Should Parents Censor Textbooks and Other for Children in Schools - Literature review Example

Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools? Introduction The American Library Association gives this definition ofcensorship :- A change in the access status of material, based on the content of the work and made by a governing authority or its representatives. Such changes include exclusion, restriction, removal, or age/grade level changes. The American Association of School Administrators (cited by Miner, 2014) define censorship as :- [T]he removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials -- of images, ideas, and information -- on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor. That last phrase is important for the arguments in this essay ‘in light of standards applied by the censor.’ Why do some people appoint themselves as censors? What are their motivations in doing so? What right have they to do so? The role of parents extends far beyond just bearing them and providing, food and shelter or even love. The major role of parents is to prepare their offspring to cope with what life offers and to be ready, in time, to go out into the world and perhaps have children of their own. This role includes educating them in the widest sense - everything from potty training onwards, and including such things as relationships and sexual knowledge, as well as knowledge of the wider world. Most parents leave the role of teaching their children such subjects as math and language, science and history to schools. There may however be parents who have particular views on certain topics and want their children to hold the same views, political or religious, as they do themselves. There can also be a degree of over protection , as in the case of parents who do not wish their children to be involved in such things as sex education. Thesis Children do need protection, but at the same time , at some point, they need to know that others may not hold the same views as them on certain topics. Knowing this, and the various arguments put forward, will actually enable a growing child to consider things for themselves and to have respect for those who may think differently. Literature Review According to the National Council of Teachers of English ( November 2012):- For many years, American schools have been pressured to restrict or deny students access to books or periodicals deemed objectionable by some individual or group on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical grounds. These pressures have mounted in recent years, and English teachers have no reason to believe they will diminish. The fight against censorship is a continuing series of skirmishes, not a pitched battle leading to a final victory over censorship. It is interesting that this statement comes under the heading ‘The Student’s Right to Read .’ The authors list a number of works they have been challenged. These include books considered as ‘Unchristian’ such as Plato’s Republic, this in a country where there is supposed to be a strict division between the state and religion. ‘MacBeth’ was considered too violent. Harper Lee’s ‘To kill a mockingbird’ includes the word ‘rape’.yet:- For some educators, the Pulitzer-prize winning book is one of the greatest texts teens can study in an American literature class. Others have called it a degrading, profane and racist work that “promotes white supremacy ( Library of Congress, 2014) . According to Jones ( cited by Rohrer, 2010) although challenges have been made for a number of reasons, the majority are to do with sex and sexuality. Rohrer says that there were 460 attempts in 2009, as recorded by the American Library Association, to have a book removed either from a library or a school classroom. So we can see how there may be profound differences of opinion, even among the most well meaning people. Rohrer believes that part of the reason why numbers of such challenges are rising is to do with the increase in the number of books aimed directly at the teenage market , such as the Twilight series by Stephanie Myers ( 2005), although books usually considered to be classics of American literature, such as ‘Catcher in the Rye’ ( Salinger, 1964) are also challenged regularly. Couturelover ( 2009) describes how Mark Twain’s book ‘Huckleberry Finn’ can be considered controversial , because it uses the word ‘nigger’ many times. The book has been variously described as racially insensitive; oppressive, and as perpetuating racism ( Library of Congress, 2014). Rawson, ( 1989, page 268) explains how the word was used historically, by both whites and black people, and that it was not always derogatory. In cases such as this students should be told the date of the work and how it reflects an historical reality, including the particular choice of language used by Twain – it was the normal way in which African Americans were described at the time. The racial issues contained in the book should have been raised before it was even opened in class. This would be a better method than just banning the work. This means that the issue is not necessarily about which books are taught, but the way they are taught, with sensitivity and care, or just haphazardly as part of a curriculum perhaps agreed by someone other than the class teacher. Duby, ( cited by Miner, 2014) describes how attempts at censorship come in several forms. There is the parent who doesnt want their child to read a particular book or type of book. This can often be dealt with by a teacher in the classroom. The teacher can explain face to face the particular reason why the book is part of the curriculum. This could include explaining why a book which contains profane language may still have educational merit and that its presence is therefore justified. If this fails to convince the teacher can offer an alternative book assignment to a particular student. Teachers do need to uphold a parent’s right to question the appropriateness of particular materials, but these situations need diplomatic handling. However, according to Suhor ( cited by Miner, 2014) , if