Laura's Thoughts

My Philosophy on Banned Books

2006-11-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

Throughout the semester as I have read and responded to articles on banned books, I have come to realize that banned books are not all that bad. The general public and many parents are against the use of these kinds of books in a classroom. I agree with some of this, because I do think that some books should not be allowed in the classroom. Some books include, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Samson Blinded (although I have not read this one, the summary of it sounds like it should not be in the schools), but books like The Giver and The Chocolate War have no reason to be banned.

In my literature circle, we read The Giver and found no reason for this book to be banned. I read and responded to an article about this book. Parents and critics claimed that The Giver included suicide and conformity. I agree that conformity is an issue in this book but this is no reason to ban the book. Students should learn from this and know that society as a whole is all about conformity. The suicide aspect of the book was very minimal and I barely noticed it when reading it. I think a younger student would pass over it as well.

My initial ideas for my blog were to read and respond to articles about young authors, but my ideas slowly changed throughout the course and because of the literature circles, I changed my direction to banned books and am glad that I have done that. I have learned many things and read many interesting articles about banned/censored books that I would never have known before.

As I have stated earlier, I feel that most of the banned books on the “most banned books lists” should not be banned and are okay to use in a classroom. When I was in high school, I read The Chocolate War, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men, to name a few. There was never any controversy that I knew of when I was assigned to read these well-known books, although I'm sure there was. I would have no problem incorporating these kinds of books into a curriculum, but I do know that I would have to be very careful about how and why I use these books. I feel that it is okay for a student to read about kids their own age going through similar problems. Just because a book contains a pregnant teenager does not mean that the girl reading it is going to go out and get pregnant. In any case, it would more than likely prevent this reader from having any sexual relations whatsoever. There are many conservative parents in the world who blind their children from ever knowing the true nature of life. These are the children who learn nothing and are blinded for their entire lives passing it on to their children.

Bringing banned books into a classroom will give students a new perspective on what happens in the real world or a new angle on reading for enjoyment. Reading is all about learning and gaining new knowledge and questioning the kinds of things you may believe in. It is understandable that many parents do not want their children learning these kinds of things so early in their lives, but I believe it is okay for an eighth grade student to read such books as, Of Mice and Men and The Giver.

I believe I have rambled on long enough about my stance on banned books. So with this, I will leave you. Think about the use of banned books in your classroom. Would you use them? Why? Why not? Are they really all that bad?

The blogging experience is something I have never tried before but was enjoyable and beneficial for my sake, because I was forced to search for articles about my chosen topic and I learned many new things and ideas about banned books. The blog idea in a classroom would be an excellent idea as it would be helpful to the students to learn about new things and actively be doing something fun by logging their thoughts on their chosen topics. I would love to incorporate a blog into my curriculum if possible. This was a great experience! The only problem I encountered with technology was the google search. It didn't find too many decent articles on banned books. Many articles I found were related to banned books week so I had to search the web for more articles, but I was lucky to find many articles related to my topic since banned books are quite the controversy in schools. But as I said earlier, I truly enjoyed this experience and I was able to learn many new things.

Chris Crutcher

2006-11-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

"The first time I saw myself banned, I was on a list with Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut." Can you guess who said this? The author of “Whale Talk” and “Running Loose”: Chris Crutcher. The article I read on his visit to Brick Township High School was intriguing. He was invited to speak about his books, because this is one of the few schools that allows his books to be read by the students. According to the quote above, it seems that Crutcher does not mind being put on a list with Mark Twain who is a great writer! I wouldn’t doubt that many of us would mind having our name placed by his (Twain) on any type of list.

Crutcher informs the students that he writes his books for the kids, not for the parents and says, “it's the adults who think teenagers aren't ready for some of the themes he covers in his novels.” I know and have stated over and over that parents are overly concerned by what their children are reading, but I wish that parents would let their children read and explore new ideas. Just because you read something in a book does not mean that it is going to affect your life. If a teenage girl reads about another teenage girl who is pregnant, I would think that the reader would steer clear of any sexual relations to avoid getting pregnant herself.

“Crutcher frequently has seen many of his books pulled from library shelves in schools after parents or staff objected to language used in them or to the themes.” The issue of language use seems to be reoccurring in all banned books. Students who are in schools (not the ones who are home schooled) hear cursing every day when in classes and when hanging out with their friends. Parents know this is an issue, so how can reading a curse word in a book be any different than hearing a friend say one? To me, this is a little ridiculous!

