Slick Rick is a rapper, a poet and a natural treasure who we should never take for granted. But his music may not be considerate appropriate for school settings, as a few Virginia schoolteachers have come to find out after a substitute teacher opted to use the rapper’s hit song “Children’s Story” as part of the lesson plan.
According to report by ABC affiliate WVEC, a sixth grade teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Suffolk, Virginia decided to have students read a portion of the lyrics from Slick Rick’s song in English class as part of a poetry lesson to demonstrate figurative language. It blew little student’s mind once he read the lines to the cops and robbers tell and, in turn, he told his mom, Ashley Ehrhardt, who contacted the school’s principal.
Ehrhardt, who is pregnant, said she was appalled by the the violent nature of the song’s lyrics since they reference shooting cops and pregnant ladies. “I’m sure kids do hear a lot worse things but when a parent is trying to teach a kid on teh right path, you’re hoping that the teacher is on the same page as you.”
Of course, most rap fans are familiar with the song, which is more of a cautionary tale than a glorification of violence, and the moral attached to it. But, it’s easy to see how the message could get lost on young kids when they’re being exposed to Dave The Dope Fiend, who doesn’t know the meaning of water nor soap, shooting dope and hearing “Rat-a-tat-tatted and the cops scattered,” too.
School officials weren’t aware of the teacher’s lesson until a parent brought it to their attention. The sent home a letter in which they agreed the song’s lyrical content was inappropriate for sixth graders and apologized to parents for the errors in judgment. They also indicated they will monitor instruction closer moving forward.
Just imagine the outcry that’s going to happen in 10-15 years when some teacher tries to bring 21 Savage’s music into the school curriculum.
(Via WVEC)
