Book bans (principal, graders, government, curriculum)
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None that I know of. I do however think there is a difference between "book banning" and age appropriateness for the books provided by a school system to other people's children.
Are there any works of literature that are prohibited by your school / district? If so, what are they? Why are they banned? How do you feel about it?
Caveat -- it's been a while.
I was a principal who was put on a committee to deal with approrpriateness of books for the libraries in our county schools. It wasn't so much "banning" as it was about deciding what was age appropriate. I'm pretty liberal, but the idea that a teacher should require 7th graders to read a novel that included a young girl being raped on a pool table (I'm not making that up) was too much for me.
But while I think the current hysteria over what's in a school library is just that...hysteria...I also keep in mind that this is 2023. Is there any book in America today that a person can't get at the library OR through a book seller online? People have options. And not all options have to be sponsored by a local government's or school's library.
None that I know of. I do however think there is a difference between "book banning" and age appropriateness for the books provided by a school system to other people's children.
I was referencing outright bans. I absolutely agree that books should match the ages, abilities, and maturity levels of the students reading them.
I teach Kite Runner in my 11th grade Honors class. I think it's appropriately placed there, but it's not a book I would encourage younger students to read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
Caveat -- it's been a while.
I was a principal who was put on a committee to deal with appropriateness of books for the libraries in our county schools. It wasn't so much "banning" as it was about deciding what was age appropriate. I'm pretty liberal, but the idea that a teacher should require 7th graders to read a novel that included a young girl being raped on a pool table (I'm not making that up) was too much for me.
That's horrific. I hope that book was taken out of the curriculum. I teach To Kill a Mockingbird in 9th grade Honors, and Mayella's description of her alleged attack is hard for those students to read.
Well, our school is in the district that kind of started it all, so yes. Makes me ill.
It's fine if you don't want your kids reading something. But you have absolutely no right to tell me that my kids can't read it either. The irony is that none of the books, NONE OF THEM, were required reading for any class, club, group, etc. Not a single child was forced to read any of the books that people lost their minds over.
That's horrific. I hope that book was taken out of the curriculum. I teach To Kill a Mockingbird in 9th grade Honors, and Mayella's description of her alleged attack is hard for those students to read.
We were fortunate that the 7th grade English teacher who was going to teach the novel came to warn us. The principal tried to gently talk him out of it...to no avail. I, as the vice principal at the time, made it very simple -- "Require that book, get fired". "You can't fire me!" "The firestorm that will lead to newspaper and local media coverage will result in you being gone". (paraphrased)
Well, our school is in the district that kind of started it all, so yes. Makes me ill.
It's fine if you don't want your kids reading something. But you have absolutely no right to tell me that my kids can't read it either. The irony is that none of the books, NONE OF THEM, were required reading for any class, club, group, etc. Not a single child was forced to read any of the books that people lost their minds over.
No one is telling you your kids can’t read it. They are saying it doesn’t belong in a school library. There is a difference.
They are also saying there are books that are not appropriate for a teacher to make required reading. Again, they are not saying your child is forbidden from reading it, just that they can’t be mandated to read it. There is a difference.
We are no longer in a day and age where books are so difficult or cost prohibitive to obtain that they must be in libraries or schools for people to access them. No one has forbidden these books from being published or sold online.
School libraries, whether school wide or classroom, need to be age appropriate for ALL the children that have access to them. Ones that aren’t can be gotten from other sources.
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In my system books weren't so much banned but taken off class reading lists or parents would go to the school's Library to put their kids on a restricted list.
One of the most restricted were the Harry Potter books, at least in Elementary. High schools were a mixture. It didn't really matter because most collections were a decade or more out of date. That's what happens when the Libraries are allotted $0.80/student for new acquisitions.
No one is telling you your kids can’t read it. They are saying it doesn’t belong in a school library. There is a difference.
They are also saying there are books that are not appropriate for a teacher to make required reading. Again, they are not saying your child is forbidden from reading it, just that they can’t be mandated to read it. There is a difference.
We are no longer in a day and age where books are so difficult or cost prohibitive to obtain that they must be in libraries or schools for people to access them. No one has forbidden these books from being published or sold online.
School libraries, whether school wide or classroom, need to be age appropriate for ALL the children that have access to them. Ones that aren’t can be gotten from other sources.
No one is telling you your kids can’t read it. They are saying it doesn’t belong in a school library. There is a difference.
They are also saying there are books that are not appropriate for a teacher to make required reading. Again, they are not saying your child is forbidden from reading it, just that they can’t be mandated to read it. There is a difference.
We are no longer in a day and age where books are so difficult or cost prohibitive to obtain that they must be in libraries or schools for people to access them. No one has forbidden these books from being published or sold online.
School libraries, whether school wide or classroom, need to be age appropriate for ALL the children that have access to them. Ones that aren’t can be gotten from other sources.
There is a difference between education professionals curating content to meet the developmental needs of their students and political entities attempting to control access to media.
I also think it's important for students, by the time they are in highschool, to begin to have access to a variety of educational materials representing a wide range of experiences and viewpoints outside of the home and of the control of their parents.
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