Students within the American public school system have to be taught the following basic disciplines:

Spelling

Writing

Reading

Arithmetic

Geography

Science

History

The curricula are the most important aspects in developing well-educated students. Along with the disciplines, students need intellectual curiosity about the society in which they currently live, and the eras which came before they were even born.

When there is a concerted effort to toss out publications considered offensive, sanitize history to make it less disturbing, that is the wrong approach in educating students within the public school system.

The approach can be looked upon as narrow-minded, selfish, and an instrument in promoting disharmony.

American history is imperfect! It always has been and always will be. Be that as it may, hiding said history from students does nothing but make them intellectually weak, contrary to the premise of public schools as an educational body.

As an aside, the constant listening to music with disgusting lyrics is one of the most crucial aspects in society guaranteed to destroy a young person’s psyche.

Where’s the noise on that subject?!

To the educators:

Teach students to read extremely well (which is actually the most important skill a person can have!), and then let them read:

Twain

Baldwin

Frost

Shakespeare

Ishiguro

Dostoevsky

That famous yin and yang: Washington & DuBois

Steinbeck

Lorraine Hansberry

Thoreau

The Diary of Anne Frank

Hemingway

Langston Hughes

Richard Wright

…which is a mere sampling of excellent reads!

Removing certain publications from the educational discourse take away important conversations between the young and their parents, opportunities to learn about the sufferings other racial and ethnic communities experienced, and closes the mind entirely. Removing certain publications from the educational discourse is analogous to believing that members of society always had cell phones and computers in their households, which is totally inaccurate.

Intellectual curiosity fosters healthy, smart dialogues, with the possessor having a skill to use in many areas of life. A life being unafraid, and least offended because they understand that imperfection.

Vikki