Controversial Material

As a parent of a student in Middle and High School, I would like to take a couple moments and reassure parents of my duty in the classroom.  I do not take lightly my responsibility to support each and every parent and up-hold your own personal values in the household.  It is my intention to support those values here at Livingston Classical.  An education should cause students to stop and think but I always want to encourage you as a parent or guardian to continue conversations at home.  

During the time that a student spends in the Upper School, he or she may begin to encounter controversial topics and ideas. For ninth grade students and parents, please read the link I have posted on the Home Page, the Ninth Grade Page, or at the top of this page.

It is my goal as a teacher to engage the students in Socratic dialogue, which means to challenge their thinking.  It is not my place in the classroom to engage in politics or religion as a means to convince someone of my  point of view.  The classroom is the place for opposing viewpoints with respect.  Many times school classrooms become a platform for the espousing the personal, political, or religious beliefs of the teacher.  However the aim of a Classically oriented education will be one that does align with the ideas and beliefs fostered within the Western Tradition.  We discuss at length the values and virtues found in the heroes of ages past and seek to understand the past to better understand ourselves. 

During the high-school years, students will expect to encounter beliefs that they do not understand and with ones they might disagree.  It is a part of Classical philosophy and state standards for the history curriculum to choose topics from various points of view.  Students will be  asked to read, analyze, infer, and evaluate multiple points of view on various topics.  I encourage my students to always find things in the textbook with which they might disagree but to always be able to provide a sound defense for those reasons.  But they also must become comfortable with the opposing viewpoint as well.  We will be engaging in discussions and debates in which I will ask the students-especially 10th grade and up to defend positions with which they might not agree.  This is not to engage in a sophistic task but rather to understand the opposition, develop empathy and also to be able to adequately defend their own positions better. (updated 10/8/17)

The following is a brief synopsis of the material that parents might find controversial in the Upper School history curriculum.  

In the 7th grade we will be spending time discussing the world wars and the Russian Revolution.  This includes reading Animal Farm which has references to alcohol and some violence. (updated 3/14/17)  We will also be reading various selections from The Diary of Anne Frank.

In the 8th grade, we will be studying Roe vs. Wade, the activism of the 1970's (section on the EPA) and we will also be reading A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.  The book contains a look into the life of a prisoner in a Soviet gulag.  It is brilliant for the courage and moral fortitude of the author as well as the depiction of the pride with which the main character takes in preserving his humanity.  However, the book contains quite a bit of foul language and I encourage parents to read the book along with their child and perhaps pre-read before hand. (updated 3/14/17)

In the 9th grade classroom, we will be covering the Old Testament and copious amounts of Near Eastern Literature.  We are not covering the Old Testament as an avenue to discuss theological doctrines.  Rather we are studying it as an avenue to better understand the culture of the Near East and discover what made the Old Testament strikingly different than the other concurrent literature of the same region.  As a point of disclaimer, comparing Biblical documents with those of the Near East is not an attempt to discredit them as sacred materials but rather to learn how a historical study can add significant depth.  By teaching civic duty and moral responsibility at Livingston, we are attempting to support all religions that are taught at home and we are not seeking to undermine you as the parent.

I also would like to let parents know that during our 9th grade curriculum we will be studying Greek humanism.  This simply means that we will learn about how the Greeks idealized the body and why they gave us the foundation of the liberal arts.  There will be nudity in the pictures I display.  The concept of humanism is essential to the very essence of Classical Educational Philosophy as Classical Educators seek to balance the human being.  Any artistic discussions will always be tastefully discussed in class.

In the 10th grade class, we will build upon the origin, development and spread of Christianity to understand how and why the early Christian leaders utilized pagan ideas such as Neoplatonism.  We will continue with discussing Islamic documents, Catholic documents during the Crusades, Reformation documents, and Enlightenment scholars. (updated 10/8/17)  Students will also be asked to debate Aquinas' proofs of the existence and attributes of God.  They will also be asked to read and debate the tenets in Machiavelli's The Prince and contrast the philosophies of determinism and free will by reading Erasmus and Martin Luther.  We will also compare, evaluate and debate the causes and results of the trial of Galileo.  The students will also be asked to compare the trial of Galileo with any current issues.  (updated 2/9/18)  

I am looking forward to an exciting and rewarding year and many more to come!  Please contact me if you have questions!

Mrs. Perrine