A North Scott High School English teacher provided a lesson that drew criticism last month.
The lesson was an “Oatmeal Trigger List.” Students are told to read each claim of fact and gauge how they feel when they read the sentiment and then assess how true they believe the statement is.
“This is the first step in figuring out what your core beliefs are and will help you write the Oatmeal Essay which focuses on exploring your own personal backfire effect. In general, students should focus their research on topics that affect them emotionally.”
A lot of feelings and emotions involved in the lesson.
Students were to rate how the “claim of fact” made them feel — very upset, pretty upset, uncomfortable, a little bothered or not upset.
You can read about some of the “claims of fact” below:
“Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to be killed by police.”
“The justice system is inherently racist against black people.”
“Teaching sex education at age-appropriate levels starting in kindergarten is beneficial.”
“Virginity is a myth and the practice of determining worth to virgins is psychologically damaging.”
“It is expensive to be poor, and you can’t just ‘work your way’ out of poverty.”
“The Federal Prison System is modern-day-slavery that generates profits for corporations.”
“Raising the minimum wage won’t have a substantial negative consequence on employment.”
“More guns do not stop crimes — they actually impose more of a danger.”
“Homosexuality is not a choice, it is a biological construct.”
“The Bible does not actually condemn homosexuality – people are misinterpreting and misquoting Scripture to force a narrative.”
