Teaching about sex scandals
-
- March
- 11
In light of the Gov. Eliot Spitzer investigation, we’ve been asking around to see if teachers are going to be talking
with their students about the news.
I can understand it’s a touchy topic for younger students, but current events must be discussed, no? And let’s be realistic here: the news has been all over television and these kids aren’t stupid. They know what’s going on.
What do you think? Should the Spitzer scandal be discussed even in elementary schools?
Lois Gordon, coordinator of social studies at White Plains High School, said classes would be discussing the Spitzer scandal, looking at issues such as the obligations of public officials and the succession plan if the governor either steps down or is forced to resign. But what will be stressed above all, she said, is that the news should not be sensationalized.
“In general, we don’t want kids to overreact to a sensationalistic story when we don’t have the facts,†Gordon said. “And that’s one of the things we like to teach our kids: to gather all the facts and then make an informed decision.â€
One sixth-grade teacher told me this reminded him of how he had a tough time liking Bill Clinton back in the day because it was always awkward talking about the Monica Lewinski scandal in class.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 10:42 am by Diana Costello.
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