4 ms·

Tampa-area schools cut back on Shakespeare, citing new Fla. rules

8 points by c5karl 3y ago

c5karl 3y ago
https://archive.is/2023.08.08-012347/https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/08/07/hillsborough-schools-cut-back-shakespeare-citing-new-florida-rules/ https://archive.is/2023.08.08-012347/https://www.tampabay.co...
accrual 3y ago
In my deepest and professional sense of things: this is bullshit.
- CamperBob2 3y ago
  You want to see bullshit, call out the people responsible for this -- namely, Republicans -- and watch what happens to your comment score.
  - tiahura 3y ago
    These are Democrats grandstanding to embarrass Desantis.
    - CamperBob2 3y ago
      "Look at those Democrats, making us look stupid by following rules that we put in place to propitiate our sky wizard." Not sure that's the ironclad defense you're hoping to project.
  - 1attice 3y ago
    HN has taken such a hard-right turn these past few years I've begun intentionally optimizing my karma-motivated behaviour for fluctuations in karma. Which is to say, I mentally overlay my actual karma score with a shadow score that increases whenever someone engages with something I write, either by replying, downvoting, or upvoting. A GOP downvote pile-on is now pretty good evidence of having said something truthful, especially when it's accompanied by an equally strong (or stronger) updraft of upvotes from other tendencies. I've had half a mind to produce a browser plugin to do this for me, and apply it to everyone else as well, making the posts with the most engagement grow in `font-weight` and `font-size`, but the project is stymied by the number of snapshots and the amount of scraping I'd have to do; plus, there'd always be the possibility of missing an interaction.
    - goodbyesf 3y ago
      > A GOP downvote pile-on is now pretty good evidence of having said something truthful, especially when it's accompanied by an equally strong (or stronger) updraft of upvotes from other tendencies. You aren't american. Why do you even care? So many foreigners like you have an unhealthy obsession with american politics, culture, etc. Honestly, don't you have anything going on in your own country to occupy your time? It never occurs to me to waste my time discussing other countries' politics in other countries' forum. The propagandists say that it's the russians or the chinese that are meddling in american politics, but that hasn't been my experience online. It's foreigners like you. I just don't get it.
      - 1attice 3y ago
        Babe, I've spent at least half my adult life living in the USA. Not only that, but I'm from literal Canada, which is basically a thin, one-dimensional strip extending from the Pacific to the Atlantic, right above your circus, suspended like a trapeze. We are saturated in your news, your media, and your politics. You honestly think that people living half an hour from the border don't get an opinion? When did America get in the business of deciding who could have opinions, anyway? So much for the land of free speech. RIP
        goodbyesf 3y ago
        > We are saturated in your news, your media, and your politics. That's my point. Why not saturate yourselves with your own news, your own media, your own politics. Canada surely must have something going for it? > You honestly think that people living half an hour from the border don't get an opinion? I'm not far from the canadian border and I don't a shit about canadian politics. You don't have to obsess over foreign politics. You'll live longer. > When did americans get in the business of licensing who could have opinions, anyway? Since 1776? > So much for the land of free speech. RIP Chalk it up to foreign meddling.
        1attice 3y ago
        POV: Republicans are now afraid of [checks notes] Canadian 'foreign meddling'. Only thirty years ago, this was parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfBzWJVbX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfBzWJVbX4 Is there anything you all aren't afraid of?
CSMastermind 3y ago
> The new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking include lists of books that might be included on the state competency exam. To give students a better chance of mastering the material, the district switched to one novel and excerpts from five to seven different books, including plays. So the change has absolutely nothing to do with Florida's rules banning sexual materials. This seems like someone choosing to use this unrelated change to push their political narrative. I don't think there's much interesting or intellectually satisfying about this.
- BugsJustFindMe 3y ago
  It's hard for me to see how you've reached that conclusion. > “It was also in consideration of the law,” said school district spokeswoman Tanya Arja, referring to the newly expanded Parental Rights in Education Act. The measure, promoted and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, tells schools to steer clear of content and class discussion that is sexual in nature unless it is related to a standard, such as health class. > Students will be assigned pages from the classics, which might include “Macbeth,” “Hamlet” and the time-honored teen favorite, “Romeo and Juliet.” But if they want to read them in their entirety, they will likely have to do it on their own time. > “There’s some raunchiness in Shakespeare,” said Joseph Cool, a reading teacher at Gaither High School. “Because that’s what sold tickets during his time.” In staying with excerpts, the schools can teach about Shakespeare while avoiding anything racy or sexual. > But teachers are advised, during class lessons, to stay with the approved guidelines, which call for excerpts. If not, in extreme circumstances, they might have to defend themselves against a parent complaint or a disciplinary case at their school.
  - meragrin_ 3y ago
    > unless it is related to a standard "MacBeth", "Hamlet", and "Romeo and Juliet" are literally in the standard: https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7539/urlt/elabeststandardsfinal.pdf https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7539/urlt/elabestst... They are being petty, lazy, or deliberately malicious.
    - 3y ago

8 points by c5karl 3y ago

https://archive.is/2023.08.08-012347/https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/08/07/hillsborough-schools-cut-back-shakespeare-citing-new-florida-rules/ https://archive.is/2023.08.08-012347/https://www.tampabay.co...

accrual 3y ago

In my deepest and professional sense of things: this is bullshit.

