As nations across the world are subjected to standardized readings, America does not currently have a mandated set of texts. Allowing for a variety of readings is a beneficial practice and should continue throughout the future. The US strays from having all students read the same curriculum. For good reason, it stretches diversification in the classroom. America, with its wide variety of school education, exposes students to different subject matters, teaches all cultures to students, and technological advancements allow for diverse texts. Allowing teachers to make choices regarding texts pushes the students to flourish with native works, and authorizes the teachers to educate their students on topics of their choice. Eshleman exposed his students to a hidden side of poetry, one that is considered “inappropriate” and useless to learn. Source C describes Eshleman arguing that teachers must have the ability to choose readings, instead of being assigned them by the county. He believes, in the course of poetry, anthropologies cannot answer questions about the nature and significance of poetry. Different teachers have different opinions on the representative works …show more content…
Source D asserts that multicultural literature is a valuable learning tool due to the exclusion authentic readings bring. Florez-Tiane believes that by introducing African-Americans culture in the classroom, they will learn respect and self worth. Creating a set curriculum that includes literature from different cultures teaches students to value their own cultural heritage, along with others. By having teachers choose the texts, they have the power to bridge the gap between students from diverse backgrounds. This enables kids to gain a stronger understanding of one another. Thus, acknowledging that an education without standardized texts is one that increases cultural awareness and
It’s appalling that the issue of schools banning books from students is still an ever present issue to this present day. Fact of the matter is, comfort is being prioritized over education. The school boards and their staff are rejecting truth because it contains inappropriate topics such as nudity, violence, and derogatory vocabulary. Katz and Vishny write how the Tennessee education board states these exact topics to their reason for why they chose to ban Maus. The school board's reasoning is how it is determined that they choose to prioritize comfort for the students.
In Chapter 1 and 2 of “Creating Black Americans,” author Nell Irvin Painter addresses an imperative issue in which African history and the lives of Africans are often dismissed (2) and continue to be perceived in a negative light (1). This book gives the author the chance to revive the history of Africa, being this a sacred place to provide readers with a “history of their own.” (Painter 4) The issue that Africans were depicted in a negative light impacted various artworks and educational settings in the 19th and early 20th century. For instance, in educational settings, many students were exposed to the Eurocentric Western learning which its depiction of Africa were not only biased, but racist as well.
Without the freedom to explore every possible educational avenue to better teach a diverse group of learners, teachers are forced to resort to methodical and tedious lessons that reduce creativity and excitement about learning in students. The process of banning books is stopping schools, teachers, and their students from thriving
By limiting what children and students can read, the government is also limiting their education and opportunities for personal growth. Children and students should have the right to choose what they want to read and explore new ideas, and they should not be denied access to information and knowledge because of government censorship. The government's attempt to limit what students can read in schools is also a threat to their education and personal freedom. Schools should provide students with access to diverse sources of information and encourage them to explore new ideas and perspectives.
For instance, Is Everyone Really Equal?, discussed a variety of different topics on equality and gave different viewpoints, while the other reading was more focused on the general topic of equality in education. A visual example of this idea was given in the book, Is Everyone Really Equal?, “A tree that looks big to someone who grew up on the East Coast might not look big to someone who grew up on the West Coast” (Özlem and DiAngelo). In other words, people are from all different social and geographical backgrounds, therefore they see and do things differently depending on where they grew up. This leads to the main point that knowledge is culturally informed. There is not a “correct” way of seeing or doing things, instead all viewpoints should be
Novels are filled with lessons vital to a developing brain, due to their ability to teach caution and create experiences. In summation, the fallacious act of banning books from students and others willing to learn is utterly
Many people have mixed opinions on required reading. Some may enjoy it while others tend to despise it. Required reading is normalized in today’s society, and many teachers assign novels for the whole class to read. If a student is uninterested in the novel, they won’t be as motivated to do work in school, so choosing the right book is important. It is necessary for students to be able to relate or find some sort of connection to the story or character being talked about.
August 28th, 1963, was the day that Martin Luther King Jr. made the “I Have a Wish” speech. More than 200,000 people came to watch and support him. Millions of African Americans fought for their rights for numerous years. The history of African Americans is significant to America's History. The AP African American classes have essential topics that need to be learned about.
I have had the great privilege and blessing of being an African American female in America. Most people would consider this a curse because of the difficult and challenging journey, but I consider it a blessing. Being an African American female has made me strong and resilient. I stand on the backs of my ancestors who have conquered immense struggle and misfortune but still manage to survive and thrive. African Americans are academics, scientists, inventors, entertainers, and much more.
Books can create portals to different life experiences and encourage reading. A few schools and libraries have challenged the educational value of some books, however, therefore leading them to eventually be prohibited in a particular place. Each reason may be different depending on the book and the location of the exclusions. Books are icons of literature and their value should outshine the occasionally offensive topic. Be that as it may, there are multiple reasons why books should be taught and included in a curriculum.
How much of American history do you know? Black history is a part of America’s history, but why is it not deeply taught in schools? In schools we often talk about white American leaders or wars America has won, but not much history of other cultures in America. We may hear a little information about certain minority leaders who fought for a change, but not much facts. If today’s youth aren’t being taught about the thing’s their ancestors have gone through and all the things that has happened and why, many will grow up ignorant.
Students can use books to grow their knowledge about our everyday day life. “It is important to help students see that everyone 's view counts” (Scales). By allowing students to see different points of views they’re able to experience situations unfamiliar to them and learn about different cultures and societies. If they don’t have the opportunity to read these books then they might miss out on these vital lessons. Children need to know about sensitive topics and strong ideas.
As an African American educator I am unable to do many things, such as voting and having access to economic opportunities. There are many Americans who are able to vote due to the fact of their skin tone which is simply unfair. We are all Americans we just have somewhat of a different race. In past times many African American citizens and other races suffered from slavery and inequality.
Just as Anne Frank's Book, exposes students to the situation she was in. All of these books are being censored in schools today, taking away from the reality of the past. Chen asserts that, "By exposing students to a myriad of confusing and troubling topics, teachers are guiding students into the reality of the complex adult and social world. Each text is chosen for a specific grade and age group; therefore, the books serve as a scaffold to slowly guide students to build upon more complicated ideas and realities(7). " Having students read these books allows for safe discussions on not just the literature, but also these topics.
Who should choose the books that students read in school? On one corner of the ring the teacher chooses, and on the other corner the student chooses. I support the decision that students should choose the reading for the next school year. Although it would be interesting to see what the teacher would choose, I think it would be effective for the student to choose for a variety of reasons.