Own up and move on is best approach

WHY do schools sometimes try to defend the indefensible?

Over the past week, two education institutions have been somewhat caught out with items of literature that either weren't especially age-appropriate, or just not right full stop.

In one instance, Papanui High School in Christchurch dished out pamphlets from a Baptist organisation which said that women living in de-facto relationships were little more than cheap prostitutes.

It also added that those in gay relationships were going to hell.

Meanwhile, a bit further north in Kaiapoi, a parent discovers a preschool has an illustrated children's book featuring two consenting gay penguins, Gus and Waldo, who love each other very much and occasionally indulge in bondage and whips.

I would be the first to suggest that a lot of parents could use a decent infusion of common sense, a sense of humour, or at least a chill pill, because angst-ridden parents are too quick to cry out that line from The Simpsons, "won't somebody please think of the children".

But what perplexed me was in both instances the principal and head teacher tried to explain this literature away in some kind of appropriate context.

The media latched on to these stories because it is immediately obvious the literature was out of kilter with the norm.

We're not outraged, but we can see something is wrong.

Principals, you don't have to go into automatic defensive mode.

The penguin story is hilarious, and it could have been made even more funny if the teacher had had a laugh about it (it would have helped if the parent had felt the same way).

The book isn't exactly wrong, just not ideal for the setting.

But there is no planet I know where it is okay to describe women in de-facto relationships as prostitutes.

That is hate speech, and it is unbelievable a school principal is trying to place it in some kind of educational context.

Sometimes things get by us and, if it gets spotted, own up to it - and get rid of it.