Banned Books Week
From guest blogger Phil Kassen,
Dear LREI Families,
I write this on what the Kindergartners tell me is the 15th day of school. Fall is solidly upon us as evidenced by a drop in temperature, changing leaf colors and another annual autumnal event—Curriculum Night. While I spend every day surrounded by our curriculum, it has been a pleasure to attend these evenings and to hear the teachers speak about the progressive program in which your children participate each day in all three divisions. For those who are interested in what is happening in the classrooms of another grade or another division, I invite you to read the divisional blogs and the curriculum guides (on the web site, by division.)
I want to point you to one particular section of the high school curriculum guide. I was really quite impressed by the presentation made by the high school English and history teachers about our 11th and 12th grade electives. Clicking here will take you to the high school guide. (Pages 14-17 and 21-22 describe the English and History electives.) The opportunities offered to the students in these classes are akin to the experience of being in a college seminar. After their presentations the teachers and I spoke of the tight focus of their courses as a lens through which to view the wider world of literature. History teachers spoke of their students’ interests and how this engagement creates an openness and readiness to explore other areas of history. Take a look; I think you will be impressed.
This week, September 26th – October 3rd, is Banned Books Week. Sponsored by the American Library Association, “Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.” Banned Books Week encourages all of us to consider what it means that the response by some to books that offer differing points of view or that challenge one’s strongly held beliefs is anger and avoidance rather than respectful engagement. In contrast to the English teachers noted above, those who seek to ban books offer blinders, not lenses. Fine not to read a book that one finds objectionable, but to work to make these thoughts and opportunities unavailable to all?
I noticed with some pride that many of the books we read throughout the school have been banned or challenged at some point. Pride not in the fact that we are reading books that are edgy or from a specific political point of view, but pride in the fact that we are offering your children the chance to be challenged by the books they read or have read to them, to see the world through the lives of others, to articulate their points of view and to become active participants in civil conversations. As I discussed this with one of our librarians, she commented that I should not be surprised that so many of the books we read at LREI are part of this club as the list of challenged and banned books is incredibly long and grows every day. A sad fact.
One other thought about Banned Books Week. The people who challenge books seem to be organized and are able to effectively get their message out. I encourage you to find time next week to visit a library (our Sixth Avenue library has a terrific bulleting board display of banned books), to read a book that has been banned or challenged and to speak with your children about the power of books and freedom speech. For more information on Banned Books Week, visit the American Library Association’s web site.
-Phil
ALL-SCHOOL EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
1) Open to all in the LREI community! Please join members of the Multicultural Committee on their first “field trip” of the year next Saturday, Oct 3rd to the Brooklyn Museum for the October “Target First Saturday”, a free afternoon-evening of programming featuring the art and culture of Hungary. Please contact Juliet Burrows (julietburrows@mac.com) or Holly Glass (hcritch@earthlink.net) for details and follow this link for more info on the event: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php.
2) Red is Green Committee: October kicks of our monthly recycling drives. Starting today, October 1st and continuing through the end of the month, you can bring in your plastic bags to be recycled at LREI. Please look for the box at the reception desk at 6th Ave. Next Wednesday October 7th is our first Go Green To School Day – click here for an informational flyer. It is also International Walk to School Day. So come to school by carpooling, public transportation, scootering, bicycling, and walking! We will continue to Go Green to School on the first Wednesday of every month. For more details about our monthly recycling drives and Go Green to School dates, please click Red is Green PA Page.
3) Ann Schaumburger, Lower School Art Teacher, invites you to the opening of her latest show. The show will run from October 7th – November 1st. The opening reception is on Thursday, October 8th, from 6:00-8:00PM at the AIR Gallery, 111 Front Street, #228, Brooklyn. (www.airgallery.org) Congratulations, Ann!
4) Changing Families, Changing Classrooms: Come hear a leading expert on adoption and family issues, Adam Pertman, author of Adoption Nation, talk about adoption, the school community, and how to enrich the school experience for every child, on Wednesday morning, October 14, in the Sixth Avenue Cafeteria. ALL PARENTS WELCOME! Please click here for a flyer with details. For a copy of the report Adoption in the Schools: A Lot to Learn, click here.
5) Virgilio Romero, our Superintendent of Buildings, will be retiring at the end of the month. Virgilio has kept LREI functioning for 30 years. While Virgilio is looking forward to the next stage in his life, we asked him to stay on through the summer for two reasons. The first was that we could not imagine accomplishing all that we needed to accomplish this summer without Virgilio leading the way. The second is that we wanted to be able to plan a terrific party. The students will be saying goodbye and thank you by division and all LREI community members are invited to join our thank you party for Virgilio on Thursday, October 15th from 6:00PM-7:30PM in the Performing Arts Center, 40 Charlton Street (please click here for a flyer with details).
**Important Message from Patricia Carter and Jerry Cascio, High School Learning Specialists:
If your child is eligible to receive specific accommodations in testing or in the classroom, please submit a copy of this documentation to the Academic Support Center at LREI if you have not already done so. Click here to download a copy of the Documentation Request.
UPCOMING HIGH SCHOOL EVENTS
Friday October 2 – CLASS PICTURE DAY – Note, these are group pictures and will be available for purchase through a password protected online service. If you are interested in individual pictures, we can coordinate with the photographers who come to the lower school and middle school to take your child’s individual photo.
Tuesday, October 6 – Ninth Grade Potluck, 6:30 PM, 40 Charlton Street, PAC. All students and families please attend! This potluck will also include discussion on the topics of student wellness and responsibility. See the attached letter from 9th grade Parent Reps for more details.9th Grade Potluck 2009
Wednesday, October 14 – PSAT testing for 10th/11th grades
Wednesday-Friday, October 21-23 – High School Minimester (more details to follow in next week’s blog!)
Tuesday, October 27 – Tenth Grade Potluck, 6:30 PM in the PAC
Friday, November 13 – Family Conferences (no scheduled classes)
January 12, 2010 – Eleventh Grade Potluck & College Night, 6:00 PM in the PAC
For more calendar items, please visit the all school calendar www.lrei.org/calendar.