Dorothy, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.
We can say the same about curriculum in public schools today. When a school district offers extra activities and opportunities for learning, parents assume these will round out the subject matter and be of some value for the student as he moves through future educational endeavors. In the current culture, this can never be assumed.
Scottsdale, Arizona is a prominent suburb of Phoenix and a popular tourist destination. Many residents are well off; most are at least middle class and take an interest in their city and schools. Just three years ago Scottsdale was named one of the best cities to live in the nation. What could go wrong for parents who enroll their children in the Scottsdale Unified School District?
Recently we were told about a poster hanging in one of the Scottsdale high schools. The author highlighted on the poster pushes the LGBT lifestyle and some of her cartoons make fun of Catholics. Now there is a seminar offered which is poisoning Scottsdale students and it is called Poetry Slam. Here is an example of Poetry Slam performed by 8th grade students at Tonalea School. The school teaches grades K-8 and the video is pretty innocent.
What could be wrong with your student reciting and performing poetry? We all recited poetry during our English classes at some point during our schooling. Uh oh, the National Education Association is promoting Poetry Slam. Sirens should be going off whenever the NEA is involved. We know Lily Eskelsen Garcia, NEA’s president, despises the current president. But imagine this video being accepted if the President referred to was Obama and not Trump.
Here is an introductory video to Poetry Slam to give you an idea of the attitude of the participants and of course, social justice demands. And here is the latest Poetry Slam winner. Notice the LGBTQ agenda.
The video below is particularly vulgar, even the shirts the poetry team wears should not be condoned by any school district. Listen carefully to the words.
The language is objectionable, ask yourself if students can speak this way in a classroom. If not, then why is Scottsdale Unified and other school districts in the Phoenix area associating with Poetry Slam, Inc.? Not only is the language vulgar, there are a several sarcastic references to Catholicism, of course. Isn’t religion protected by the anti-bullying programs in schools? There was a shooting at a synagogue recently and many in the country are trying to blame the political environment for the fatalities caused by one man who hates a particular religion. What do these Poetry Slam performances do except promote hate, disregard for new life, and sarcasm towards the Catholic Church?
A Scottsdale parent has contacted the Scottsdale Schools superintendent and governing board. To this date, they have been slow to respond to her concerns about curriculum issues in the district. Perhaps if more parents expressed their objections something will be done. Where is the Arizona Department of Education? We hear all about local control, but it is a head-scratcher why this type of seminar is being promoted by multiple districts in Arizona, a “red” state, right under the nose of the state’s education leaders.