CamperBob2 3y ago
You want to see bullshit, call out the people responsible for this -- namely, Republicans -- and watch what happens to your comment score.
- tiahura 3y ago
  These are Democrats grandstanding to embarrass Desantis.
  - CamperBob2 3y ago
    "Look at those Democrats, making us look stupid by following rules that we put in place to propitiate our sky wizard." Not sure that's the ironclad defense you're hoping to project.
- 1attice 3y ago
  HN has taken such a hard-right turn these past few years I've begun intentionally optimizing my karma-motivated behaviour for fluctuations in karma. Which is to say, I mentally overlay my actual karma score with a shadow score that increases whenever someone engages with something I write, either by replying, downvoting, or upvoting. A GOP downvote pile-on is now pretty good evidence of having said something truthful, especially when it's accompanied by an equally strong (or stronger) updraft of upvotes from other tendencies. I've had half a mind to produce a browser plugin to do this for me, and apply it to everyone else as well, making the posts with the most engagement grow in `font-weight` and `font-size`, but the project is stymied by the number of snapshots and the amount of scraping I'd have to do; plus, there'd always be the possibility of missing an interaction.
  - goodbyesf 3y ago
    > A GOP downvote pile-on is now pretty good evidence of having said something truthful, especially when it's accompanied by an equally strong (or stronger) updraft of upvotes from other tendencies. You aren't american. Why do you even care? So many foreigners like you have an unhealthy obsession with american politics, culture, etc. Honestly, don't you have anything going on in your own country to occupy your time? It never occurs to me to waste my time discussing other countries' politics in other countries' forum. The propagandists say that it's the russians or the chinese that are meddling in american politics, but that hasn't been my experience online. It's foreigners like you. I just don't get it.
    - 1attice 3y ago
      Babe, I've spent at least half my adult life living in the USA. Not only that, but I'm from literal Canada, which is basically a thin, one-dimensional strip extending from the Pacific to the Atlantic, right above your circus, suspended like a trapeze. We are saturated in your news, your media, and your politics. You honestly think that people living half an hour from the border don't get an opinion? When did America get in the business of deciding who could have opinions, anyway? So much for the land of free speech. RIP
      - goodbyesf 3y ago
        > We are saturated in your news, your media, and your politics. That's my point. Why not saturate yourselves with your own news, your own media, your own politics. Canada surely must have something going for it? > You honestly think that people living half an hour from the border don't get an opinion? I'm not far from the canadian border and I don't a shit about canadian politics. You don't have to obsess over foreign politics. You'll live longer. > When did americans get in the business of licensing who could have opinions, anyway? Since 1776? > So much for the land of free speech. RIP Chalk it up to foreign meddling.
        1attice 3y ago
        POV: Republicans are now afraid of [checks notes] Canadian 'foreign meddling'. Only thirty years ago, this was parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfBzWJVbX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfBzWJVbX4 Is there anything you all aren't afraid of?

CSMastermind 3y ago

> The new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking include lists of books that might be included on the state competency exam. To give students a better chance of mastering the material, the district switched to one novel and excerpts from five to seven different books, including plays. So the change has absolutely nothing to do with Florida's rules banning sexual materials. This seems like someone choosing to use this unrelated change to push their political narrative. I don't think there's much interesting or intellectually satisfying about this.

BugsJustFindMe 3y ago
It's hard for me to see how you've reached that conclusion. > “It was also in consideration of the law,” said school district spokeswoman Tanya Arja, referring to the newly expanded Parental Rights in Education Act. The measure, promoted and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, tells schools to steer clear of content and class discussion that is sexual in nature unless it is related to a standard, such as health class. > Students will be assigned pages from the classics, which might include “Macbeth,” “Hamlet” and the time-honored teen favorite, “Romeo and Juliet.” But if they want to read them in their entirety, they will likely have to do it on their own time. > “There’s some raunchiness in Shakespeare,” said Joseph Cool, a reading teacher at Gaither High School. “Because that’s what sold tickets during his time.” In staying with excerpts, the schools can teach about Shakespeare while avoiding anything racy or sexual. > But teachers are advised, during class lessons, to stay with the approved guidelines, which call for excerpts. If not, in extreme circumstances, they might have to defend themselves against a parent complaint or a disciplinary case at their school.
- meragrin_ 3y ago
  > unless it is related to a standard "MacBeth", "Hamlet", and "Romeo and Juliet" are literally in the standard: https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7539/urlt/elabeststandardsfinal.pdf https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7539/urlt/elabestst... They are being petty, lazy, or deliberately malicious.
  - 3y ago