Entry Six: The Big Stink Part II
This just in from the Austin Chronicle's December 24th issue:
Writer Spike Gillespie became a tempest in AISD's teacup when the principal of Highland Park Elementary School last week rescinded an offer for her to teach an afterschool book club. Gillespie teaches many such clubs in various AISD schools, where she leads activities around books chosen by teachers or librarians. But it seems that some Highland Park parents had visited Gillespie's Web site, read some of her proudly potty-mouth prose, and decided that anyone who opens her online "dot-novel" with the words "donkey cock" couldn't possibly have anything to offer the youth of Highland Park. And that's what they told school officials, who decided the "path of least resistance" would be to give Gillespie the boot. Gillespie, understanding how these things work, immediately called in the press, at which point Highland Park principal and librarian stopped taking calls. One can only imagine the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth as AISD and school officials struggled with whether to further offend free-speech advocates by sticking to their perhaps-too-hastily-fired guns, or offend the anti-smut crowd by reinstating the offer. But by the end of the day, AISD said "donkey cock" to the latter, and sent Highland Park students home with a letter announcing that despite a "diversity of opinions" at the school, the club would go forward as planned, with Gillespie as its leader. And the crowd (or at least Gillespie) went wild. – Rachel Proctor May
Writer Spike Gillespie became a tempest in AISD's teacup when the principal of Highland Park Elementary School last week rescinded an offer for her to teach an afterschool book club. Gillespie teaches many such clubs in various AISD schools, where she leads activities around books chosen by teachers or librarians. But it seems that some Highland Park parents had visited Gillespie's Web site, read some of her proudly potty-mouth prose, and decided that anyone who opens her online "dot-novel" with the words "donkey cock" couldn't possibly have anything to offer the youth of Highland Park. And that's what they told school officials, who decided the "path of least resistance" would be to give Gillespie the boot. Gillespie, understanding how these things work, immediately called in the press, at which point Highland Park principal and librarian stopped taking calls. One can only imagine the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth as AISD and school officials struggled with whether to further offend free-speech advocates by sticking to their perhaps-too-hastily-fired guns, or offend the anti-smut crowd by reinstating the offer. But by the end of the day, AISD said "donkey cock" to the latter, and sent Highland Park students home with a letter announcing that despite a "diversity of opinions" at the school, the club would go forward as planned, with Gillespie as its leader. And the crowd (or at least Gillespie) went wild. – Rachel Proctor May
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