Again this week the readings are rendering my speechless. I really thought we were passed the days of book banning and book burning. I thought we were passed the days were religious groups could tell schools what to teach and yet here in the year 2013 we are still “protecting” students by not letting them discuss controversial subjects and read materials associated with hot button topics. As a school we are really going to be naive to think that students are not exposed to these things outside of the school walls? This is the information age, the internet age. Students are exposed to MANY topics and ideas outside of school that are controversial and I would rather see them brought into the school setting with adults who can teach them more about the topics and guide them through the information overload of this day and age? It is like the age old controversy surrounding Huckleberry Finn because of the word “nigger”. Maybe 30-40 years ago when no one heard the word or used it and it was consider to be a 4 letter swear word. I remember growing up and hearing the word and understanding it was a very bad word that should never be spoken. I was never taught the social context of this word, where it came from or why it was considered a bad word. Today through movies, television and the internet students hear this work often and I believe as an educational institution we are better off to discuss the work and its meaning rather than hide it from students.
When I read Curtis Acocta’s writing prompts I grinned from ear to ear. This is the rigorous-critical thinking work we want students to be doing. Students must learn to be analyzers of information and reflect upon the information they have consumed and this is what Acosta is trying to do. Again students need to be able to read ALL information and formulate their own ideas and I would rather they did that with adult guidance than on their own.
It infuriates me that people always think there is a hidden agenda in everything. Bullying prevention is not about promoting any lifestyle it is about teaching children tolerance and acceptance so we don’t have young people taking their own lives for their choices they make. It also seems that groups and leaders are always talking out of both sides of their mouths. In one breath saying schools don’t do enough but then saying don’t teach it that way.
There is always going to be controversy but for the sake of our students we need to take the controversy head on and do what is best for kids.
http://712educators.about.com/cs/bannedbooks/a/bookbanning.htm
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of book selection? It is essentially the practice of covertly banning books. Whereas book bans are public prohibitions of specific texts, selection is merely the decision to not include a book in certain curricula or within a school library. So it is not a public statement against a book, but quiet decision to deny access to a text. This practice happens everywhere and is justified through everything from space restrictions to irrelevancy. Here is a link to read more about selection:
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=basics&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=109668
Your points on book banning are excellent. Students do incur a plethora of sensitive subjects in uncontrolled arenas, such as on the internet. It is better that students are educated on such topics in order to allow for a smart response to them. That said, I wanted to finish my reply by cautioning you not to be so harsh on censoring and book banning. While I am a very progressive teacher who sees the need to implement social justice curricula, I also understand why some people favor book banning. So many times have schools/people failed to exercise caution around sensitive subjects. In some cases, this has caused some parents, teachers, and community members to prefer that their student not be educated on certain subjects at all. This is not to say that there are not other reasons for book bans. However, I think that those in favor of bans deserve some understanding.
Thank you for sharing,
Edward
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, I was speechless this week after reading about books being banned. I think about students in my Kindergarten classroom, how much curiosity they have, and how I want nothing more than to satisfy all of their academic curiosities, especially when it comes to controversial topics. If we can educate our students to be individuals who seek to understand more about their own backgrounds, students who pose questions in responses to the texts they read and students who yearn to understand viewpoints that differ from their own then we will be making productive citizens out of our young learners.
I love your example of using the word “nigger.” During my first year teaching, my students were thinking of words that rhymed with the word “Sam.” One of my students shouted out “dam” while the rest of the class expressed looks of horror. The student, who was simply thinking of a rhyming word, was ridiculed and scolded by his peers for using a “bad word.” However, it was apparent that the student was not aware of why the word he used was incorrect. After all, it certainly sounded like Sam! I decided to turn this situation into a “teachable moment.” I simply explained the differences between the two words and why they are appropriate/inappropriate to use in school. By providing my students with appropriate knowledge, and not hiding the meaning from them, my students’ curiosity was quenched and they learned quickly not to use that word in the classroom!
I find your point about technology riveting! Just like with the ways of the world, we can not hide children from everything that is going on. As much as we try with things like internet filters, as teachers we know there are MANY ways to get around them and kids are tricky little beings! So why are these topics not integrated into the curriculum to desensitize the children. If children did not read stories that were composed of princesses marrying princes, but maybe two princes fall in love from an early age, would it be such a big deal? Children are exposed to what is considered the norm in a hidden curriculum, whether teachers/parents realize it or not, and then find things outside of the norm strange. Thus leading to bullying.
ReplyDeleteI love the example explained about the word "nigger". This is a quick easy teachable moment. Yes the word is inappropriate and completely disrespectful, but it is a part of our history and it may be used in contexts when speaking about the past. A correct, accurate story that would have dialogue from a slave owner might use that word.
Overall, I am saying all are touchy topics, but why avoid them. The kids are going to be exposed and we are supposed to prepare them to be good citizens.
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteYou've provided us with so much to think about here. One thing that I find particularly compelling is your argument that it is better for students to learn about potentially "controversial" ideas in school where there is an adult present to help them work through such ideas. This makes me wonder, what do you think parents/communities/administrators are hoping to avoid by keeping certain topics out of schools? I wonder to what extent it is the case that they do not inherently trust teachers to be the adult in that room you speak of? Does this whole thing reduce, again, to a conversation about the present rhetoric that deprofessionalizes teachers? This is a major "woah" moment for me in thinking about this subject. Thanks for pushing me there...
I also smiled when I read your thoughts about people seeming to talk out of both sides of their mouths. I was thinking the exact same thing. According to the Gallup Poll we read for the last theme, more folks want us to teach "soft skills" like critical thinking; but, we can't broach topics that could actually produce said critical thinking (like the MAS program) because they are too "controversial". What do people expect of teachers? I think this takes us back to Theme 1 and the conflict over what people think schools are for...but, maybe in a more complex and layered way.
Thanks,
amanda