At a first glance, I was completely appalled by the mere title of this article. I thought to myself, "This must be another one of those ridiculous cases of over-protective parents." However, after reading through the entire article, I began to feel slightly more understanding towards the parents, and much more sympathy towards the school district. However, I think the article title is slightly misleading. Though the seven controversial books may be considered "suspended.," these books are still undergoing review.
Many of the parents had fairly reasonable concerns with not wanting to expose their children to violence, sexual content or references to homosexuality, etc. However, I do believe that these parents are quite naive or perhaps oblivious to what their teenagers associate with and deal with on a daily basis. In my opinion, us, teenagers, have already been subjected to many of these various topics that parents deem inappropriate. Many of us have already had first-hand experience or dealt with situations in high school that equate more realistically to many of the "controversial adult topics" referenced in these banned novels.
High school is a time of growth. Perhaps, teenagers that are not familiar with topics in these books may actually be those that need to gain awareness of such controversial topics. And, if parents continue to shield those teenagers from what they deem to be "too adult or too controversial" subject matter, then these teenagers will be in for a rude awakening as they take their first steps into adulthood. Some of this knowledge is more easily gained through the valuable life lessons existing in books and literature rather than enduring it firsthand. I find it rather ignorant for these parents to take away important high school learning experiences because they find a books content to be unnerving or uncomfortable. In fact, maybe this ignorance has created an American society where people refuse to speak of uncomfortable topics and their actual beliefs.
On the other hand, I believe that the district is making the best choice possible in this situation. The Highland Park ISD had to take in consideration of parental concerns as well as ensure that the books are accessible to some students too. These parents have no reason to complain since permission slips have been given out beforehand, and parents even have the option of "object[ing] to a book, . . .[and] request[ing] another option for their child." The district has a fair system and has already taken into account of parental concerns.
I completely agree with the statement of “Our motto is to prepare the child for the path, not prepare the path for the child." There are certain boundaries that teachers cannot control. English teachers alone have quite a difficult job to fulfill with certain obligations: to prepare an entire curriculum as well as cultivate the growth of their students during a critical time of their lives. These English teachers must also provide their input in order to facilitate knowledge within their students, but also prevent themselves from coloring arguments or discussions with their own biased views.
Many of the parents had fairly reasonable concerns with not wanting to expose their children to violence, sexual content or references to homosexuality, etc. However, I do believe that these parents are quite naive or perhaps oblivious to what their teenagers associate with and deal with on a daily basis. In my opinion, us, teenagers, have already been subjected to many of these various topics that parents deem inappropriate. Many of us have already had first-hand experience or dealt with situations in high school that equate more realistically to many of the "controversial adult topics" referenced in these banned novels.
High school is a time of growth. Perhaps, teenagers that are not familiar with topics in these books may actually be those that need to gain awareness of such controversial topics. And, if parents continue to shield those teenagers from what they deem to be "too adult or too controversial" subject matter, then these teenagers will be in for a rude awakening as they take their first steps into adulthood. Some of this knowledge is more easily gained through the valuable life lessons existing in books and literature rather than enduring it firsthand. I find it rather ignorant for these parents to take away important high school learning experiences because they find a books content to be unnerving or uncomfortable. In fact, maybe this ignorance has created an American society where people refuse to speak of uncomfortable topics and their actual beliefs.
On the other hand, I believe that the district is making the best choice possible in this situation. The Highland Park ISD had to take in consideration of parental concerns as well as ensure that the books are accessible to some students too. These parents have no reason to complain since permission slips have been given out beforehand, and parents even have the option of "object[ing] to a book, . . .[and] request[ing] another option for their child." The district has a fair system and has already taken into account of parental concerns.
I completely agree with the statement of “Our motto is to prepare the child for the path, not prepare the path for the child." There are certain boundaries that teachers cannot control. English teachers alone have quite a difficult job to fulfill with certain obligations: to prepare an entire curriculum as well as cultivate the growth of their students during a critical time of their lives. These English teachers must also provide their input in order to facilitate knowledge within their students, but also prevent themselves from coloring arguments or discussions with their own biased views.