Who should decide what kids read in school
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25797)
United States
July 3, 2023 6:51am CST
Years ago, I served on a private school commission, and one of the members, also a parent, wanted to ban the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak from his daughter's class reading list. His daughter was in sixth grade at the time. He also wanted to stop the class from viewing the movie.
The daughter would have been allowed to read a different book, be allowed out of the classroom during any oral readings, and be excused from viewing the movie at his request. He didn't want any of her classmates reading the book or seeing the movie either.
Both the book and movie had been used with the class in prior years with no objections from parents. I pointed this out to him, and the principal reiterated that his daughter would be offered alternatives to the book and movie.
Ultimately, he admitted he wanted to have the book and movie eliminated for all the children because he was the only parent objecting, and he didn't want his daughter to feel left out by receiving a different assignment. In the end, she read the book, watched the movie, and suffered no ill effects. She's now a grown woman, married, and pursuing a career in journalism on the west coast.
In many states today, certain groups of people are trying to ban books about other groups of people they don't want their children to learn about. Is it right for this narrow-minded, and yes, I'll say it, bigoted group of people to decide for everyone what is suitable reading for all students from Kindergarten through college? I don't think it is.
10 people like this
9 responses
@marguicha (230350)
• Chile
3 Jul 23
The amount of books and movies that have been banned lately in the US is incredible! I heard some time ago that Laura Ingall´s books had been banned. The book was first put out of his historical context and then banned because of a sentence that Laura´s mother had said. When I was young, I remember that the author D.H. Lawrence was banned everywhere. Now he is one of the great authors of his time. Although that I accept that a parent has the right to decide what is better for his child up to a certain point, he has NO RIGHT to decide what is right for everyone.
Your post reminded me of a very good movie I watched decades ago. It was called "Inherit the Wind". I´d watch it again.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
3 Jul 23
There is a fascist group of mostly fundamentalist women here in the US who have appointed themselves as the sole arbiters of what people should and should not be allowed to read. Anything that teaches the history of or includes major characters who are minorities or LGBTQ is on their list of books to be banned. They have been identified as a hate group by major civil rights organizations here.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (230350)
• Chile
3 Jul 23
@DWDavis I remember that when I began writing here, there was a lot of people who said that being gay was against God´s will. From their posts, it seemed that they talked directly to God every day. This has changed a lot, here and in my country. I´m very glad of this but there´s still a long way to go as there is a still long way to go in treating women as persons. You have a long way to go in your country as we have in mine.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (52905)
• Mojave, California
3 Jul 23
You have a point, for your kid, fine. For every kid and every parent? What is wrong with people? They will influence my child. Teach them to be stronger and think with their own brain then.
You basically saying you teach your kid nothing and they are weak. They will fall under the influence of what you hate. Not what they hate also, but what you hate. 
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
3 Jul 23
Who should decide..
Hmm good question that one.
I have no answer as schools are never what they used to be.
Unrecognizable for me.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
4 Jul 23
The mission of schools to turn kids into well-rounded, knowledgeable, thinking, productive members of society has been lost in all the social engineering and emphasis on standardized testing. At some point, parents decided they wanted to dictate what a teacher could and couldn't teach and what grades their kids had to receive, but the same parents refused to take any responsibility for the kids' actions, behavior, or failure to do the work required to make passing grades.
@wolfgirl569 (135770)
• Marion, Ohio
3 Jul 23
I think we need to stop all of this banning things. Makes me think of what Hitler did
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
3 Jul 23
What they are doing in Florida, Texas, and other "red" states is exactly what the fascists did in Europe leading up to WWII. The left isn't innocent, either. They have their own list of books they want to be banned. It's all bad for society in general.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135770)
• Marion, Ohio
3 Jul 23
@DWDavis I agree it is both sides. We don't have true freedom anymore. More and more want to say you are free as long as I get things my way.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
3 Jul 23
There is a dangerous movement happening in several countries around the world very reminiscent of what took place in Italy, Germany, and other European countries in the 1920s and 1930s, and those taking part are, generally, those with little education and scant exposure to the world outside their insular, parochial environment. I see it happening here in the US and other so-called first-world countries and am stunned that such ignorance could hold such sway.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (91116)
• United States
3 Jul 23
I agree with the quote you posted by Jodi Picoult.
1 person likes this
@aninditasen (18198)
• Raurkela, India
4 Jul 23
Sometimes books do send out the wrong message but in India prescribed books are read by students and parents don't have the right to object.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222417)
• United States
4 Jul 23
I agree with you 1,000%. I think time can be spent on other more worthy endeavors.
1 person likes this
