--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As he drones on, I examine one of the…" description: "\"“As he drones on, I examine one of the books. It has that pleasant smell of newly-printed paper and, like all modern textbooks, is a masterpiece of pol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83e/frank-chalk-32293_books_as-he-drones-on-i-examine-one-of-the-boo_426682.jpg" --- # As he drones on, I examine one of the books. It has that… ![“As he drones on, I examine one of the books. It has that pleasant smell of newly-printed paper and, like all modern textbooks, is a masterpiece of political correctness. It is chock-full of bright pictures of children from ethnic minority backgrounds doing science experiments and photographs of…” quote by Frank Chalk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83e/frank-chalk-32293_books_as-he-drones-on-i-examine-one-of-the-boo_426682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83e/frank-chalk-32293_books_as-he-drones-on-i-examine-one-of-the-boo_426682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83e/frank-chalk-32293_books_as-he-drones-on-i-examine-one-of-the-boo_426682.jpg) > ““As he drones on, I examine one of the books. It has that pleasant smell of newly-printed paper and, like all modern textbooks, is a masterpiece of political correctness. It is chock-full of bright pictures of children from ethnic minority backgrounds doing science experiments and photographs of every kind of phenomena. Even the teachers are in wheelchairs. Any wrongdoing is illustrated by a white boy; here is one, foolishly sticking his fork into an electrical socket and being electrocuted. Here’s another, drinking from a test tube. What I cannot find, to my mounting horror as I flip through the book, are any questions. Oh, bloody hell!Why are all modern textbooks in every subject full of photographs but devoid of questions? I also notice that, actually, it doesn’t quite seem to cover the syllabus to which we have recently changed after the head of department assured us that it was ‘the easiest one yet’.”” [Frank Chalk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-chalk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author laments modern textbooks prioritize inclusive imagery and political correctness over critical thinking prompts, leading to a lack of questioning. **In simple terms:** Textbooks focus on images, not questions. Key Takeaway Seek resources that challenge thinking. Themes education inclusion critical thinking Mood frustrated concerned Type critical observational When to use this quote - teacher planning - student study - curriculum review Key Concepts curriculum design representation engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance representation with inquiry? - What questions should be added to modern texts? A Different Perspective The emphasis on representation may distract from depth of content. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Political correctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-correctness/) ## Related quotes > [“I want people to come away from my book with questions," she says. "Questions about virtue and goodness. 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Or maybe the various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-chalk/what-role-models-do-kids-have-nowadays-some-ridiculously-overpaid/) [Frank Chalk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-chalk/) > [“It’s a red letter day, too: the new set of science textbooks has finally arrived. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As he drones on, I examine one of the books. It has that pleasant smell of newly-printed paper and, like all modern textbooks, is a masterpiece of political correctness. It is chock-full of bright pictures of children from ethnic minority backgrounds doing science experiments and photographs of every kind of phenomena. Even the teachers are in wheelchairs. Any wrongdoing is illustrated by a white boy; here is one, foolishly sticking his fork into an electrical socket and being electrocuted. Here’s another, drinking from a test tube. What I cannot find, to my mounting horror as I flip through the book, are any questions. Oh, bloody hell!Why are all modern textbooks in every subject full of photographs but devoid of questions? 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