Month: October 2023

During my early years, my Catholic school in Puerto Rico did not conduct any field trips.  I first enrolled in the public school system in Florida at the age of ten.  They did conduct field trips; each of these required a signed parental consent form.  In this regard, we simply brought that consent from home and simply asked her to sign it.  My mom didn’t really speak (or read) English.  Truthfully, she didn’t really know what each particular field trip entailed, though she implicitly trusted us not to abuse that trust.  We never had her put her name on a blank check or sign away the car or house.

During my senior year in high school, there was a similar classroom session for our Health class.  This particular class was a requirement for graduation.  However, this specific lesson required parental consent; those who did not get consent would spend it in the library.  Like all other parental permission forms that preceded this one, I simply handed the paper to my mom and asked her to sign it.  The lesson talked about human sexuality, had pictures of circumcision, childbirth, etc.  While I’m sure some students didn’t get consent, the ones who remained didn’t seem especially distressed.

Continue reading “Hiding behind our children” →

Like most high school students, I read Shakespeare in class.  To be bluntly honest, I tolerated it.  Naturally, I understood that it was a necessary part of my education and in many respects, he became the standard.  However, his writing neither especially impressed me nor compelled me to read it outside of my required reading.  Though I understand that to many of you, this is heresy.

I also read Orwell’s 1984 in high school, ironically right around 1984.  It was required reading.  This book both fascinated and deeply distressed me; it was delicious.  First, while there were obviously many elements of this society that were deeply distressing, today I’ll focus on just one.  The predisposition to amend history, most memorably with the simple statement, “Oceania is, and always has been, at war with Eastasia.”  This is untrue; Oceania switched loyalties during the novel.  However, the book describes a society that simply refuses to acknowledge its history.  If the government makes a strong enough assertion, that’s what ‘truth’ will be.

Continue reading “American Exceptionalism versus accurate history” →