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Following the suspension of a Bronx English teacher who assigned 11th graders a short story about tragic masturbation attempts, students have defended the instructor while adults have expressed skepticism over his decision. Louella Hatch, whose grandson attends the Bronx School of Law and Finance, is one of the adults who objects to teacher Greg Van Voorhis' assignment of "Guts" by "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk. "Well, I really don't go for that. Well, I'm old fashioned anyway, but I don't like things like that," she said. "If it is true, he can't still be around the school, you know?" she added.
But kids are supporting their teacher, both to the press, and in more colorful language on the Facebook group "Save Mr. V."
"c'mon people, it's 2009 - not 1809. check out what even little elementary kids are watching and playing on a daily basis. at least these kids were READING.""Okay so its a gross short story from a very popular author. Perhaps a poor choice, but it's 11th grade and its the Bronx, not 6th grade in Kentucky."
"if your 17 years old i think u should know how to masturbate....soo its pathetic that there giving him shitt =D""I find it hard to believe that an English class that teachs Shakespear would have a problem with another graffic story such as the one the teacher handed out. Granted Taming of the Shrew didn't involve a carrot up the butt but still."
The jury is still out on Van Voorhis, who has been placed on administrative duty while Department of Education officials investigate.
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http://thesop.org/health/2008/04/22/masturbation-saves-lives
He should be rewarded not discipline for his reading assignment.
...I agree...with...Felix2!?
Ten years ago, I had no interest in or patience for reading. Then, in junior year of high school, my English teacher gave me a copy of Fight Club. It was the first book I could not put down, and it not only inspired me to read Palahniuk's other work, but got me excited about reading in general. I am now an avid reader, and consider Irvine Welsh, Margaret Atwood, Alex Garland, Cormac McCarthy, Dave Eggers among the many authors I came to discover only by having first read Palahniuk.
This teacher should be commended for introducing his students to an important contemporary American author outside the standard reading curriculum, and more importantly, an author who has a special ability to convert the most fickle teenagers into lovers of reading.
Agreed. Most books being read in high school are boring to students anyway. Then people wonder why kids fall asleep in english class.
He should be fired because Guts is a stupid short story which teaches kids nothing. Unless he's trying to show if you write one brilliant thing, everything you write magically becomes brilliant.
If the kids say "teachs," "Shakespear," and "graffic," perhaps teacher should spend more time on basics before short stories with little educational value.
That said, I do not support censorship and don't see anything fundamentally wrong with the kids reading the story.
He's an English teacher, not a spelling teacher. If he started going off the mandated syllabus to teach kids things that aren't supposed to be taught in his class, he could get fired.
TKaisen is right. This teacher is a self-righteous asshole. There's no literary or medical merit to be gained from reading this shock-value crap.
If he were to assign a book like Beloved, with it's horrible violence and adult material, I'd be all for it. But, graphic descriptions of adult material aside... the story sucks.
I disagree. I think there is no literary merit to the story itself, and the novel it is part of is probably his second-weakest. But there is certainly merit to having students read something that will hold their attention, and perhaps inspire them to read something else...voluntarily.
I know many people who were first turned onto reading through Palahniuk, and have since become -- nearly without exception -- the most avid readers I've come across. If it gets them excited about reading, I can't see how it could be a bad thing.
Lots of teenage girls have been turned on to reading by the Twilight novels. That doesn't make them either original or good.
You're right. It doesn't make them original or good. And the fact that series like that become popular drives me crazy. But they're still reading, and I'm sure more than a few will eventually move onto more substantial literature. I don't see the classics churning out boatloads of avid readers, so where is the harm?
...for the record, I don't even like this story or the novel from which it came. But I think it's great to see a teacher doing something different...something that might actually have a positive effect.
While I see no harm at all in 17 year kids reading the story, I do think it's naive at best for a teacher to think that the can assign it and not expect someone to complain.
So maybe he shouldn't be a teacher. Teachers should be at least a little bit in touch with the world around them.
the world around us jacks off.
You mean he was actually trying to get his kids interested in reading something? MY GOD!! What was he thinking?
I like people who say they are against censorship but think that the teacher should be fired for teaching a story that they personally find to be stupid/badly written.
Before passing judgement on this, click the link and read the story. It's possibly the grossest fucking thing I've ever read, and that's saying a lot.
I'm all for being progressive and whatnot, and I like Chuck Palahniuk, but good lord, this really should not be required reading for any 17 year old, let alone a 50 year old.
Holy shit you are right. I read the first half of the story and thought you were being a prude. But the climax, so to speak, is disgusting and over the top. Not something that should be required reading by any means. I am sort of sorry i read it and I'm a pretty sick mofo in general.
Its kind of weird. Nothing sexually exciting but quite disgusting especially the 2nd incident with the candle.
This apparently happens more than you'd think. They mandated new pool intake designs for this reason.
I recall reading about a young girl who was disemboweled in a kiddy pool in this manner, though accidentally.
Teenagers reading about masturbation!
Teenagers reading about masturbation!
Yes children, sometimes when you venture out into the dangerous, dangerous world of writing, you sometimes find some weird and bad stuff. So, by all means let's force kids to be safe and go through the required ritual of Great Gatsby, Scarlet Letter, Huck Finn and never let them read anything written this century.
I must be jaded - i didnt think it was that bad. shocking at three points -- the peanuts, the snake the colon and the biting it off -
but you know its good writing the whole - take a breath bit at the begining - and the way, he builds, and builds till you really do take a breath once you know how it ends - its good writing -
the professor has NO judgement to assign it to kids, but feh...
Next time, he should just hand out photos of Sarah Palin and travel-size bottles of lotion.
I am teaching an amazing novel by Sherman Alexie to a group of Grade 10 boys. There is a 1/2 page segment on masturbation and in order to be able to continue teaching that novel which the kids loved, I had to staple that page closed. I was pissed. The kids were pissed and more was made out of stapling the page shut than the actual page itself. We are reverting back to prudishness with political correctness.