a reason we don't trust the teachers to make that call? I imagine there are a near infinite number of books that have "no classroom merit", do we need to spell them all out? It's also hard to square "it just doesn't provide any benefit in the classroom" with this quote from the board president: > What we are attempting to do is balance legitimate academic freedom with what could be literature/materials that are too activist in nature, and may lean more toward indoctrination rather than age-appropriate academic content. That sure seems to suggest someone thought a group of girls bonding in coding club was "too activist".

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
spoils19 4y ago
> Is there a reason we don't trust the teachers to make that call? As a conservative, I don't trust teachers because their interests often don't align with my own. I heard from a friend in Florida that their kid started identifying as an ATI Radeon HD4850, which is absurd and not respecting AMD's brand.