Ask a Teacher: My Child's Class is Reading Rush Limbaugh's Books

[minoanmiss]

I have an 8-year-old in third grade, and I found out yesterday that they are reading the Adventures of Rush Revere series in class. I know they are children’s books and don’t contain the kind of vitriol Limbaugh is known for, but I am still concerned about the subtle messages he may be receiving about Native Americans and black people and their place in American history. Am I overreacting here? Should I talk to his teacher about my concerns? I’d like to take a thoughtful approach rather than one of outrage.

—Trying Not to Rush Judgment


I don’t think you’re overreacting. If my daughter was reading the Rush Revere books in class, I would also wonder why the teacher or school district would choose such a polarizing author when so many other quality titles are available. It strikes me as a foolish decision that is likely to create problems in the future.

But knowing that the class has already begun reading the books, I would also recognize the futility in convincing the teacher to change course at this time. The text could also be a part of the school or district curriculum, which would make a change even more challenging and unlikely.

Instead, I would view this as an opportunity. Find out which books your son is reading and get yourself copies of each one. Read them, too. Find out for yourself if these books contain any subtle messages about minorities and their place in American history. Begin a conversation with your son about explicit and implicit bias and the importance applying a critical eye to everything we read. Encourage your son to ask questions about authors and their possible motives when writing. Turn this into an opportunity to help your son become a more critical, thoughtful reader.

If you do find those subtle messages while reading the books, document your findings and only then bring your concerns to the teacher, well-armed and well informed. It’s entirely possible that the teacher does not know anything about Rush Limbaugh and that these books were chosen based upon a recommendation or even based on cost. Having the evidence to support your position will be important if you hope to eliminate these books from future classrooms.

—Mr. Dicks

Comments

[bikergeek]

How the hell does anyone who's not living under a rock not know who Rush Limbaugh is? Or maybe I'm betraying my age (I'm 55) and Millennials (say, anyone under about 40) don't know who he is?

[lemonsharks]

I (34) grew up with people who thought Rush was ushering in a new golden age of moral conservatism.

I do not buy the theory that his books were not chosen specifically for his name on the cover. Nor do I buy the argument that Rush has been irrelevant for years now.

[bikergeek]

I'm inclined to agree with you. The people who put those books on the course reading list knew perfectly well what they were doing.

[melannen]

I would say anyone who is old enough to remember 9/11 should probably at least remember the name.

But there are people with doctorate degrees who aren't old enough to remember 9/11. Even for my generation, the Fox News pundits were much bigger names. Rush kept some of his old audience, and still had influence, but he didn't really get much new audience after about the mid-2000s. Average age for listeners when he died was something like 65 or 70. A person in their early 30s who isn't really interested in politics isn't going to ever have lived in a world where Rush made the news for anything but dying.

Also, never underestimate how many people live under rocks.

If the teacher didn't know who he was, though, I guarantee whoever recommended the books to her was part of the conservative ecosystem somewhere.