Part of the problem may be that often times teachers have "free reading" as part of
their graded assigments -either as minutes read or AR points - whatever. So strict
guidelines are often given - it has to be a book on one's "level" - no I-Spy for
5th graders as their silent reading choice. Students are allowed a totally "free"
choice for home etc... reading but in class as part of their graded reading it
needs to follow the assigned criteria.
As the librarian I have to support this part of the curriculum even if some
teachers are stricter than others. Exacerbating the problem is that I have 3
campuses so it actually falls onto the paras shoulders to confront teachers who are
too strict - which I am sure doesn't happen as often as I would wish.
APril Johnson
WISD Librarian
Waxahachie, TX
---- Barbara Braxton <barbara.288@BIGPOND.COM> wrote:
> I am posting to the list, not just the original sender because I am baffled about
>TEACHERS thinking
> they have the right to determine what a child should read.
>
> Yes, at school, we are "in loco parentis" (in place of the parent) but my
>understanding is that
> means we have a responsibility to step in if a child is doing something that a
>parent would not
> allow and it's usually a safety issue. In the original request, Jennie was right
>to step in because
> the request came from the parent - who should be made aware of the consequences
>of the decision
> because the child's response was extreme and there are clearly other issues at
>play.
>
> But Kristina's message that TEACHERS can ban books in their classroom based on
>their personal
> preference is censorship, not 'in loco parentis". Only parents can make that
>decision and only for
> their own child. Teachers have no right to do this, unless it is something
>brought from outside that
> is entirely inappropriate. (I can remember a classmate bring in a copy of Playboy
>and showing the
> pictures to a selected few..The teacher handled it by saying we could bring
>whatever books and
> sweets we wanted to class provided we were prepared to share with everyone,
>including her. Never
> saw Playboy there again.) So to ban "Captain Underpants" or any other titles in
>a class is, in my
> opinion, way out of line. Just because I personally don't like Goosebumps, does
>not mean I had the
> right to stop the kids in my care reading them - if I had, many boys would not be
>readers now!
> Neither did I have the right to tell kids that they had to have a book of a
>certain length, or
> topic, or reading level - their leisure reading was their choice. (I was in the
>classroom for 25
> years before I was a teacher librarian.)
>
> The role of the teacher librarian is to select materials that are appropriate to
>the students and
> the ethos of the school. I know some schools banned Harry Potter because its
>these conflicted with
> their overall philosophy and one would assume that parents sending their children
>to that school
> support that philosophy. If you, as the professional and the agent of the school
>appointed to make
> those selection decisions, decide that a title is appropriate for your clientele
>and purchase that
> book for your collection, then only a parent can decide that their child cannot
>access it, and we
> have a responsibility to support that. If a teacher has a problem, then point
>them to your
> challenged materials policy.
>
> However, I acknowledge that US teachers may live under a different set of rules
>to those I have
> known since childhood in New Zealand and Australia. And what I believe to be
>morally and ethically
> wrong, may be legally right in your country.
> Barbara
>
> Barbara Braxton
> Teacher Librarian
> COOMA NSW 2630
> AUSTRALIA
>
> E. barbara.288@bigpond.com
> Together we learn from each other
>
> -----------
>
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