a mississippi elementary school assistant principal is proof that there needs to be educational reform. not only in the classrooms, but in the colleges that produce educators. mr. price was recently fired for reading a book to children entitled “i need a new butt.”
from an outsider’s perspective, mr. price suffers from both having a bad filter as well as a bad perspective. as a former educator, i appreciate that children have incredible abilities to take subject matter and make it their own. i invite you to read my post on the legend of char-man, where i, at age 17, slipped in an adult joke into a scary camp tale. thus, as we discuss mr. price’s questionable judgment, we can see the problems his literary choice could make.
“i need a new butt” is a story in which a boy finds a crack in his bottom and sets out to find a new one. it is reported that this is one of mr. price’s favorite books. the cover of the book includes a picture boy with his pants partially down with his butt crack showing. dailymail.com
clearly, the book shows nudity.
thus, what will children do with respect to this book? if these kids were attending classes in person, these children after hearing the story may start comparing their butts. this could include them dropping their pants to show each other their nude butt and crack. further, kids unwilling to participate in this activity may have their pants pulled down by other children. further, children will be normalized that it is permissible to show one’s butt in public. as someone who taught first grade religious school, i can attest that the above scenarios are not only possible in happening but quite probable.
mr. price’s comments concerning the book are even far more disconcerting with respect to the school’s offerings. he stated “‘there are other books that have much more suggestive material that are much more widely accepted.’ dailymail.com
his employer, the hinds school district, per the reports, terminated him and expressed that he caused ‘unnecessary embarrassment’ and noted his ‘lack of professionalism and impaired judgement,’ dailymail.com
it is reported that mr. price has children with special needs and has a gofundme page.
in sum, i wish multiple things for mr. price. first, i wish that he take the time to seriously understand why others believed that he lacked professionalism and impaired judgment. second, i wish that he appreciates these opinions and applies them as an educator. finally, i wish him the best of luck in finding new employment so he can support his family.
be well!!
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