This is another post in my series Zen and the Art of Teaching. You can see them all here.
I don't want to bury the lead: I was
asked not to talk about Banned Books Week, and I obliged.
Now for the back story. I'm currently
student teaching for four months outside of Boise, ID. I teach six
classes of freshman U.S. History. However, the class is not mine. I
have a mentor teacher who is technically in charge, regardless of
which one of us is in front of the classroom on any given day.
In my class I use the white board for a
lot of random things, rarely do they directly relate to teaching. I
have a area dedicated to "things I need to look up," and an
area called "random facts." In my first class of the day I
decided to add another category, a list of the most commonly banned
or challenged books in the United States last year to celebrate
Banned Books Week.
Wondering what that list entailed? No
problem, I copied it directly from this site
And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin RichardsonThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman AlexieBrave New World, by Aldous HuxleyCrank, by Ellen HopkinsThe Hunger Games, by Suzanne CollinsLush, by Natasha FriendWhat My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya SonesNickel and Dimed, by Barbara EhrenreichRevolutionary Voices, edited by Amy SonnieTwilight, by Stephenie Meyer
Notably, The Hunger Games and Twilight
stuck out to my students because the majority have either read or
heard about them. I mentioned that this was just a list from 2010 and
that some of their other favorite books, like Harry Potter, were
often banned as well.
This lead to a short (less than 10
minute) discussion about why, where, and how books were banned.
During this I mentioned that books were most commonly banned for sex
or drug use- which from the list above you can see is correct.
That was all. I did not endorse any of
the books (although I have endorsed The Hunger Games on other days)
and I specifically stated that none of these books were required reading.
I posted them merely to entertain and
create a discussion. Which it did.
Until I was asked not to do it again,
and erase the list entirely.
Reasons given:
"We live in a conservative area."
"I don't want parents to come in angry saying, 'You told my child to read this.'"
"They are just freshman."
I did as requested. The list was
erased. No more conversations were held about Banned Books Week.
The students are lesser because of it.
Not only is it a great conversation to have about censorship and
control and the role that different organizations play in our lives;
but it allows students to express their thoughts on a topic that is
centered around them.
I know sometimes my students can feel a
disconnect to the historical topics we discuss in class. Yet, when I
try to address a relevant and prevalent issue that involves people
their age, I am censored.
Google Maps of Banned Books. View Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2011 in a larger map.
The entire purpose of Banned Books Week is to celebrate the freedom to read. It was started in 1982 and is organized by the American Library Association.
A movement that is aimed at creating a positive atmosphere where people of all ages can choose what they
wish to read should be celebrated at every opportunity. I constantly
hear today in classrooms about how terrible books are, how boring books are and how reading is stupid. If what it takes to interest a
student in reading is to entice them by telling them the book was
banned- I'm all for it.
I want my students to read banned
books. I want them to read good books and bad books. I want them to read
anything and everything they choose to. Because what I want most of
all is for my students to read.
I was censored for talking about
censorship.
I am angry and frustrated, mostly at
myself, for not taking a stand on an important issue. As someone who
aspires to teach children how to become adults, I am ashamed at my
lack of ethical fortitude.
I can only hope and strive to be
better.