The Lynn Item: Peabody school board questions suggested summer reading book
...and just for old times sake, the same controversy from LAST YEAR...
Salem News: Turf tangle over Peabody students' summer reading list
Salem News Editorial: Think before censoring school reading list
Salem News Editorial: Committee should keep hands off student reading list
First of all... my very favorite thing from this article is the fact that all these adults are yap-yap-yapping about a book that NONE OF THEM HAVE EVEN BOTHERED TO READ! NONE OF THEM. I mean, it's a KIDS BOOK! How long would it actually take to read it before casting it into the book burning pile?
So the book is called Sold by Patricia McCormick, and it centers about some pretty mature themes: prostitution, slavery, child abuse, etc. I do give Assistant Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola credit for defending the work of the school educators who selected this book. "I trust our staff and that's a selection they want to move forward with," he said. "Students do not have to read that book if they don't want to. It's suggested, not mandatory."
This is another wonderful example of what the School Committee does worst... trying to second guess those people who know better than them. Here is a little bit about this book (from the article) "...the rather racy book is both a 2006 National Book Award finalist and a 2007 ALA Best Books for Young Adults [selection]..."But perhaps the best statement was by the original book banner herself... the person rumored to be mulling a run for mayor...
"...Committee member Beverley Dunne said because every child matures at a different age, it's appropriate for the schools to offer a wide range of books to meet their needs..."
Of course this was in contrast to these statements made about The Kite Runner and The Curious Case of the Dog who Barked in the Night, two books from previous years.
"If a book can't be read out loud at [school] committee's meetings, it doesn't belong on the list..." She said that the language in some books, especially Haddon's, couldn't be broadcast at the meeting and therefore shouldn't be imposed on students. "You're forcing them to read this book that, I'll be honest, if my children had brought it home from the library on their own, I would have considered it trash," Dunne said.
It is my opinion that the School Committee is NOT QUALIFIED to be choosing books for our students. Those are NOT the job of the committee and they do a poor enough job of doing what they are SUPPOSED TO BE DOING in the first place.
6 comments:
The Contrarian said
Next issue please.
I don't agree with you completely, PI. I believe that one of the purposes of school boards is to reflect community standards and transmit those to the professional staff. Unfortunately, community standards are often provincial and overprotective.
But Ms. Dunne's concerns certainly don't reflect MY standards (and this is why I never have voted for her). I believe that students should be exposed in an age-appropriate way to the problems that kids around the world face.
But if parents would prefer that their kids grow up in a happy-happy, fake, la-la bubble of sugar and froth, well, then THEY can forbid their kid from reading such books. Why do they get to impose their overprotective standards on the rest of us?
Say, maybe THAT'S Ms. Dunne's gambit!! Nothing makes someone want to read something more than being told they can't!! Brilliant!
Hey PI, your doing the same thing. Read your blog quote below:
Note: Comments using inappropriate language or exhibiting juvenile behavior will be deleted without further warning.
I fail to see your point here Anon...
1) Needham's Corner is NOT PI and
2) The post isn't using inappropriate language or exhibiting juvenile behavior.
Care to elaborate on your complaint?
My pont is this: inappropriate language or exhibiting juvenile behavior will be deleted by you, correct? Therefore you are sensoring what the readers get to read if you deam it inappropriate. Same thing........
Ok Anon, Sorry I missed your point before. I got it now.
But this IS a little different forum isn't it?
In the schools we have professional curriculum experts who are familiar with the width and breadth of the literature choices and the current pedagogical mainstream ideas concerning education. These people spend time and effort to explore all the possible opportunities available for our children and they use their expertise to come up with a wonderfully rich and varied array of appropriate readings to captivate and educate our children! BRAVO TO THEM!
Then the school committee rears its ugly head and says STOP! I SEE A BAD WORD HERE ON PAGE 4! That is... if they actually read the book before they condemn it. They are NOT trained professionals and while they certainly have a right (even an obligation) to raise issues such as appropriateness of a text, they should do so from the position of someone seeking WHY it is being used NOT as JUDGE AND JURY seeking to CONDEMN and REMOVE.
These forums are very different. This is more of a free-for-all. However, I have imposed two simple rules:
1) the use of inappropriate language will not be tolerated. Leave the swearing for when you are driving on 128
2)posts exhibiting juvenile behavior will be deleted. This is directed at those posts that are simply placed as jokes or to poke fun at someone.
So far I have deleted two posts, both because of a violation of the second rule and only after repeated warnings.
I did edit one additional post because of unsubstantiated claims against a public official that had NOTHING to do with performance of his duties. I posted about this deletion and explained why I did it. I would do it again.
If you choose to see this as my being a censor that is your prerogative. I however see it as preserving the adult level of discourse I would expect from a blog discussing Peabody City politics.
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