- Title: Ban? No, Teach the Topics.
- Source: Teaching Tolerance Website and Blog/Hoyt J Phillips III/9-26-16
- URL: Here's the Link to the blog post.
- Key Points: Mr. Phillips noted two key themes from the list of 10 most challenged books of 2015- Gender/Sexuality themes, and Religious themes. He understands why they are challenged, but believes that it is critical to have students "engage" with texts like these because it can "serve as mirrors of their own experiences and as windows into those of others." In honor of Banned Books Week, he encourages educators to use a book that deals with controversial themes in their curriculum.
- Relevance: I believe that in the society we are living in now, it is more critical than ever for us as teachers to find ways to challenge our students to develop empathy and a perspective of "the other". Banned Books Week is a reminder that there will always be people who want to shelter our youth from the hard issues we face in the real world. However, if they are not taught about struggles and life experiences different than their own, are we really creating consious members of their communities committed to making it better than when they encountered it?
This topic relates well with the article I posted to the discussion this week. The article I found also relates to building empathy in students and gaining acceptance towards all races and lifestyles. I agree it is important we open the minds of our youth to various issues. We discuss often in our class with students the importance of respect. We stress to them you may not always agree with other individuals, and they do not have to, but what they must do is respect others and their choices. Respect and what it looks life in life situations is brought up in classes regularly. Literature is an effective tool for spreading information and informing readers of the importance of all variations of diversity.
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