If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.Freedom Writers is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey and Mario. This can be most easily accomplished by establishing a clear policy governing book removal, which ensures that materials are not removed in deference to a particular viewpoint and that any removal is justified solely by pedagogical considerations. We strongly urge you to take appropriate action to insure that this kind of situation does not occur again.
We hope these materials will be useful to you and perhaps to teachers and parents involved in this discussion. We also suggest you refer to "The Student’s Right to Read," a guideline established by the National Council of Teachers of English which speaks to both selection and reconsideration policies and is available online at. In this case, parents overwhelming approved the choice of the book.įor your information, we are enclosing copies of a booklet on school censorship that was produced by the National Coalition Against Censorship in collaboration with the National Education Association. Since no book is right for every student, this process allows parents to express their concerns if they believe a particular book is not suitable for their child. The normal response to a parent or student who objects to a particular assignment is to offer an alternative assignment. Acceding in one case sets a precedent that invites others to demand changes in the curriculum to reflect their beliefs, leaving school officials vulnerable to multiple, possibly conflicting, demands. Moreover, the removal of the book sends a chilling message to teachers that they introduce even highly acclaimed secondary material into their classes at their peril.Īs a purely practical matter, the decision to remove one book paves the way for demands to remove other material. The teacher could have been disciplined without removing the book and doing so merely punished the students who were engrossed in the book. Moreover, if students were precluded from reading books containing violence and profanity, they would be denied exposure to a vast body of classic literature, ranging from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison.Įven if the teacher failed to follow procedure in assigning the book, that issue is separate and distinct from the decision to remove it.
The book plainly resonates with students in your own community, as evidenced by the fact that, according to The Indianapolis Star, the majority of the students refused to return The Freedom Writers Diary because they wanted to finish reading it. However, literature that addresses violent themes challenges students to grapple intellectually and emotionally with events like gang violence, death, physical and emotional abuse, rape, and suicide – events that are all too familiar to some students. Some may object to violence and profanity in the book. The book has been taught successfully in schools across the country, and has inspired both students and educators alike in its story of the positive effect and transformative power that journal writing can have on students’ lives and education. The Freedom Writers Diary is the true story of an English teacher who reaches out to “at risk” high school students by encouraging them to write personal and candid diaries. There is, in our view, no legitimate pedagogical justification for removing the book. If these facts are correct, the decision to remove the book from students while they were in the process of reading it is puzzling, at best. As we understand the situation, no formal complaint process against the book has been initiated, students’ parents had signed permission slips indicating their approval of the book’s use, and the book is freely available in the high school library. We are deeply concerned by reports that the book, The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell, was removed from English 11 classes at Perry Meridian High School. Metropolitan School District of Perry Townshipĭear Superintendent Nichols and Members of the School Board, for Teachers, Parents, and School Officials.Resources for Authors of Banned and Challenged Books.
0 kommentar(er)