When one student asked Crutcher, "How do you feel when your books are banned? Does it hurt your feelings at all?" He responded that he’s always in good company. Apparently, it doesn’t bother him that much. It’s similar to the way most celebrities feel when they read gossip about themselves in a magazine. Most of the time, they ignore what is there; they have to. The same can be said for authors who get dissed for their works; they have to learn to ignore the negative criticism otherwise it will affect their later works or stop them from writing.

A book so bad that amazon.com has deleted it from its files!

2006-11-01T13:07:00.000-08:00

As I was looking for another article or blog on banned books, my eye caught a blog about Amazon.com banning the book, Samson Blinded. I have never heard of this book, but if Amazon.com is going to ban it, then it might be pretty bad considering Amazon.com is a pretty common place for people to purchase books. “The book strongly disproves Jewish and Muslim myths. Over 170,000 people have downloaded the book in 78 different countries so one has to ask - there must be something about this book that makes it worth reading.” I am amazed at how many people have downloaded this book in so many different countries. It’s always funny to me to read about a book being banned, because I know that as soon as it is made public, the book is flying off the bookshelves. I almost compare banned books to a rebellious child. The more a parent does not allow their child to do something, the more they want to do it and they ultimately rebel. Banned books work in the same way. The more controversy is involved with a book, the more people want to read it and figure out what the big deal is.
“After reading some of the book, it is quite clear why it is so controversial. The point is argued that in order to stop a war, you must cause more deaths in the immediate future. The author likens it to dropping atomic bombs on Japan to stop the war. The author argues that it saved millions of American lives.” This book sounds quite interesting and I might look it up so I can read it. I cannot believe that the author of the book would think that dropping atomic bombs on Japan was a good thing. I agree that, yes, it saved many American lives but at the cost of Japanese lives! Killing even more people just to stop a war is like starting a whole new war. I am for sure going to read this book!
I wanted to look up more about this book and when I googled it, an opening sentence caught my eye once again: “Google banned this site from the advertising program. Amazon deleted all reviews to stop the discussion.” This book is truly a huge deal! “Yahoo and Google banned Shoher’s book site from their advertising programs for “unacceptable content,” Amazon deleted the reviews, GoDaddy cancelled hosting, JewishBlogging.com refused to list Shoher's blog as Jewish, and Booksurge terminated the publishing contract. Denounced by leftists and criticized by the ultra-right, Shoher receives threatening letters from both Jews and anti-Semites.” After searching for what this book is about, all that I could come up with is that it is, “A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict.” I do not know much about the Middle East conflict, but I definitely want to learn more now that this book is quite controversial. And I have played into the whole rebellious teenager thing as I have stated earlier and fell into wanting to read a book because it is banned!
This blog was posted on Sunday, October 29th, 2006. Although this blog was very short, it was interesting. Read it for yourself. Want to learn more about this book? Google: “Samson Blinded.” Maybe you’ll have more success than me. For now, I’m going to see where I can find this book.

The Giver by Lois Lowry - A Suicide Book?

2006-10-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

“In a world where twins are illegal, a baby twin boy is "released" from life with a fatal injection. A girl, overcome with painful memories in a utopian society in which strong feelings are frowned upon, administers the fatal needle herself.”

The Giver is a book that my literature circle just finished reading and discussing. Although this article is five years old (dated July 2001), I found it to be of interest because of the discussion my group had about it. Throughout our discussion, we couldn’t think of any reason that the book is banned, other than the killing of the baby twin boy which wasn’t that big of a deal. Okay, killing anyone is wrong, especially a baby, that’s almost like aborting a baby. But the way in which it was described wasn’t that bad to read. Upon reading this article, I couldn’t think of any other reason this book might be banned until the article spoke of suicide; the suicide of The Giver’s daughter. I almost completely forgot about this part because it was such a small section of the book. I can understand now why this book is banned. Who wants to teach their child about suicide?

However, along with the bad also comes some good. “Supporters say the story of a 12-year-old boy named Jonas, who decides to escape after being allowed to see the price people pay for living in a world without war or pain, spurs students to think about important social issues and form their own opinions.” At the end of the article, it also says that we should be proud to live in the society we do today and be glad that nothing is the same and that we don’t live in the world Jonas lives in. Supporters also say “the book gives students a way to talk about difficult topics already openly discussed in the media.” Given, talking about suicide is pretty difficult and I believe should be left out of school curriculum and only spoke about to a student who wants to talk openly to the teacher about it. Talking about the government and the way our country is governed is important for perhaps a social studies lesson. Comparing the way Jonas’ world is governed and the way our world is governed can come in handy.

The Giver is not a terrible book, but I do agree with the article when it states “the book is best suited for middle school students.” I don’t think that this book is appropriate for an elementary student, because the meaning may be hard to comprehend and interpret. I think this book is far above an elementary child’s level of reading, but bringing it into a middle school curriculum is okay for many reasons and I don’t think this book should be a banned book.

