As I was reading this chapter, I was pretty much going along with the message of societal change forcing us to introduce new and relevant literature, that is until I started thinking of my 11-year-old daughter, who is going into 7th grade in the coming year, reading some of these books. I've always fashioned myself as pretty liberal, but the thought of exposing my child to books that illustrate shootings and violence, drugs and alcohol, I just don't think she's ready, although there may be others in her class who are mature enough to adequately synthesize the intended messages without getting hung up on the social realities or truly becoming afraid. We have been told as parents that exposure to news because of the violence it portrays can be terrifying to our children. Well, my child lives in a bit of a sheltered world where she is still allowed to be a kid, and I'm fine with that for now.
So, my question is how do we know that the literature we are asking students to read is not harmful to some? Every person has their own perception of the world and their surroundings and their own coping styles. After all, isn't it all about their perceptions? As teachers we can try to ease their fear if we realize this is happening. But what if we never know? I think this is territory that needs to be traveled very carefully.
So, my question is how do we know that the literature we are asking students to read is not harmful to some? Every person has their own perception of the world and their surroundings and their own coping styles. After all, isn't it all about their perceptions? As teachers we can try to ease their fear if we realize this is happening. But what if we never know? I think this is territory that needs to be traveled very carefully.
1 comment:
I agree that this territory should be traveled carefully. I think its like Dr. Kajder spoke about in class. As long as a responsible teacher is present to address issues, students should be able to explore different types of literature. I was actually very sheltered in every way until I came to college. I was blown away by so many things and experienced lots of junk first hand in a very unresponsible environment. I wish I had experienced more of unsheltered life while I was living at home. It might have saved me from a lot of very unwise choices. Anyway, I would say that if someone is having difficulty with any material being presented in class, then that students should be allowed to not participate in the assignment.
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