Censorship of books is not a new concept for teachers. There are always people trying to shield young minds from “inappropriate” ideas. Unfortunately this outrage, while thought to be well intended, is usually made by adults expressing concern about literature read in class because THEY are uncomfortable, not the students. In addition, these objections are mostly likely made without having read the book, which results in decisions made to remove books from the curriculum without an informed decision as to why the text might be objectionable to students.
What’s become more troubling in our current climate? These challenges, while still made without actually reading the books, seem more about the background of the author rather than the content of the book. These challenges also censor what educators can do with student in the classroom, as evidenced by this statement from NCTE and other professional organizations.
Recently, I was talking with a friend and colleague who teaches both secondary English classes and pre-service teachers. At her college the teacher preparation program makes a conscious effort to introduce students to young adult literature rather than focusing solely on the canon. Please note that this does not mean that they are throwing out the canon (i.e., texts that have traditionally been taught in the classroom), instead the goal is to broaden the reading experience of these future teachers so they can share that knowledge when they have their own classroom. Interestingly, my friend shared that her students have not only expressed how much they’ve enjoyed all the literature they’ve been exposed to but also that they felt cheated because they were not given the opportunity to read these books as students.
Young Adult literature is often given a bad rap because the assumption is that these books are easy or lowbrow or lack the sophistication necessary for classroom instruction. However, this is problematic for two reasons. First, YA books provide students with a vehicle to process challenging or mature themes through relatable situations. Second, much of the literature that is taught and revered in schools was written for adult readers.
In terms of the literature traditionally taught in classrooms think about this: The texts that have been a staple of school curriculums were written for adults, by adults, with adult themes. Did Shakespeare intend for his works to be analyzed by teenagers? Did Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Orwell, or Bradbury write their novels thinking, “this is exactly what 14-17 year olds need? They contain murder, suicide, adultery, and a other atrocities that are usually considered unacceptable for children. Which begs the question … why are these books acceptable literature and others are not?
On the other hand, YA literature is often banned because adults perpetuate the false narrative that even mentioning peer struggles, mental health, sexuality, or social issues will give our students bad ideas or encourage them to make bad choices or cause them harm. This kind of thinking not only robs our students of the experience of great texts but also deprives them of learning empathy, understanding, and humanity through the experiences of the characters in these texts.
Ultimately literacy instruction should not be about the book. It should be about the reader.
If the goal is to create lifelong readers that can look critically at a text and draw conclusions about the world around them, then we need to provide our students with a wide variety of experiences through the literature they access in class. We need to provide them with texts that they will actually read. Texts that enable them to connect with themselves. Texts that let them learn about other experiences. Texts that help them practice how to navigate difficult situations. Texts that help them better citizens of the world.
So what’s the answer?
We need to trust that professional educators are always working in the best interest of children. We need to provide students access to a variety of diverse texts that will help them navigate the complicated path of humanity. We need to provide space for parents to make exceptions that they feel are in the best need of their own child without making those decisions for every student.
Books open doors … to feelings, to emotions, to experiences, to communities, to the world.
Censorship closes doors … to experiences, to understanding, to empathy, to conversation, to connection.
It is important that we don’t shrink the world for our students. We must expand it.
We must provide our students with access to both traditional and young adult literature. We must not rob them of the experience to learn in grow through the literature they read. Let’s open the world for our students.
Teaching with Equity 