Re: [LM_NET] TAR: Teacher interference and book choices? a bit long

[Lisa Hunt <lisa3moon@YAHOO.COM>]

I've never liked playing referee, and I don't intend to let anyone believe that I 
can be "book police."

If a teacher has a problem with what a student checks out then the teacher can deal 
with that.  I have 560+ students to deal with and I'm proud to know almost all of 
the names.  Classroom teachers in my school have no more than 70 students to deal 
with and bear responsibility.  I simply will not accept the situation where I am 
supposed to "keep a student" from this or that.  I will converse with a student 
and/or parents to discuss the best choices, but that choice is still the students.  
Consequences can be established, but there is no way I can be enforce that level 
for so many children.
 
Lisa Hunt, NBCT 2005
School Library Media Specialist
Apple Creek Elementary
Moore, OK
lisa3moon@yahoo.com 




________________________________
From: April Johnson <april.johnson@CHARTER.NET>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:29:02 PM
Subject: Re: TAR: Teacher interference and book choices? a bit long

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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