All Articles Tagged "the secret life of bees"
Parents Outraged After NYC Prep School Teacher Prompts Students To Write Suicide Notes
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A few of the parents with teens who attend York Preparatory School were pissed when they learned that the high school’s English teacher instructed students to compose suicide letters in the first-person narrative. According to the New York Post, the assignment was doled out after the class read The Secret Life of Bees and specifically, they were to write the letter from the perspective of May Boatwright, the character who kills herself. Students were also asked to justify the suicide.
“We were pretty stunned at the scope of the assignment,”one ninth grader’s father revealed.
“We thought this was such an outrageous assignment for a 14-year-old to get. We pay a lot of money to send our kids to the school.”
The English teacher under fire, Jessica Barrish, issued the assignment last month, which included questions such as:
“How would you justify ending your life?”
“What reasons would you give?”
The prep school’s headmaster, Ronald Stewart, revealed that he has yet to receive any complaints from parents. The New School philosophy professor, Simon Crichtley, told The Post that he saw nothing wrong the the assignment.
“I don’t see why this is inappropriate at all. If it is, then suicide is a taboo, and I simply think we have to think rationally about our taboos.”
“I think it might even help students acquire a more mature and reflective approach to a hugely important topic.”
I don’t really see anything wrong with the project. However, I am not a parent, and this could make a huge difference in the way that I view the situation.
What are your thoughts on the assignment? Would you say that it was inappropriate?
Sistas Working Behind the Scenes
She is the sista that makes you laugh, sob and shout at your TV screen. She’s not your favorite actress, but she definitely plays a leading role. You may not know her name and you may never see her face. She works behind the scenes as the writer, director, and producer of some of our favorite shows, music videos, and films. Here are a five sistas the create the moments we love behind the scenes:
