Concur. Seems like some more districts need to put “Inherit the Wind” back on the reading list. 
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No problem with school libraries continuing, but I do expect some greater care taken as to what books are purchased for them. No one should have purchased 50 Shades, I think we can agree. Lest you think this is solely an American problem,the Board of Durham, near Ontario, Canada, recently pulled 3 books and most countries, including Canada, have a review policy regarding books in school libraries.
Love Inherit the Wind. Wish everyone required it.
In fact, I am pretty sure we could all agree on 50 books that should be required without much controversy at all.
What school library purchased 50 Shades? I believe someone posted a link earlier in this thread that showed where that one was being contested in public libraries, not school libraries.
Many of the school library books contested appear to be because of not wanting kids to be exposed to gay scenes, racist issues, or sex - as if teenagers should be totally naive about sex, learning about it only on their wedding night or something. No teen should be wrestling with issues about it based on their own hormones I suppose.
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See OP number 1, list of Walton county public school books, entry 3, for Shades. If administrators didn’t make such questionable decisions, parents would be more likely to defer to their expertise.
I expect most taxpayers would agree to some of the LGBTQ books, and object to some, just the same as for non-LGBTQ books. As a prior poster said, discernment is required for which books and what level of school.
As was clarified later in the thread, that list was compiled by a parent’s organization, and a number of books listed had not even been purchased by the district. So 50 Shades was not necessarily being taught or even available. It was probably included to drum up support for the would-be book banners, and it has. It’s a red herring.
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I wonder if they are confusing 50 Shades with Between Shades of Grey??? I know a lot of kids who thought it was the same.
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I have to admit to not following all of this, but I have a question. Was “50 Shades” banned, and if so who banned it? Or did the “professionals” determine it was not suitable? And whats the difference?
I feel pretty confident in stating that there’s not a single public school district in America that has “50 Shades of Gray” on a required or even recommended reading list for high school. I’m going with @mtmind on this one – total red herring. Stoke the outrage machine, watch it spin (again and again and again).
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In fact, the Walton county board pulled just 24 of the books listed after it designated a special committee to review the books questioned for age-appropriateness and content, per press reports. There was not a blanket withdrawl on books of any topic. So much of the “banning” talk was overblown. Local press reports indicate the titles of the actual books pulled.
The list these books were pulled from was given to the school district by the FCA - a self proclaimed conservative advocacy group. What does this group call this list - “the porn list”. It’s mission? “To inspire the rebirth of liberty in Florida”. Their concerns are “ranging from concerns about their age-appropriateness to whether they are pornographic or if they could indoctrinate students into lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender lifestyles.”
Sorry, nothing has been overblown.
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Lots of crazy groups have lots of crazy lists. Who cares? What matters is what government action is actually taken, not what this or that group want.
In the context of this thread, a parental group included the book on a list of books it wanted removed from school libraries along with Beloved, Everywhere Babies, and 55 other books, but there is no indication that the librarians or schools had ever stocked 50 Shades in the first place.
But including the book on the list served its purpose, though, by creating the (false) impression that the book was being taught in schools, thus stoking the populist fervor and undercutting trust in the libraries and schools. Even here, posters have repeatedly referenced the 50 Shades as an example that libraries and schools abusing their responsibility. (“If administrators didn’t make such questionable decisions, parents would be more likely to defer to their expertise.”)
That’s a good example of why parental groups aren’t are always in the best position to make these decisions. They don’t necessarily even know what they are trying to ban, or understand the context of these decisions. Beloved is not 50 Shades of Grey, and the two ought not be treated the same by schools.
Whether or not Beloved should be required in AP classes played a major role in the last Va governor’s race, so I don’t think the issue is being overblown.
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Beloved is completely inappropriate for K-12, and should absolutely be banned.
Hard disagree. Phenomenal book and completely appropriate for upper grade English. Have you read it? What is your objection that would make it, say, appropriate for a freshman English class in college but not for 12th grade?
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Actually, this was the point I was trying to make (too subtle I guess). The fact that 50 Shades was never stocked in the first place shows that there is some content that most (majority?) people agree is inappropriate. So, the debates move on to other books, and there does not seem to be consensus.
Actually, the parents groups in any given school district seem to be the best to discuss/debate the needs of their particular community. A small rural community in Nebraska (for instance) might just see things differently than the cosmopolitan city dwellers of Boston (for instance).
I think a better approach to the question is what what concepts are being taught, and what books can be used to teach it. If Beloved is not acceptable to a given community I think there might be other (less controversial) books that be used.
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I understood the point you were trying to make, I just disagree with it.
“Majority” opinion has nothing to do with the rejection of one and the selection of the other. 50 Shades is not taught in schools or purchased by school libraries because experts agree that it is not age level appropriate and lacks redeeming educational value sufficient to justify its inclusion. Experts also agree that, while Beloved delves into uncomfortable material, it is nonetheless appropriate for “Advanced Placement” English courses because it is considered a masterpiece of American Literature, explores an important aspect of the American experience, and and is part of the canon of college level works. Neither need be put to majority vote any more than the topics covered in AP Calculus or Chemistry need be put to majority vote.
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Because we all know how brilliant and well-educated all our expert teachers are and thus should defer to their judgment? Well, I had a few in K12, but they were certainly not the majority. As in any profession, the majority were rather mediocre. The majority of my teachers had education bachelor degrees from the local public university and were decidely not intellectual.
My child’s education is way too important to be left to the judgment of others. That would be a derelection of my parental duty.
I am pretty certain parents don’t challenge chemistry or calculus because those materials seem straightforward, noncontroversial, and if it came to a vote they would defer to the obvious expertise of those teachers in a complex area, unlike English. Lower level math methods get questioned all the time.
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All the more reason not to let populist fervor dictate educational policy.
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No fears, I didnt. But I was very involved in reviewing the syllabus for each kid.
wow
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