SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (WTNH) – Students in one class at South Windsor High School were subjected to a poem that their superintendent and some parents call “highly inappropriate” material. The poem contains language that describes sexual acts.
The teacher, whose name has not been released, read the Allen Ginsberg poem “Please Master” aloud in an English class for high school students. That poem was written in 1968. He had another poem banned in the 1950s for obscenity. Parents were shocked when they heard and read the material for themselves.
“I don’t understand how that actually got into a high school class,” said one parent who wanted to remain anonymous. “I can understand parents being really upset about it.”
“My son is not in that class. If he was, I think I would be mortified,” the parent said. “It was extremely inappropriate.”
Two excerpts from the poem include the lines: “please master can I gently take down your shorts,” and “please master can I have your thighs bare to my eyes.”
“I don’t feel that the content was appropriate whether it was a senior class or an honors class. It was a little bit much,” said a parent. “I’m not sure what the reasoning was behind reading that particular poem.”
South Windsor Superintendent Kate Carter condemned the poem as “highly inappropriate” in a statement.
“We take seriously the trust that parents place in teachers and administrators, and we do not tolerate the use of inappropriate materials in classroom settings,” said Carter in the statement.
The teacher in question has placed on leave while the incident is investigated.
If you would like to read the poem for yourself, it is available here. WARNING: Contains language that may be found to be graphic.