Thursday, July 17, 2008
What is acceptable content in the classroom, and how PC do you have to be?
In my discussion group today i centered my discussion on Huckleberry Finn. There is loaded language throughout the novel regarding race, but the message of the novel is not racist. The novel deals with important relations between race and class, and would be worthwhile to teach. I would be comfortable teaching an unedited version of the novel but is it worth the possible fall out from the racially loaded language (the n word). Is it even allowed to be taught? What I am wondering is where is the line and who determines it?
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10 comments:
I don't know what the line is for this kind of thing but there could definitely be ongoing dialogue between the teacher and the students to reiterate that the kind of language is not acceptable nor is the treatment of the people but if you look at the overall message there is a greater concept that should be focussed on. A disclaimer could also be made and given to the students' parents. I remember when I read In the Heat of the Night in grade 9 and we were warned about the language and racist topics in the book.
I think it's valuable to expose students to novels like Huck Finn because they can be a tool to bring up discussions on important and relevant social issues. Conflicts of race and class exist in our history and continue to persist today. If as teachers our job is to inform, then I don't think we can leave out information just because it's uncomfortable to deal with. We must obviously be sensitive to the beliefs and values of our students, but I don't think we do that by brushing touchy issues under the rug. Through open, honest and respectful discussions we can address difficult subjects and help students deal with their feelings regarding them.
As a history teacher I want to be able to openly discuss Canada's dark history-Japanese internment, Native residential schools,etc-as well the positive. If we want to relate our past to the present, it's important to provide the entire picture. Only then can we start to find some solutions.
Censorship has always been a difficult issue for me to deal with. My mother decided that she would not censor her children and I don't know whether that was right or wrong. What I do know is that it has left me with sometimes a skewed idea of what kids "can" and "can't" know or see. I often have people say things like...you can't say things like that to kids...And I'm left thinking. Why not? This is a concern for me going into a classroom. Am I going to offend someone because like Dani I feel there is a value in looking to the past for some very valuable lessons on tolerance. What seems to be ok in a class sometimes seems to vary based on the teacher or the school. Anyways, I did a quick search and I came up with two websites. 1) Is a website that tries to keep track of the books that have been banned in schools. 2) The other is a lesson plan for law teachers that might want to look at censorship...this website suggests that book banning is something that a panel set up for the individual School Districts decide. Maybe something you should also discuss with your administration? And also know how it fits your PLO's.
http://www.bclibrary.ca/bcla/ifc/censorshipbc/intro.html
www.lawconnection.ca/lessons/censorship.htm
I think avoiding novels with controversial themes is not right. Sure, if we are concerned we can inform our class that the book assigned will have racist language or topic. What really maters is that these topics be discussed openly, so that students can find the issues behind them.
I believe when deciding what is acceptable content, one must ask themself "Is this relevant to what I am trying to teach and does it furhter a student's understanding of the topic?". Content which deals with racism, sexism, ageism...etc I believe is fair game as long as students know what kind of context to put it in. I agree with Colin that before using any kind of resource that deals with what would be seen as questionable content a teacher must explain to their students what is questionable and how they should approach it. However, if the content deals with gratuitous sexual subject matter I would more than likely avoid using that resource.
This is a hard thing to think about. Best to start with your school's policy. Some schools/administrators will have policys about teaching these things. When in this situation, better to err on the side of caution. I don't mean to not teach it, but if you are worried, get approval from the admin, and send home a permission form. And make sure you give your students a choice, if they are not comfortable with the book then they should be allowed to have a second option. But a book like that can give a chance to open a dialogue about that kind of language and those issues. We can't shy away from controversy, but we have to make sure the parents, students, and administration will not bring it back to haunt us.
I agree with most people here that there are very valuable lessons to be learned. It's a difficult line to walk, because certain people (I think often parents more so than students actually) will find certain material offensive. How far do we need to compromise to meet their concerns? It's an excellent idea to allow someone to not participate if they feel it is offensive material, but will that be enough for them? And what do they do instead? To encourage critical thinking a little controversy is good and keeps things interesting. But doesn't this also by nature not meet the needs of everyone. I have met some people who strongly believe that critical thinking is bad and should absolutely not be encouraged. I don't know where their place would be in the public school system, if anywhere.
I really am a firm believer that many of these issues that are so called taboo are not being dealt with in schools because teachers are too afraid to deal with them. If we can't talk openly in a safe environment like a school about euthanasia, genetic engineering ethics, cloning, and look at literature, art and other media that are "taboo" how do we expect our students to deal with it when then encounter it in the real world. I think as a teacher we can take on these subjects so long as we look at them objectively and dispassionately. Explain the historical context or the other views on the matter and act as a third party mediator. It is very important in this that we keep our own opinion out of the picture so as not to influence the students in any one direction. We should give them the facts and information and then let them make up there own mind.
Anybody interested in teaching Huck Finn should get a copy of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy." (Ed. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2004.) Appended to the novel are various essays arguing for and against the idea that the novel is racist/sexist/classist/ etc. I began reading it thinking that the Twain's use of the "n-word" doesn't make the novel racist. I still think that, but I now think the novel is arguably racist on other grounds.
In response to Aaron: do we really want to keep our own opinion out of the picture and not influence our students in any direction? Is that even possible? I don't think it's possible, or even a good idea, at least in certain circumstances. Rather, I think that the teacher should guide students towards discovering the truth. For example, the idea that "Jews should be exterminated" is not of equal value to the idea that "all human beings are equal in dignity." I might respect the person who made the former statement, but I certainly will not respect their opinion. If a student began to show racist behaviour or ideas I'd attempt to guide them to come to a more just attitude.
Everybody operates according to some sort of belief system. As teachers, we should acknowledge, examine, fine-tune, and be ready to defend our own rather than act as if we operate in a moral vacuum.
I think that this is a really tough issue because a lot of books that are teaching really important messages do use racial slurs. For example, in the book "To Kill a Mockingbird", there are many racial slurs. I wish this type of language was not used in the book, but I still think that it was an important book to read and students should read it.
I think that the teacher has to warn the students of the language/topic that will be used in the book beforehand and make sure that they understand that this language is not in anyway acceptable to use in society. Also, if the students are asked to read the book aloud, then maybe you could ask them to censor the language (not read it as written in the book) to be respectful.
I think that when we deal with the issues of race/racism, it is extremely sensitive. As teachers, we really need to be aware and respectful of different cultures, races and religions. We will have students from a variety of different backgrounds and we always have to keep this in mind when teaching a subject.
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