It was interesting to see that I had read several banned books in school including Lord of the Flies, and To Kill A Mockingbird. At the time I saw nothing wrong with the content of these books. I do not understand why they need to be banned. I think in theory the concept of censorship could work as long as it is exercised correctly. We should censor books according to age. As long as books are read at an age appropriate level and there is parental consent, I don't think we should be censoring what students read. The issue of parental concern was also brought up in class. Not all parents know what their children are reading or would argue that it is inappropriate. I think parents believe that teachers would not assign an inappropriate book for their students. If parents have a concern with the material their children are reading, I believe they should have the right to excuse their child from reading it. On page 62 Reichman discusses who makes the school policies concerning curriculum. Ultimately the power lies in the hands of the school board members. They can take into account concerns and ideas from parents within the community but they have the final say. I think that parents and teachers along with members of the school board should all have an equal say in deciding what books students will read. Teachers and parents see the children everyday allowing them to better understand what material is suitable for children.
We also talked about the issue of altering content due to censorship. Growing up I never thought that textbooks would differ from location to location. After hearing in class about the differences in textbooks between the north and the south, I am interested to read a textbook from the south. I think that there should be a standard for what material should be put in textbooks. Children should be given the whole story and not just one side of the argument. Like Ravitch said, by leaving out certain viewpoints and altering content you are limiting the information reaching the students and altering their world view. In regards to altering content, I read Judy Blume's website suggested by the this weeks group. It was interesting to see her feelings towards censorship. If I was an author, I would be offended and annoyed if I had to alter my writing. I feel like it would alter the story and take away from the author's main point.
This article discusses censorship and the controversy that comes along with it. It also talks about how to avoid and handle controversy when it occurs.
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3 comments:
What is appropriate varies from person to person so can we really censor books by age appropriateness? What a teacher thinks is appropriate may differ from what the parents think is appropriate. I understand what you're saying and I don't think 6 year olds should be reading To Kill a Mockingbird but where do we draw the line? Some students are more mature than others but it's hard to make one blank statement about what everyone should read. In this day and age, it's hard to censor information without hindering a person because I feel that sooner or later they'll wind up being exposed to this information anyway.
I think that as good of an idea it may be for parents and the school board to have an equal say, there are always kids whose parents are not involved in what they do at school at all. If it was left up to parents what their child read in school, some parents may even discourage against their children reading, for they may not think that reading is important. It is difficult to say who should be choosing literature in schools.
The differences in textbooks in the north and south were actually discussed by Ravich in her chapter. You mention that parents and teachers need to discuss what kids read but what about the children themselves? Where do their voices come in?
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