What's In A Name?
A schoolteacher is leading the charge to rename an elementary school. Seems that the namesake was a slaveowner in his day and thus, given the demographics of this area and the student population, it just isn't appropriate anymore to hold this dreadful man up as any kind of role model. Current front runners for replacement names include Ralph Bunche, Sojourner Truth, and Cesar Chavez. (I assume those who find adultry offensive will be working to strike MLK's name from all schools and streets as well).
The town. . Berkeley, CA. The Villian. . Thomas Jefferson.
An alum of this elementary school has pointed out that Jefferson advocated that all children should be provided with at least an elementary school education, and thus, the school's very existence can be traced to the misguided ideas of this evil fool.
But there is more. . the entire renaming process is being turned into a learning experience. Quoteth the Times de los Angels, "Students who can't read will have printed information to take home so their parents can help them vote".
Let me run that by you one more time. Elementary students who CAN'T READ.
Maybe they should expend more of this energy teaching the kids to read, but that really is awfully insensitive and Eurocentric of me.
To be fair, whackiness isn't limited to the left. Here in El Segundo, the City Council defeated plans to name two library reading rooms after Agatha Christie and Jack London, not because they were slaveholders, but because one was a communist and the other (gasp) was (I can barely type these hideous words)Br*t*sh.
I guess the George Bernard Shaw Library and Gardens will need to be put on hold.
The town. . Berkeley, CA. The Villian. . Thomas Jefferson.
An alum of this elementary school has pointed out that Jefferson advocated that all children should be provided with at least an elementary school education, and thus, the school's very existence can be traced to the misguided ideas of this evil fool.
But there is more. . the entire renaming process is being turned into a learning experience. Quoteth the Times de los Angels, "Students who can't read will have printed information to take home so their parents can help them vote".
Let me run that by you one more time. Elementary students who CAN'T READ.
Maybe they should expend more of this energy teaching the kids to read, but that really is awfully insensitive and Eurocentric of me.
To be fair, whackiness isn't limited to the left. Here in El Segundo, the City Council defeated plans to name two library reading rooms after Agatha Christie and Jack London, not because they were slaveholders, but because one was a communist and the other (gasp) was (I can barely type these hideous words)Br*t*sh.
I guess the George Bernard Shaw Library and Gardens will need to be put on hold.
posted by stewdog | 7:33 AM | Permalink
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3 comments
3 Comments:
What's in a name? Plenty! Hope nobody in the Rumpus named their kids Ashlee, Da'Quan or LaQuisha: The Name Game Is No Game.
Yo, Stewdog. Some elementary school kids are young. They go to school to LEARN to read.
Still, the idea of 5 year old kids voting on the name of their school is interesting. What happens if they all vote for Spongebob Elementary School?
Clearly my own schooling was deficient: I have not even heard of Ralph Bunche.
Interesting article, CIV. I have no quarrel with anyone naming their children whatever they chose to name them. That's freedom.
I also don't have a problem with NEW schools' names having local community input. I do object to the abrogation of history in this wrongheaded manner.
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