the parent continues to object to the material being used at all, they are placing themselves in the position of saying they want to control not only their own childs reading, but also the reading of others in the school. According to the National Council of Teachers of English ( cited by Miner 2014), this is censorship and goes a step too far. The second type of challenge goes wider in that a parent, or other person or people, including educators, put arguments as to why no students should be allowed to read certain things. Thirdly, there may be organised groups, local or national , who wish to make a particular point politically, even one not agreed upon by the majority. This might include the deliberate suppression of books on a particular topic such as evolution, or which come from a particular minority group I think of the situation in the Roman Catholic church, which for many years had a list of forbidden books, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, which was finally abolished by Pope Paul VI in 1966. This list contained many works still considered important, such as the works of Alexandre Dumas and even Larousse’s dictionary. Presumably the list was formulated in an attempt to protect the faith, to stop Catholics being exposed to ideas which did not fit into its tenets of belief. Isn’t telling adults this is forbidden, treating them in a demeaning way, not capable of coming to their own conclusions, however well meant the action? While small children do not need to be exposed to works too old for them to cope with emotionally or mentally, surely parents should feel, in almost every case, that schools will treat children with respect and care, and will not deliberately expose them to harm? I think of modern novels written specifically to help children such as the novels of Jacqueline Wilson, which deal with difficult situations such as the death of a parent, divorce or even the death of a pet. Her novels include titles such as ‘Girls out late’ ( 2003) ; ‘Girls under pressure’( 2003) ; and the stories about Tracy Beaker,(1991) a girl in a care home. Although in novel form, such books deal with the real world, but some parents can be over protective. They don’t want their child to know about such things as divorce, sexual pressures or violence. Couture lover ( 2009) lists , racism, language, sex, violence, and religion, but how does a young person learn to deal with these issues in a safe way other than through literature and the media and discussion? This is hard to do if some subjects are considered to be taboo. The books can also help a student, teacher or parent, to begin a conversation on a topic which is important to them. Censoring reading materials can stunts the students ability to understand issues in society, and their ability to formulate and put forward their own opinions of these issues, whether vocally or in their writings. Also censoring books such as ‘The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian’,( Alexie, 2007) which has a very engaging teenage boy protagonist , but which has also been challenged in some communities, may bring in boys who would not normally read novels. The National Council of Teachers of English ( November 2012) also discuss books about minority groups, groups which some parents think should keep in the place they would prefer them to be assigned to. Objections to works about African Americans or Hispanics and so on, are not usually directly racial. Such books tend to use non-formal language, language being ungrammatical or considered rude, and it is often this which is the focus of objections. This however is too often just a front for saying that the language of these groups is of less value that that of white Anglos. Even very important books such as ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ , which includes mention of such things as menstruation, and which contains a description of female genital parts, has been put forward as being obscene (Henry 2013). Surely parents should want the children to be aware of how their own bodies work? And even this isn’t as important in this case as letting the student know what actually was happening to Jews in Holland in the 1940s. Henry had herself read an ‘edited’ version of the book which did not include more explicit passages , but says :- I think that the bulk of censorship issues can be solved by two things – 1) Not reading content that you don’t want to and 2) accepting that sometimes you’re going to see things you don’t like out in the world. Instead of simply not reading things and refusing to let ANYONE see them because it might “offend”, perhaps expanding horizons is what book reading is really about. It should be pointed out that in this case ( The Diary of Anne Frank, 1942-44) the objection came from only one Michigan mother ( Barnett, 2013) , yet her single objection resulted in the book being banned in a number of schools in the local area. Parents ask for books to be banned for a number of reasons. Couturelover ( 2009) The world needs people who are willing to make a stand for what they believe is right, but we need too people to stand and defend their right to think differently. If we didn’t have such people women wouldn’t have the vote, there would be no women doctors, we would still have slavery, and thinking the Earth was the center of the universe would still be the norm, there would still be Apartheid. There are many more examples. Discussion Teachers act ‘in loco parentis’, that is in the place of a parent. The term implies a legal responsibility and according to Black’s Legal Dictionary ( 1990, page 787) is:- When a person [or legal entity] undertakes the care and control of another [person of legal incapacity] in the absence of such supervision by the latter’s natural parents and in the absence of formal legal approval. Teachers do not become legal guardians, but, in particular situations, are responsible for the children in the absence of their parents. That responsibility includes their education. Apart from any other considerations it makes it difficult practically for any