Suicide Note Writing Assignment Angers Parents
A suicide note writing assignment has left parents angry and stunned. The assignment was given as homework at an English class at York Preparatory School, located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Parents reacted by deeming the homework as inappropriate, especially since the class contained students as young as 14.
The suicide note writing assignment was based upon the book “The Secret Life of Bees,” which contains a depiction of suicide. Students were encouraged to describe why they had committed suicide in the assignment. Educators who have given the assignment to older students, in college writing courses, have defended the assignment. To them, concerns voiced by parents are an over-reaction. They feel that the taboo of suicide could be better handled in a mature way if students were able to write freely about it.
Still, parents are concerned about what sort of education their money is paying for-tuition at the school stands at $41,200 annually. A suicide note writing assignment obviously does not strike them as an essential part of secondary education. The headmaster at York Prep, Ronald Stewart, maintains that no parents have formally complained to the school about the assignment. The school website claims the facility is an outstanding educational establishment.
The insensitivity of the suicide note writing assignment is also problematic. Last week it was reported by the CDC that one in six teens has given serious thought to suicide while one in 12 has actually attempted it. A teacher in France was suspended for giving his students a similar assignment.
This has not been the first scandalous activity to confront York Prep. In 2011, the headmaster, Christopher Durnford, was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a former student. Also, the English teacher behind the suicide note writing assignment had sued a college friend who killed her cat and trashed her apartment.
Do you think the suicide note writing assignment was fair or frightening?
[Image Via depressioninteenagers.net]
