Here are some links to articles about an attempt at censorship in my school district. A school board member complained about a book that AP English students were reading. At first, they pulled the book, but after the reconsideration process started, they returned the books to the students. I have included the original Indianapolis Star story along with the follow-up articles that describe the resolution.
Original article - http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20104290404
Follow-up - http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100430028
Op-Ed - http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20105010321
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Interesting articles. I haven't read Song of Solomon, so I don't know exactly how 'descriptive' some of the passages are. But I have to agree with the quote on the second page of the first article - teachers think their students learn from reading about these situations. I can understand a parent's desire to protect their child, but if they're going to learn about the world, surely learning out of a book by a Nobel laureate in a classroom setting is a good way to do it.
ReplyDeleteHas a final ruling been made yet, if this is your school district?
No, they are waiting until the school year ends. They gave the book back to the kids and are going to meet a few weeks after the end of the year to make the final decision. I think they are going to keep it because it was approved before, and it is on the AP list.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that the school board member was arguing that these are still children. Considering this was a class made up of high school juniors, they would be at least 16, right? Does the board member think individuals should be sheltered from the harsh realities of life and then learn everything once they turn 18? If we are going to create thoughtful citizens who can effectively participate in our democracy, we need to teach children about the experiences of all people in our country, not just our own small circles.
ReplyDeleteI read the article a few weeks ago when it happened, my first thought was, these are 16 and 17 year olds, getting ready for college. These are not children, I agree with Lauren that teachers should set the reading lists and if parents have the option of requesting an alternate title, the district should stand by this policy and not let their emotions dictate the decision making process.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't help the school board member's case that his quotes in the paper are so obviously hyperbolic. I'd believe that the guy had trouble sleeping the night he read excerpts from the book because he was angry that they were assigning it, but it's absurd to believe a grown man is afflicted with insomnia by a Toni Morrison novel because it's so disturbing.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if a student is assigned a book by their English teacher, and the book keeps them up all night, usually that means the book affected them in some way, which is exactly what teachers want to happen! That's how we create lifelong readers.
Thanks for posting--I had no idea this was going on so close to home!
ReplyDeleteI've never read the book but this article certainly has piqued my interest. I think that's what a lot of would-be book censors fail to realize: by drawing so much attention to the racy or taboo sections of a book--as insignificant as they may be in the context of the work in full--they actually make kids (and adults, for that matter) even more interested in it than they would have been otherwise. It turns it from a boring school assignment to "Oooh, this is a dirty book? I'm not supposed to read this? Bring it on!" So...keep the challenges coming, I suppose! :)
I'm glad to see that freedom and enlightenment prevailed on this one.
Wow. I actually noticed the same thing that Dererk did in the first article. I laughed out loud when I read Veerkamps quote about not being able to sleep because he had read excerpts from the book. One of the things about books being challenged which makes me the angriest is when people don't even read the entire book. Instead, they find certain aspects which may seem offensive, but actually add to the overall content of the book. I wish that people couldn't challenge a book unless they could prove that they had actually read the entire book.
ReplyDeleteLeah
School board member Veerkamp looks childish in comparison to the school principal--the principal is actually reading the book all the way through to fully understand what it's about, and saw halfway through that there is a lesson in it. For that matter, Veerkamp likes childish in comparison to all the teenagers who have read the book over the years since it was added to the AP exam reading list. Veerkamp read excerpts, possibly only those objectional sections a few parents complained about, and has not read enough of it to understand why those parts are there or what the lesson is. I have not read Song of Solomon myself, but I have read other Morrison books and there is always a good reason when they make it into a classroom.
ReplyDelete~Lynn
I was most shocked by the fact that the book was immediately pulled without following earlier steps in our reconsideration policy. I even heard through the grapevine that there was no written complain initially.
ReplyDelete