The Effects of Censorship on Experienced High School English Teachers

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Recommended: Censorship vs freedom of expression

“If a teacher is using a text or piece of literature, there has to be value to it and it is important to be exposed to as much as possible” (Feldpausch). These wise words sum up what most teachers respond to when asked the question “Should parents censor text/literature in schools?” Highly educated, teachers know their own idea on this and can back it up with fact and personal experiences. What it comes down to is one simple phrase: Parents should not be able to decide what we can learn about in class.
When a book is banned, reasoning should be backed up with many facts and teachers should be able to agree or disagree. Teachers are the ones who have graduated from colleges and have earned this right. Though the opinions of parents matter, their opinion does not necessarily take into account all that the book has to give. Parents may not see the potential of the book as a whole. They may just see the racist language or cruel behavior in a book. What their opinions are mostly based on is the information that will keep everyone the most comfortable instead of the importance behind the basics for students to learn (Hills). Some books may include opposing ideas like this, but that does not mean that they do not have something to teach us. Many teachers take it on themselves to determine what is appropriate. They take on a certain level of self-imposed censorship to make sure that they are teaching appropriate material. Along with this, books being bought with school funds have to go through a process of approval (Zimmerman). This should eliminate any problem areas that parents may have. Besides just having the school board approving the books, many teachers have the same basic outline of what a book should include and be like. They ag...

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...eacher should be able to have the overall power in the case of censoring books for an educational reason.

Works Cited
Agee, Jane. The Effects of Censorship on Experienced High School English Teachers. Center on English Learning and Achievement, November 1999. Web. November 12, 2013.
“Banning Books from the Classroom: How to Handle Cries for Censorship.” Education World.
Education World Inc, September 23, 2005 . Web. November 12, 2013.
Feldpausch, Jacklyn. Personal Interview. 2 Dec. 2013.
Greenbaum, Vicky. “Censorship and the Myth of Appropriateness: Reflections on Teaching Reading in High School.” The English Journal 86. 2 (1997): 16-20. JSTOR. Web. November 26, 2013.
Hills, Jami. Personal Interview. 1 Dec. 2013.
Schenk, Jill. Personal Interview. 2 Dec. 2013.
Wozniak, Lisa. Personal Interview. 26 Nov. 2013.
Zimmerman, Jenny. Personal Interview. 27 Nov. 2013.

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