This article is a double-whammy. First it hits you with overprotection in our schools. In North Carolina The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison was banned from East Wake High School as parents complained that it is too explicit and was compared to Fifty Shades of Grey in that it promotes sex and pornography. While I don't doubt the talent of the author of Fifty Shades of Grey, I highly doubt that the book offers any insight into the America's history of racial and social injustice; and I, without any hesitation, and having read Beloved by the same author, which dips into some of the same topics about ugly humanity, racism, and sex, as well as the added bonus of beastiality, would say that there is no way that this novel read by bored moms in bookclub compares in any way with the pure genius, intricate plots and symbols, or sheer purposeful insanity of Morison's Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece, and anyone trying to banned it from their school for that comparison is ignorant. For a more arguable idea. Should Toni Morrison's works, which could easily be considered innapropriate, be banned? Do their genius and relevance overpower the topics which might not be for kids? I believe that there is too much protection in society. Obviously parents want to protect their children from what they see is bad, but on some level these kids(look at me saying kids when I'm practically/actually their age) need to figure out what they think is okay. For me, reading Beloved taught me a lot about who I am and what I think is okay. While some of the actions in the book are greusome and unbearable, as well as hardly understandable, the work taught me the lesson it wanted to teach about the greusomeness of slavery and the dehumanizing affects of slavery. I won't get too far into my experience with Beloved, but what do you think? Should possibly morally wrong books, with actions deemed wrong for kids be allowed in schools if they have been deemed literary genius? Where is the line drawn? The second part of this article talks about Common Core. Our favorite form of testing. Do you like Common Core? Why or why not?
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Well, in short, I think this is crazy, and what I don't think the post gets to is the racist undertones that could influencing the school in a way to make sure these books are banned, not really the erotic parts. The article also says that it banned The Color Purple, which is another book about the struggles that African Americans faced as a minority in America (and, not sure if this is another reason, but it might not hurt to mention that both Toni Morrison and Alice Walker are outspoken liberal activists - not sure if that had anything to do with it). So, in reality, I think there were factors at play here different from the sexual stuff. In general, I tend to think that it is better to let children read difficult tests like this because it is a part of our history and I think that neglecting this material because it is "mature" would be censoring the history we teach, which is a tricky path. So, I don't want children reading erotic fiction in school, but I have issues with leaving out texts because they are too "mature." If anything, I would rather have an opt-out policy, where parents could have their kids read an alternative text while the others read books from authors like Morrison.
Personally, I feel that books should not be explicitly banned. I see them as sort of a literary art form, and if someone wants to access them, then they should have the prerogative to do so. However, even under this, there should be something put in place to gauge the "appropriate-ness" (for lack of a better term) of a book in an academic context. Like, I personally feel that Morrison's writings are appropriate for upperclassman in high school, but I wouldn't strongly advise underclassman or middle-schoolers to read them. My biggest problem is with your use of "academic genius." Describing something as being "genius" is an inherently subjective view, making it something that many others need not necessarily share. For example, I personally absolutely despised Beloved. However, it was still something deemed important to read by our school's English department, so I was essentially forced to read it anyway. Basically, we're sort of forced into this subjectivity, which is the problem. In my opinion, a better system would be able to choose from a list of books, all which share a similar theme, with class being focused on going into these ideas more broadly and looking at their historical/philosophical roots rather than just sort of ambling around a specific title. The only way to deal with subjectivity (to an extent) is just to offer a breadth of options, rather than just outright banning a book or forcing reading of it. In regards to Common Core testing, I can confidently say that I absolutely despise it. The system is just so banal and dry. Also, I don't like taking tests on computers as I find using actual paper to easier to take notes on and keep track of thought processes. Common Core testing is just a mish-mash of education as a whole, and totally sucks.
Parents should and are allowed to have their own opinions on school matters, including reading material, but teachers and students should have the final say on what books are in the curriculum. The article states that “The Bluest Eye,” preceding its ban, was on the advanced English reading list. Students who choose to take an advanced English class would likely be mature enough to read such books, for the purpose is to study and analyze the text. Hiding “inappropriate” adult events from them is an ineffective motive anyway; there are other mediums and future opportunities for kids to see what happens in reality. At least the school’s library still holds the books available for students who want to read them.
The Common Core, though made to be “more rigorous” than previous educational standards, is a system that so far, it seems that school administrators approve of and students dislike. Even just taking it last year for a test trial, it was more confusing and tiring than taking the normal STAR test, which was straightforward and less stressful. The all-computer aspect of it, like Christian said, also made it more difficult to take.
In general, I've been rather wary of outright banning of books from school curricula. Though admittedly, novels such as Beloved cover topics that for most middle school and high school students are too complex and mature, a carpet ban is not the best policy. Such bans may not take into account the relative maturity and understanding of the major themes of students prior to studying the topic, the different styles of teaching different teachers may exhibit, etc. It's better for parents, schools, and teachers to have a more individual debate over the inclusion or exclusion of books from the teacher's curriculum, as that allows for greater focus on the individual aspects of students in the classroom and the teacher's coverage of the topic.
On the topic of applying one set of standards, while I understand it comes out of a drive to standardize education and equalize it for all students, forcing the same standards onto all students in the nation is not the wisest course of action. Though some educational guidelines are healthy, applying a quantity of guidelines that force teachers to modify their curriculum simply to prepare students for the tests is counterproductive to the entire goal of education: to teach students the skills they need later in life. (I'm not sure whether taking confusing tests based on Common Core standards is really a life-skill that's all that necessary.) It's far more productive to allow for a more localized discussion of school standards to account for differences in teaching styles and student population, with intervention by higher levels of government only when students show clear deficiencies in skills due to inadequate teaching, not inadequate test preparation.
I'm not sure how one would ensure that students are prepared to function within society later in life and measure that ability with tests, (which is probably the reason why tests don't so such a great job of it) but if anyone wants to discuss it here (or disagree with my points or simply completely ignore my comment :P) that'd be much appreciated.
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