To read more about this article, click on this link: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2001-07-20-the-giver.htm

Do Books Still Get Banned?

2006-10-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

I found an article on mountaintimes.com that caught my eye when I was looking at my news feed in google reader. The article was entitled, “Do Books Still Get Banned?” and was dated October 5, 2006. I knew the answer to this was yes. Of course they do, but not many people think that. I didn’t really know that books were banned until I was in high school and I didn’t know it was such a big controversy until taking this class. It’s true that we do learn something new every day! As I was reading this article, I saw that there was a list of the top 10 banned books in 2005, The Chocolate War being number 4 on this list. I mention this book, because I read it for our first literature circle meeting. I also read this book in high school. I, personally, can’t think of too many reasons why this book is banned. I liked the book and would most likely let my high school son or daughter read it.

This article was basically about reading banned books and only commenting on them if you have read them. It’s true that there are several parents who want books their children are reading in class, to be banned. I do not think that parents should have any say in this unless they take the book from their child and read it for themselves to see why it might be so bad for their child to be reading.

“I think it’s really important that if people are going to comment on a book they at least should have read it.”

Talking to a teacher about a book that you have not read gives you no right to discuss it or suggest that the book be banned. If a parent is smart, they will read the book first and then approach the teacher and school board about possibly banning it, but I do have to say that a parent better have a some good reasoning for their beliefs on banning the book. The banning of books is not only for a parent to say; students need to get involved, too. Most students read the so-called banned books because their grade depends on it and some students, while reading, tell their parents about the book. It’s not whether or not the parents like what their children are reading, it’s about what the teacher thinks is best for the curriculum and the students. Teachers aren’t out to get anybody or make parents mad; teachers just want their students to learn.

“It’s important for them (students) to understand that they need to form their own opinions, and that requires exposure.”

This statement is completely true and I absolutely agree with it. As teachers we want our students to grow and learn as much as they can. After all, this is why they are in school. Students learn to form their own opinions about things; not to just follow what their parents believe. In my own life, I was raised as a Christian and still am today, but I have learned to think on my own and really understand why I believe in the things I do. I have read some books that my parents haven’t agreed with me reading such as The DaVinci Code, A Million Little Pieces, and My Friend Leonard (sequel to A Million Little Pieces). I am 24 years old and am firm in what I believe in. I feel that reading a book about different religious beliefs or a book with very profound vulgarity is not going to change who I am or make me think differently. I also think that if a child who is reading a banned book knows what they truly believe in, then parents shouldn’t have to be so worried. Parents should at least let their children explore new things because that’s what learning is all about.

This article also talks about the 1^st Amendment, which declares that we have the freedom of speech in the U.S. If parents have the right to complain about their children reading a banned book or a book the parents think should be banned, then teachers have the right to allow their students to read the banned books and the students have the right to speak about how they feel about the books.

Wanna check out this article more in depth? Click here: http://www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2006/1005/banned_books.php3

101 Most Banned or Challenged Books: Shel Silverstein On This List

2006-10-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

An article entitled, “Exhibit Highlights Banned Books” is dated September 26, 2006 and lists several of the 101 most banned or challenged books in the last 25 years. “The exhibit divides the books into categories explaining what people found objectionable, with categories such as violence, racial content, family values and magic and the supernatural.” I think categorizing banned books is a good idea, because it can help us pick out what banned books we might want to read.

Something I found to be of interest and to be quite funny is that Shel Silverstein’s book, “A Light in the Attic” was challenged because it "encourages children to break dishes so they won't have to dry them." I think it’s a little ridiculous that this book would be banned or challenged because of this. Shel Silverstein is a great children’s author and I don’t find any of his poems to contain violence or racial content. Putting this on a banned books list is just silly to me.
Another statement the article made was that “many books featured in the exhibit have classic status and are often featured on required reading lists.” This is strange to me because there are several books on these banned books list and yet, teachers still make their students read them even though parents are fighting for their child not to read them. I think it’s important for children to get a grasp on what some of the banned books contain. The parents who do not allow their children to read these books are hindering their child from seeing what happens in the real world. Reading banned books "makes people think, and wonder, and talk, and that's not something some parents want." I find this to be very true. As I stated early, there are so many parents today that want to protect their child from encountering these “bad” things contained in these books, so much so, that the parents are overprotecting their children. I do feel; however, that some banned books are inappropriate for certain age groups. If there is nudity or excessive cursing in a book, then teachers have to be careful and think about whether they should have their students read these books, if it’s appropriate for their grade level and if it’s really worth the future consequences.

