Call Me Ishmael... Or Call Me Censored Literature.

Ahh, censorship.

It has its all-important place in many areas of media, but in one particular field it seems it has become absolutely ridiculous; and that field is literature (and its place in the classroom).

I remember quite vividly some of the commentary by my 10th-grade English teacher when she was discussing PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books in School), and her comments have very much affected my ideas on the matter. Over the years, I have decided that censorship has become misunderstood in educational contexts.

Censorship is not useless. Sure, there is no earthly reason why students should read Cosmo for English or tabloids for history. The books in the classroom need to have true value for the students. And that is exactly why teachers want to use novels like Lord of the Flies. There is some value.

However, it is my understanding of PABBIS (through the impression given to me by my former teacher) that basically every book is bad... simply because there is bad language or suggestion. For example, one may not be able to use Gone With the Wind because there are sex scenes and the word "damn." (I do apologize, Clark Gable.)

This is a simple case of contextual misunderstanding. One thing that people are quick to forget is that not all books were written in the gross political correctness that we are so used to today. Some books were written in highly-racist times, others in eras of religious fervor. However, we are so quick to judge books by contemporary standards... and what are we losing by doing so?

A fabulous book which I have studied in numerous classes is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It is a wonderfully-simple book about the trials of an African community which is suddenly faced with Western influence.

As great as that book is, Achebe wrote an article addressing the issue of censorship. He discussed in particular Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, pointing out that teaching such a book in school reinforces inequality issues and racism and stereotypes. Basically, there is a negative influence on children. For all of us familiar with Conrad's work, we know there are definitely racist remarks in there.

However, we understand that Conrad lived in an era which encouraged racism and separation. Thus, we see the value in studying his works and opinions, but we know to distinguish the rights and wrongs for our children and students.

So, my fellow educators, there is your problem. We forget to mention that part of teaching literature in school is actually TEACHING it. We aren't setting these kids free to read possibly controversial books without taking the time to explain things to them. Sure, they need to read all that classic literature- Tom Sawyer, Heart of Darkness. But if we, as educators, make sure to describe contextual beliefs and era-produced attitudes, they can still come away from class as informed (and un-prejudiced) citizens.

Teachers. Teach the books. Explain the material. Prosper.

Red Pens Are the Work of the Grading Devil

I don't actually agree with the title of my blog. But it sounded delightfully evil and fun and I just HAD to use it. Hopefully all you red pen Nazis won't get offended.

So, I have been told (as the exemplary education student that I am), that red pens should not be used in the classroom. The reason for this is that these pens, which emit the bright and stereotype-ridden hue of failure, lower children's self-esteem. I believe this is because students are automatically discouraged when they are handed back papers riddled with red ink... there is an automatic feeling of failure and inadequacy.

I can understand that students react to red pen in this manner. After years of experiencing brief notes and big Xs on papers, students are trained to see red pen as the sign of inaccuracy and "points off." But red pen should NOT be banned for these reasons. Here is why:

The first reason has to do with the pen itself. Red pen isn't the culprit... it's just the tool of the teacher. And the teacher needs to make sure that he or she defines the manner in which he or she assesses- including the moods of such assessments. This may sound confusing. What I am saying is that if teachers create a classroom atmosphere in which assessment is formative, often, open, understood, and open for student-teacher communication, red pen shouldn't be an issue at all.

To start with, the teacher needs to spend some time at the beginning of the year addressing assessment. During this forum discussion (where the students can and should participate), the teacher should express his or her procedures for assessing, including how students can be involved in the process and what part feedback and revisions play in assignments. An important point needs to be made- that when a student receives a graded paper back, they should not immediately be discouraged or annoyed at red marks, but rather that they should look at the marks as steps towards perfection. Red pen is not the problem. It's the students' reactions ("I'm inadequate", "I failed", "I don't even care or want to try to improve") that need to be changed, not the color of pen used.

The next issue having to do with red pen is accountability. Sure, there are plenty of sources out there which stress student accountability in doing all types of things, from homework to class discussions. But there's a whole lot of weight on the teacher to "make" the class successful or "push" the class towards curricular goals. At the end of the day, the teacher is judged on the success of his or her students. That makes sense, but only if it's being done in an appropriate manner.

Whoever has argued that red pens lower self-esteem have a) bad experiences with assessment and b) habits of babying students. Seriously, kids are capable of so much; don't baby them through life!

What are we teaching kids if we don't challenge them, don't hold them accountable, and don't show them negative consequences? We are teaching them they can slide their ways through life, and that lesson doesn't belong in school.

Students MUST be accountable. There's only so much a teacher can do to help students and encourage success. If students don't put in an effort, it's not fair. It seems that there are plenty of ways today to take the blame off of students, and that's not right. Sure, they can't do everything alone; but neither can teachers.

To Bachelor's, or Not to Bachelor's?

This is going to sound really conceited right off the bat.

A couple of weeks ago, I mailed out announcements to family and friends to inform them of my impending (ignore the dooms-day feel of that word) graduation from James Madison University. I was receiving a Bachelor's of Science in "Interdisciplinary Social Science" with minors in Secondary Education and French.

The ceremony was great- excepting an overly-egotistical keynotes speaker whose main focus was his "green" lifestyle, and not the awesomeness of our 2009 graduation. Note to self... keep ridiculous personal information and political statements to a minimum when orating during a celebration of other people's accomplishments.

Now here's my selfish tid-bit: although I have received some excellent gifts, I haven't received the volume of gifts or cards as I did from my high school graduation. At least, I don't think I have. Now, maybe the post office is backed up, or the dog ate my cards, but this phenomenon led me to ask a very important question:

In our society, is high school graduation more celebrated than college graduation?

I find that this question opens up several different cans of worms. For one, I come from a population of students (and families) where college is the norm. The expected. That all-important keg-driven four years where you wind up 15 pounds heavier and much wiser (at least on the topic of mixing drinks). For us, yes, it's a big deal.

But there is a whole other side to the story. For families who don't expect their children to attend college, high school graduation is a huge celebration. Or, for families who have experienced a high degree of chaos, problems, or trauma, graduation from high school could be a true feat.

So now, we have two groups of people: those who expect college and those who don't. But I'm not sure there is always a direct correlation between these groups and their opinions of graduations. I'm in the "expecting college" group, and yet my high school graduation brought me much monetary praise and my college graduation did not. Are we still stuck in a society that treats secondary education as more important?

Hell no. I just am examining the issues.

My last point to make has to do with the educational system. As an up-and-coming teacher (a.k.a. superhero), I hope that I can help children succeed in pursuing post-secondary education. Our job field and society stress higher education. It's my duty to help children thrive (no matter what they choose after school)... but in wanting students to go to college:

Shouldn't we be celebrating college graduations as much as high school graduations?

The First of the Summer

Ah, what a long year it has been.

Now, I am proud to say that I officially have a degree. Forreals. It's scary, definitely, but I'm getting used to it.

The summer job hunt has begun... and that's always a party with angel food cake. This summer isn't stressing me as much (yet) in that arena, but I really do need to score something soon. Bachelor's degree = something good, I'm hoping.

Topic of the day is: revenge. But really folks, my intellectual muse is understimulated.

Next post to have something better, hopefully.