class teacher or school if certain children are allowed to do things which others are not. If some children are removed from biology classes for instance, then they cannot just be left in limbo, but someone else has to supervise them and they need to be using their time usefully. Taking a child out of class sets them apart. The parents might not mind this, but it could result in the child being subject to bullying and name calling , if other students see them as different, or as thinking that they are in some way superior. Bullying can have very serious results, even possibly resulting in depression and even suicide ( Sanchez, Cited by Zuchora-Walske, 2010, page 8). Education is about more than learning times tables or the properties of certain substances. Whether parent or teacher, the task is to widen horizons. This does not include opening children to ideas they are not mature enough to cope with, but nor does it include over protecting them from the realities of life. The true educator has to balance these two opposing tasks. When there are demands for censorship these demands produce results, but these can vary considerably. At times teachers are treated as professionals capable of deciding such issues and school boards and administrators support and defend them and the use of whatever materials they chose. They also defend the rights of students to have access to these materials. High school students need to evolve into more mature young adults and so need to learn how to formulate their own opinions on many subjects, and a wide range of reading will help them to do so, especially if both sides of an argument are considered, rather than one sided points of view. In other instances groups are deliberately formed to cull works which may be considered objectionable, by themselves or by the wider community. Foerstal,( 2002, page 4) , cites a number of fundamentalist church ministers as acting in this way. Interestingly he dedicates his book to his grandchildren, “Who are encouraged to read whatever appeals to their minds and imaginations.” ( Foerstal, 2002). According to Barnett ( 2013) more and more books by minority group authors are being removed from school shelves, perhaps in an attempt placate majority group parents. But don’t minority group members have a right to put their ideas forward? Don’t minority group students have the right to read works by members of their particular group, such as Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’. In some cases teachers have been reprimanded for using certain works, even with older students. In a few cases their right to teach materials they consider suitable at school level has even become the subject of court cases. Matsumara and Mead ( 2007) list a number of such cases, these being cases which were centred upon the teaching of Darwinian ideas. In one such case (Segraves v. State of California, 1981, cited by Matsumara and Mead , 2007), the parent who bought the case felt that that ‘class discussion of evolution prohibited his and his childrens free exercise of religion’. A policy emerged from this that discussions of the topic in schools should emphasise ‘how’ evolution occurs, and not ‘ultimate cause’. In another instance (McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education 1982, cited by Matsumara and Mead, 2007) it was stated that the teaching of evolution does not presuppose the presence or absence of a deity who is the creator. There needs to be a distinction between censorship and the need to select in an ongoing way, appropriate educational materials in order to follow an agreed curriculum and also to fill the shelves of the school library. How to protect teaching choices and methods Edwards (2009, page 127), makes a number suggestions which can help to avoid conflict. These include having a textbook review committee which, as well as teachers and administers, also includes some parents with a variety of views. She goes on to say that there must be an agreed way of dealing with any complaints. Teachers should be encouraged to write rationales to back their choices. These rationales should be put on file and so available for perusal by both parents and school staff. Teachers may however still feel constrained in their choices. Lowenthal, ( 1959, page 72) claimed that teachers in larger metropolitan areas were less likely to choose materials that might be considered controversial , than teachers who felt themselves less bound by bureaucracy from smaller communities. There should be open days or evenings, in order that new methods or programs can be explained and discussed. Parents may not have read some of the books themselves, so cannot make rationale judgements about them. Some books may not fit in with the beliefs systems or values of certain students, and alternatives should be considered before this becomes a problem, so that they can be offered when necessary. Parents should be made welcome in classrooms, in order to see for themselves what goes on. They may have had poor educational experiences themselves, and so need to see what happens in the present day. Parental Options There will always be those parents who feel that only they know what is best for their children. This may be to do with religious or other ideas being taught, or what is felt to be the particular needs , often of a gifted child, or one with a particular problem such as dyslexia. It may on the other hand be parents, perhaps members of the Amish community, who feel that their child does not need to know all that is taught in high school, but only needs basic skills for the life ahead of them. Zuchora-Walske ( 2010, page 72) also makes the point that parents may, at times, blame educators for problems they are experiencing at home, but the problem won’t go away unless it is dealt with effectively, whatever the initial cause. As for parents choosing what books and other literature their children can read, much that goes on in a classroom is not necessarily contained in a book. There may be subjects which are discussed or debated, or portrayed in art or music rather than in