"When parents say 'This book is not right for my child, therefore it's not right for anyone's child,' that's where they cross the line." I completely agree with what is said here. Just because one parent feels that their child shouldn’t read a certain book, doesn’t mean that another parent shouldn’t allow their child to read the book. Every parent is different and feels differently toward these books. As a future teacher, I know that I will have problems dealing with parents concerning certain books. If there are other books equivalent to the books that are banned, then I will try to use those books. I don’t feel that it’s necessary to get into an argument with a parent over a book their child was assigned to read.

If anyone is interested in reading a little more on this article, click on this link:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2006/09/09-26-06tdc/09-26-06darts-01.asp

Banned Books Display

2006-10-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

I retrieved an article on banned books from DNRonline.com that was dated October 4, 2006 entitled; “Display of Banned Books Removed at Harrisonburg High School” recently had banned books on display in the library for the students to read. Although the books were on display, “Ford said he was concerned the school division would encourage students to read banned books because they are on a controversial list and not because of their content.” I find it interesting that the school would display these books as if to encourage the students to read them, but it seems that Ford, the school’s Superintendent, according to this quote doesn’t want the students reading these books. But rather know what the books are and perhaps why they are banned. Ford also says, "We are not going to send a message to kids encouraging them to read ‘banned’ books. Our message should be to read books, a wide variety of books. But I don’t think we should tease kids into reading a book by trying to say, ‘there might be something juicy or controversial in this book. Therefore, it would be a good one for you to sneak home and read." It’s funny that Ford would say he doesn’t want the kids to sneak banned books home to read them and yet when students are assigned books to read for English classes, some being banned books, many feel that they need to sneak those home and read them without their parents knowing. It’s like what we talked and read about in class on Monday with the Grandville Schools and the complaint from the father. We talked about how some students probably feel they need to sneak books home and like the man who complained about his daughter reading Of Mice and Men, he didn’t even know she had to read it for her class until after she had finished reading it and only then did he complain that she had to read it.

The display of banned books at Harrisonburg High School, I think, was displayed for banned books week only, but it still gave the students the opportunity to know what books are banned and possibly why they are banned and also allows them to go out and retrieve these books from somewhere else and read them. As stated above, the students are more likely to read these books only because they are on a banned books list. Who doesn’t like controversy? Some of my favorite books are banned books. I look forward to reading more about banned books and why they have caused controversies in and among schools.

For further reading of this article, click on the link below: http://www.rocktownweekly.com/news_details.php?AID=6611&CHID=2

The Digital Divide - Getting Each Student Involved

2006-09-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

In an article from CNN.com dated September 5, 2006 entitled, "Digital divide separates students," it talks about the digital divide between different ethnic groups. As many students today face the rigors of school, each student is almost expected to do their work on a computer that many teachers assume are in the homes of each student they have. This; however, is not the case. As we learned in the Gates lecture, technology is important but not everyone can afford a computer, especially those of a lower class. As children grow older and use computers for research, it is difficult for those who are unable to access a computer at home. Students cannot sit after school and do research. The use of a computer and the internet is important for most students to succeed in school and be successful in life. Most teachers in virtually every school in America require students to do most, if not all, written assignments on a computer. Even I was required to do some assignments on the computer when I was in elementary school 12 years ago. Many teachers also require students to do research projects, even as young as first grade.

“Overall, 91 percent of students in nursery school through 12th grade use computers; 59 percent use the Internet.”

Computers are even used in kindergarten classrooms. They are used to help children learn the alphabet and/or how to read among many other things. Computers are used in upper elementary classrooms to teach students to type and use keyboards properly. When the percentage of students who use computers is so high, of course most teachers are going to assume that their students have access to a computer whether it is in their homes, a relative’s home, or someone’s home close to them. Those left out are mainly Hispanics and blacks, these are the groups that make up the majority of the population without access to a computer or the internet.

“A total of 54 percent of white students use the Internet at home, compared with 26 percent of Hispanic and 27 percent of black youngsters. Limited access can erode a student's ability to research assignments, explore college scholarships or just get comfortable going online.”

As we see from this quote, it is hard for every student to gain access to a computer, let alone the internet. It seems unfair that the majority of white people in society have access to a computer and the internet, and few Hispanics and blacks do not have access to a computer or the internet. And we wonder why so many more white students are accepted to colleges than black students.

