Maple Shade Township School Superintendent Michael Livengood said the show, which had been scheduled for Friday at Maude Wilkins Elementary School, has been cancelled.
"I wish the letter had been clearer and had been worded differently," Livengood said, referring to a letter sent home to the children's parents last week informing them of the assignment. "But it was a misunderstanding. It was meant to demonstrate students' awareness in women's roles, and along with that, their changes in fashion over time."
In a 16-page packet sent home with students, teacher Tonya Uibel alerted parents that all students in her third grade class would have to participate in the activity, since it would be graded as an "end of unit" assignment. The packet also included suggestions of how students may dress, including fashions from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s like bellbottoms, poodle skirts and cheerleader outfits. Photographs of fashion icons like Twiggy and Madonna are also included.
"If your child is a young man, he does not have to wear a dress or skirt, as there are many time periods where women wore jeans, pants and trousers. However, each child must be able to express what time period their outfit is from. Most of all, your child should have fun creating their outfit and learning about how women's clothing has changed!"
Livengood said students will now be asked to a draw a picture of a person dressed in clothing from a specific time period as the lesson plan's culminating project.
1 comment:
Whose bright idea was this?
What's next? Jock-strap day for the girls?
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