book form. Unless the teachers can work out which topics are likely to cause offence beforehand, they may not consider it necessary to warn parents beforehand and so give them an opportunity to respond. Teachers need to see parents as possible partners in the education of their children ( Education Scotland, undated), involved with their child’s learning and acting as an active participant in school life as far as possible. With this in mind parents should be encouraged to express their personal views on education (Education Scotland , undated). Parents who take on a degree of support in their child’s learning can make a positive difference in a child’s education, improving achievement levels, engagement and behaviour. The active involvement of families in school life in can help to promote an improved learning community in which students are able engage more positively with both school staff and their fellow students. Parents will come to know teachers and the members of the school board better, and this is likely to lead to greater trust and understanding. Much proposed censorship is to do with differing ideas about age appropriateness. Many parent see their child as an innocent, unready to deal with death, sex, or evil ( Greenbaum 1997). At what point do they become suitable subjects? If they are not dealt with in High School how can students be expected to deal with these topics in real life apart from school? Censors may have certain strongly held views. They may believe that if students access only books which reflecting the censors particular ideas , they in turn will come to hold the same ideas. These adults may fear any ideas which don’t fit in with their own. However, the work of educators is to empower their students. They teach them how to interpret texts in order to come to find viable truths within the works. The students do not act out what they read in their own lives, but instead use their knowledge of the texts to learn how to deal with the issues discussed. Most children do not live in a world which consists only of their home and schoolroom. Just going about their home town they may come across advertising their parents might not agree with. They may have access to the Internet, or other forms of media, where many dubious ideas can be promoted, as well as good ones. How much better to bring up children who are capable of thinking for themselves, who are capable of distinguishing between good and bad, or who have confidence in being able to ask a parent or teacher about anything they are doubtful about. How much better if a parent take s time to sit down with their child and explain why a certain book or other piece of media, may not be considered suitable, rather than employing a ‘Because I said so’ attitude. Couturelover ( 2009) points out that all literature can be judged to be objectionable by some section of society who do not agree with the ideas expressed, or the person expressing them. So, if censorship is allowed, at what point does it stop? According to Rohrer ( 2010) , in America there are an increasing number of challenges being made about school books, both from those who want certain texts banned, and others from parents who want the very same books available to their children. Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, was cited by Rohrer (2010) as having said about book challenges :- Its an exaggeration to refer to this as book banning. There is nothing preventing books from being written or sold, nothing to prevent parents from buying it or children from reading it. The question is not book banning, the question is a school district or a school board exercising discretion in terms of their curriculum. I dont think its unreasonable for them to consider the communitys values in making those decisions, in deciding not to include a book in some way offensive to the communitys values. Communities may however contain people with quite a variety of views, especially in more urban situations, and not all would be in agreement. There is also another point made by Hohrer ( 2010), this being that if a book is banned it instantly becomes of interest, particularly among young people who are at a stage in their lives when they want to explore boundaries. The result of a book being withdrawn is often that sales increase rapidly. Whatever their thinking, these parents have the option of choosing another school or home schooling. These may not be real choices however, if they live too far from a preferred school, or, in the case of private schools, cannot afford the required fees, or if a particular school is oversubscribed. It may be that a parent is not free to teach their child full time, or has not themselves had sufficient education to be able to do so. Setting up schools for those who think in a similar way to them may be a possible option, but how much control will the parents have? Do they have the money, time or the skills needed to provide an agreed curriculum? Can they provide the sports facilities, and other facilities that state schools may have? Are they cutting off their children from social interaction with their peers? Also how can students learn about topics such as social justice if books by members of social minorities are not included? Will the curriculum be properly balanced? How will students cope when tragedy strikes, if they have only ever read ‘cosy’ safe books? Who will they employ? Will the teaching they propose truly fit the child to go out into a world which is diverse in its makeup and in the ideas held? Parents need to consider carefully their answers to all these questions and others, before they consider taking a child out of school – the ultimate act of censorship. They also need to be aware that they are giving their children the message that the authorities are not to be totally trusted. Children as well as parents have options open to them. In the case of ‘The Board of Education, Island Trees union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico’ students made the point that ‘the removal of books from the school library violated their First Amendment guarantee of free speech" (Cited by Couturelover, 2009). The case was brought before the court well before the United Nations ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’( 1989) but the students wanted to be treated in the same way adults might be, as reasonable beings capable of making their own decisions. The censoring of school books judged, according to this case, as taking away the student’s right to free speech, as stated in the first amendment of Declaration of Independence ( 1776, amended 1791) which states that :- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The board of education however stated that the books concerned were ‘"anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy.’ ( Oyez, 1981). The court held however that ‘school libraries enjoy a special affinity with the rights of free speech and press.’ and that:- Although school boards have a vested interest in promoting respect for social, moral, and political community values, their discretionary power is secondary to the transcendent imperatives of the First Amendment. Pico lost the first case but appealed. It was decided by the court of appeal that, even if members of school boards disagreed with ideas in certain books, that did not give them the right to restrict access to such works. The board took the case to the Supreme Court, but lost by a small majority, which shows how difficult it can be to decide the rights and wrongs of particular situations. According to the United Nations ‘Convention on the rights of the Child’ ( 1989) :- The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse. It reflects a new vision of the child. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights. Even this however does not mean that parents should allow their children free rein to make poor choices, and should guide them accordingly. With this in mind there may be rare instances where parents genuinely feel that they do not want their child to be able to read certain texts in school. Barkhorn ( 2010, said :- Its scary to think of books being removed from libraries because theyre controversial. But its even scarier to think of a country where books are so irrelevant, parents dont even care enough to complain. Conclusion Parents have rights, but so do their children, and this includes the right to the best possible education. There may be some parents, who, after careful consideration, decide to limit the literature available to their children. They may love their children and naturally see it as their duty to protect them. They may see their children as being particularly vulnerable and so want strongly to give them all the protection they can in a harsh world. At the same time though they must realise that if their children are to become well rounded individuals, they need to know that others may not hold the same views as them, or their family, on certain topics. They need to know that, however much they may be uncomfortable with the idea, their child is growing and cannot be forever kept in an innocent state, and needs to consider matters for themselves and come to their own considered opinion, as their parents did when they were young. Also reading should be encouraged, and in order to engage with young authors need to deal with real issues , rather than a fairy tale world. Parents therefore need to consider their own child’s right to choice, as set out in the constitution, but also to respect the teachers as professionals who have many years of experience in dealing with children from a variety of backgrounds, and with various levels of maturity. Both they as educators, and the parents, want what is best for the children in their care. It is the debate as to how this should best be done, and whether interventions are needed, justified or legal, that remains the subject of controversy for some. If both sides realize that ultimately they both want what is the best possible outcome for the children concerned, parents and educators can become partners rather than protagonists, with common aims. 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The English Journal 86.2Feb. 1997 16-20. Henry, E., News in Censorship: Banning Anne Frank, Feminist Sonar, April 29th 2013, 2nd March 2014, < http://feministsonar.com/2013/04/news-in-censorship-banning-anne-frank/> Lowenthal, M., Book Selection and Censorship: A Study of School and Public Libraries in California, California, University of California Press. Library of Congress, Banned Books Week, 2014, 2nd March 2014, Matsumara, M. and Mead, L, Ten Major Court Cases about Evolution and Creationism, National Center for Science Education, 2007, 2nd March 2014, < http://ncse.com/taking-action/ten-major-court-cases-evolution-creationism> Miner, B., Reading, Writing and Censorship: When Good Books Can Get Schools in Trouble, Rethinking Schools, 2014, 2nd March 2014, Myers, Stephanie. Twilight, United Kingdom , Hachette Books, 2005, print National Archives and Records, The Declaration of Independence, 1776, 2nd March 2014, National Council of Teachers of English, Position Statement, November 2012, 2nd March 2014, Oyez, Island Trees School District Board of Education v.Pico, 1981, 2nd March 2014, Rawson, Hugh., Wicked Word: a treasury of curses, insults, putdowns , and other formerly unprintable terms from Anglo-Saxon times, New York, Crown Publishers, 1989 print Rohrer, F., Why are parents banning school books? BBC, 27th September 2010, 2nd March 2014, Salinger. Jerome, Catcher in the Rye, New York, Bantam Books, 1964 print The American Library Association, cited by Kennedy,E., Readers Respond: Should childrens books and books for teens be censored? Who should do it? 2014, 2nd March 2014, http://childrensbooks.about.com/u/ua/censorship/Childrens-Book-Censorship-Should-There-Be-Censorship-Of-Childrens-Books.htm United Nations, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, 2nd March 2014, Walker, Alice., The Color Purple, U.S.A., Trina Stahl, 1982, print Zuchora-Walske, C., Internet censorship: protecting citizens or trampling freedom? Minneapolis, Lerner Publishing Group, 2010, print Read More