How do you feel about censorship? Is it good or is it bad? Under what circumstances?<\/p>\n
See, I’m against censorship as a general policy. Education wins over ignorance. I make a concerted effort not to censor my views on things in my personal life. I don’t want to read anything abridged and I never want to listen to the “clean” version of any album. If it’s not appropriate or you can’t handle it for whatever reason, don’t listen to\/watch\/read it. Consuming censored content shouldn’t even be an option.<\/p>\n
At the same time, several hundred parents trust me with their children for one hour, five days a week. If I throw something awful in that child’s face, even if we debrief it afterwards and connect it to required curriculum, I run the risk of contradicting something taught at home. Additionally, never mind the skills I’m teaching, an enraged parent or administrator will focus only on the text used.<\/p>\n
The obligation to my students is just as real and pressing. They deserve to see how brutal, cool, fun, and compelling writing\/reading can be. Staring at a section of Chuck Palahniuk’s classic Fight Club<\/em>, one half of me flipping through ways to use the text in class and the other half resignedly acknowledging that this might be inappropriate, I battle with the trouble of what to put in front of my students, realize that it would make a great way to talk about an author’s philosophy, and note where to draw thick black lines. (recurring Krakauer sentence<\/a>)<\/small><\/p>\n What’s in this section of Fight Club<\/em> is also found throughout many district-approved readings. Text very similar to what I’m thinking of censoring will be read later in the year by just about all students. Possibly even out loud in class. Lord Of The Flies<\/em>, Catcher In The Rye<\/em>, The Crucible<\/em>, Siddhartha<\/em>, The Things They Carried<\/em>, Huck Finn<\/em>, House On Mango Street<\/em>, countless stories in corporate-manufactured textbooks, all have various swear words and\/or sexual situations in them. And they are approved at the district, county, and state levels. Does that mean that the language and circumstances are approved? Is the tacit message here, “Teachers, we trust you to handle this material in a mature fashion and help your students through it”? If so, am I entrusted with helping navigate these waters no matter the book in which such things appear?<\/p>\n I’m not sure which other subject areas need to take this into consideration, but I constantly bump into it. Should I use this story, even though it employs a few four-letter words? Should I distribute this article, even though the intro is pretty sexually risque? But since One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest<\/em> is approved, why do I have to worry about any of this? R.P.McMurphy tosses around explicit sexuality and frequent curses, so I’m free and clear, right?<\/p>\nEven More Interesting<\/h4>\n
A Closing Poll<\/h4>\n