My step-daughter came from school with a project to do a report, oral and written, on Gloria Steinem. Now I'll be quite honest, I didn't know jack about her. Sure, I've heard of her, but I couldn't remember anything specific. Anyway, Kenzie gets started on finding all of the information that must be in the report. She hops on Wikipedia and starts gathering the usual stats...place and date of birth, education, family, ect. When she gets to the part of having to explain "What are they famous for?" she calls to me for help. I go to the computer to help because she "doesn't understand what these things are." Wikipedia says, "Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American feminist icon, journalist, and social and political activist. Rising to national prominence in the 1970s, she became a leading political leader of the decade, and one of the most important heads of the second-wave of the women's rights movement. She is the founder and original publisher of Ms. magazine, the founder of the pro-choice organization Choice USA, co-founder of the Women's Media Center, and was an influential co-convener of the National Women's Political Caucus."
Hmmm.
How to explain this to A FOURTH GRADER.
Call me uptight or old fashion, but I just don't think that my fourth grader is ready to have pro-choice explained to her. Actually, I think fourth grade is a bit young to be explaining feminism to.
It gets worse. Here are some Gloria Steinem quotes we found while searching...
"A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job after."
"A woman reading Playboy feels a little like a Jew reading a Nazi manual."
"Pornography is the instruction. Rape is the practice, battered women are the practice, and battered children are the practice. "
"The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.”
She was quoted in The New York Observer saying "getting rid of George Bush, by any means necessary short of violence,” because, obviously, it affects everything else. “We are not in his control,” Ms. Steinem said, “so I say, fuck him. You can write your article, I can write my book. He can’t do anything about it."
And in the same above mentioned article she was asked to give advice to young women of today. Her response? To do "whatever they fucking well please".
She is also noted for her opinions on women's rights, the "sexual revolution," consumerism, and the "Playboy philosophy".
As a parent, I am outraged that a teacher would give this person to my fourth grader to go research. Trust me, all of the above took me less than 30 minutes to find. There is a lot more where that came from. Luckily, I was there with Kenzie and was able to stop her research before she found the above. I sat her down and explained that I don't want her to work on this report anymore. I told her that I don't think that Gloria Steinem's accomplishments are something that she would be able to understand very well and there are things about her that are not age appropriate.
Tomorrow, I fully intend to go to Kenzie's school and have a "chat" with her teacher. This is the same teacher I complained about here .
What do you all think? Am I right to be upset about this? Should I confront this teacher? What would you say?
3 comments:
First ask the teacher if she knows who Christina Hoff Sommers is? Do NOT tell her. No matter what she fumbles on do NOT tell her the answer. She is the author of Who Stole Feminism. GREAT BOOK. If she has no idea or just goes off on the author you know you have indoctrination happening.
I think that 10 year olds are rather young to start teaching about these issues.
Some of the values are ok to teach...being a strong woman...women who want to work instead of having a family or having both...teaching that you can be or do anything you want. Past that it's beyond the comprehension of that age and is indoctrination.
I also think it's time to go above this teacher's head. Because all lesson plans have to be approved by the district. I wonder if they are aware this is happening.
Lauren...thanks for your input. I'm going to check out Christina Hoff Sommers right now.
OMG. I'd. Be. Livid.
It's fine to be a woman and feel empowered by that- to know that you can do whatever you set your mind to do; to be whatever you set your mind to be- but past that- especially at this age; there is no more that should be taught. Abortion isn't something a 4th grader needs to have in their conscious thought; sex isn't something. The f-word isn't either. Honestly, what was this woman thinking? This is the sort of project I can see a college professor assigning a class of freshman sociology students. Not fourth graders. She's not old enough to even consider the ramifications of the actions of being like Gloria Steinem. OMG.
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