Teachers need to be aware of those students who do not have access to a computer or the internet. When giving assignments to students, especially writing assignments, that require the use of a computer or the internet, we should come up with alternative ways for those students who do not have access to a computer or the internet. Perhaps, we could set aside class time for each student to research or use the classroom computers to work on their assignments. Whatever it is teachers decide to assign students, we need to make sure each student is able to do and finish the work.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/09/05/digital.divide.ap/index.html?section=cnn_education

Gates and Technology

2006-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Gates lecture was pretty interesting when it started a half an hour late and Professor Gates wobbled in on crutches having changed from sweats into a business suit just minutes before. Needless to say, I enjoyed the lecture. I was enthused when he told the audience that he had taken on a project that someone before him could not finish but wanted so desperately to do so. It amazes me that someone would be willing to take on and devote many hours to such a big project. I admire Professor Gates for that. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to make/write an encyclopedia. The struggles that Gates went through to get the encyclopedia finished would be things that I would become frustrated with and wouldn’t be able to continue in the project, but he was willing to. As a Harvard professor, I can see why Gates was devoted to making something happen. He was a man who longed for more challenges attending some elite schools. He graduated from Yale and attended Cambridge afterwards. During his speech, I could hear in his voice how much he respected DuBois and how much he wanted DuBois' idea and project to get into the mainstream.

I don’t think Gates realized everything he would have to go through to get the encyclopedia into the mainstream public. When company after company told him he needed to do this and that, I can see how frustrated he became. Having to raise 2 million dollars is a lot of money, but lucky for Gates, he knew someone (Quincy Jones) who was willing to give him $62, 500 that Random House was willing to match. When Gates was asked to make a CD-ROM, he didn’t know much about that technology or how to even begin making this since he didn’t even know what CD-ROM was. Then he was asked to make a game out of the words to be used in the encyclopedia. How could Gates make a game out of this if he didn’t even know how to make a CD-ROM? Luckily, Gates pulled through and the Encyclopedia Africano was “born” on January 19, 1999.

I believe it is extremely important that educators know computers and other types of technology well. It is 2006 and today is the age of technology! In studying to become an elementary teacher, we are required (all future educators at Grand Valley) to take a computer course. Several young children today know much more about computers than their parents do and it’s sad because half of the time, the parents aren’t able to help their children with homework. So many people think technology is the answer to everything.

“We are concerned that by and large the general public and the popular media present technology in a glaringly positive light, and that Americans have this sense that technology is going to solve the problem; that whenever there comes to be a monumental problem, rather than searching for the fundamental cause of the problem, people think, “Well, technology is going to solve this ("Factors of the Divide", Chapter 3)."

As much as I agree that technology is important in today’s society, it is not the answer to everything. Gates didn’t know much about technology but was still able to get the encyclopedia into the world. We rely so much upon technology that we begin to stop thinking for ourselves. Think about it: When was the last time you did math homework without using a calculator? Do you remember life without a computer or a typewriter? And how about TV, we all have at least one in our homes. These things keep us connected to learning and to the world. Radio and TV bring the majority of the news into our homes. Many of us are too lazy to sit down and read the newspaper when we can watch the news on TV with a click of a button. What if one day, technology disappears and we are without it? What will we rely on then? We should stop relying fully on

technology and start thinking for ourselves.

Young Authors/Banned Books

2006-08-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am very interested in learning a lot about young authors. When I was younger, I wrote many short stories, poems, plays, and lyrics. It is hard to concentrate on doing that now since I am extremely busy with school. I believe that any child has the ability to write and publish their works. It is inspiring to hear about young students who are ambitious enough to write a book or a short story to enter into a magazine.

Today as I was sitting on the bus, I heard a conversation behind me about a 14 year old boy who was interested in salvary and helping those who have or who are currently dealing with slavery. As I listened, I heard that the boy spoke around town and has written two books on slavery. It amazes me how someone so young can be so passionate about something like slavery and have the ambition to write not only one, but two books on the subject.

I have always wanted to get my writing published but I always felt that it was hard and more work than I ever wanted to do. I am thrilled to hear that about young authors and their love for writing. I hope that when I am a teacher, one of my students will be very into writing and interested in getting their writing published. It is good to know that there are young students in the world who are passionate about writing and pursuing it.

After thinking about the topic I had chosen, I have decided that that topic isn't going to work out as well as I orignally thought it would. I have decided to change my topic to Banned Books. In our literature circles, my group is reading banned books and I find them to be interesting and the whole topic in general to be interesting, how the books are rated and why they are put onto a banned-book list. I have subscribed to the New YorkTimes education, Los Angeles Times education, and CNN.com education. I have yet to change my special blogs to banned book blogs, but I am well on my way.

I have added some my specialty blog on Banned Books, which is techlawadvisor.com. This blog is written by a Professor of Law who feels strongly about banned books.