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Fortunately, at both the private, secular grade school and the Catholic High School that my kids attend (have attended), we’ve only run across this type of problem once. We, too, were the first parents to speak up and it was handled really well. After that, that particular school & teacher have implemented a policy whereby they send home a letter/permission slip to the parents if they are going to be introducing any reading material that may seem slightly objectionable. The other parents also told us that they were glad we took the first step and spoke up because they felt so uncomfortable. My reply was, “Well, we felt uncomfortable, too! But, we felt MORE uncomfortable NOT saying something.”. I think that most people don’t like to be “boat-rockers” and so, either just accept the status quo or quietly leave.
It’s REALLY hard to speak up, but it’s necessary to do so if we want things to get better in our world.
When Good Teachers Make Bad Judgments
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Family on Monday, September 26, 2011 3:00 PM
A girlfriend of mine has been posed a dilemma.
In an otherwise sound Catholic school—
high academic standards, religion classes faithful to Catholic teaching, and wholesome learning environment—
her freshman child has been assigned a truly wretched book to read.
Not judgment-call wretched. Wretched.
A book which includes incidents I feel I can’t describe here, language the San Francisco Examiner describes in a review as “Triple X,” and a blasphemous cartoon to boot.
She and a few other parents have complained, and found the teacher very willing to work with them and allow their kids to read something else instead.
Some parents aren’t satisfied with that solution and want the book taken off the class reading list entirely.
We’re not paying to have our kids excluded from the class, they reason, and we should give our kids something higher to aspire to.
The teacher is talented and has honorable intentions. He’s been struggling to get kids to read anything at all, and the book made it onto his reading list because some students in previous years spoke highly of it, and he was able to get them to engage.
The parents in question are scratching their heads how anyone so otherwise sensible could make such a bad call, but it seems the situation will be resolved well.
My girlfriend happened to mention that she was the first to speak up, and for a long time felt she was twisting in the wind, with no other parents to support her, until finally a few others weighed in.
She wonders how many people keep silent because they’re nervous, as she was, and how many say nothing because they simply don’t have time to read what their kids are reading. What do you think?
Parents of kids in Catholic schools, will you weigh in? How have you handled lapses in judgment on the part of your kids’ teachers or school administration? Was it uncomfortable?
Teachers, what advice can you offer parents in this situation?
(Note: I will allow one person to write in the obvious humorous remark: “This is why I homeschool!” After that, I’m going to consider it piling on!)
Comments
Ah… And why do you say it is “humorous” remark to say “This is why I homeschool”? It is not intended to be funny at all. The school systems (public and private) are getting to be increasingly challenging to people of faith. The homeschooling option is no longer fringe but accessible and with a large support system. Not humorous at all… quite legitimate and an option that all Catholic parents should be encouraged to consider if they find their current situations to be a stumbling block or if they just dream of something different. By attending a Catholic or public institutional school, a family accepts the fact that the kids will be taught by some who do not share their values or beliefs or common sense. This problem will not disappear and homeschooling is one solution… not a joke.
I know Rebecca is well aware that there are a lot of people on the site who homeschool for a variety of good reasons. It’s just that this thread isn’t about why we homeschool, it’s about how to handle a situation that may arise in school; I think Rebecca’s directive was just to avoid a thread hijack.
I don’t have any kids old enough to be in school yet, but my siblings and I did spend time in various high schools, some public, some Catholic. I know “The Color Purple” was on my reading list freshman year and my mom had no hesitation about talking to the teacher about an alternative. I was able to opt out of that one (I think it was on the summer reading list), but other times the school insisted that I needed the “competition” with the rest of the class, whatever that meant, and they became quite unwilling to work with us so I ended up leaving after a semester. So it’s a good sign that this school/teacher are willing to listen.
I would add one additional concern; I do know of one situation (with another family, not my own) where the teacher did not have that previously displayed good judgement and was recommending extra (objectionable) books to certain students, along with other (much odder) ways of creating an inner circle and an outer circle among his students. There were a number of red flags and boundary violations with this teacher, so more than just “our kid can’t read book X” was needed. The poor book judgement was symptomatic of a bigger problem, so just something else to look at with the situation as a whole.
Rebecci - I understand your point and my comment wasn’t intended to distract from it. I was mostly responding to the remark you made about “obviously humorous” homeschooling remarks. I don’t find this issue humorous even though I have a pretty good sense of humor! It’s similar to how I’ve been treated by those at our parish when school discussions come up. Parents complain and complain and complain about this teacher and that movie and these books and this bus driver and on and on. What am I to say? I usually don’t say anything. But I don’t think their problems are funny. And I do think the suggestion of homeschooling is relevant. I understand that you didn’t want the board to be cluttered with it. I still fail to see how those comments would be funny… as if homeschooling is that odd thing that people do and not a legitimate option. But I know you don’t think that… your comment just seemed odd to me. God bless. 
I can’t speak for Rebecca, but so often when someone asks for advice on what to do about a problem with a teacher or a school, a dozen people seemingly flippantly remark that homeschooling solves the problem. And, yes, often, homeschooling would solve that problem. Bullies on the playground? Homeschool! Mean, backstabbing pre-teen girlfriends? Homeschool! Questionable catechism? Homeschool! Near-pornographic literature? Homeschool! Unless your child is in kindergarten, homeschooling is not easy, and even if your child is in kindergarten, it is not always the right decision for every family. While homeschooling may be something for parents to consider if the traditional school environment is “hostile,” in this post, a series of people simply saying “Homeschool!” just shuts down the conversation and doesn’t really offer any concrete advice for those who are in the trenches, truly trying to find a charitable way to deal with a bad situation.
I second what Michelle says. If someone posted the difficulties they were having with homeschooling I would think long and hard before I jumped in with a comment saying, “this is why I do not homeschool”. I trust that parents are seeking the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to educate their kids. We all have reasons why we do not (fill in your option..) homeschool, public school, Catholic school or private school. I guess I do not see a lot of people jumping in to homeschool raised problems and telling people that is why they do not homeschool. If we are honest we know that there are challenges with every choice.
I think the “that’s why I homeschool” comments would be a little easier to take if they were prefaced by something like “wow, that’s a tough situation that I wouldn’t know how to deal with”. In other words, empathizing with the situation and then explaining that the decision to homeschool is a personal one. And that works both ways: if a mother whose kids go to public or Catholic school was talking to a homeschooling mother who was discussing a challenge unique to homeschooling, she could explain why homeschooling isn’t for her, without discrediting the decision of those who have opted to homeschool. It sad that sometimes it’s an us vs them mentality. I myself am on the fence about homeschooling, and I see huge benefits to either route, depending on the situation.
Kudos for the parents to be aware of what their childrens’ reading assignments are. We had a situation in our town a few years back and a group of parents called attention to a high school reading assignment and they were able to remove the book from the list. I think part of the problem is that busy parents don’t always know what the in class reading assignments are (I know my parents didn’t - they had 8 children and assumed the school was assigning appropriate books). Secondly, how many parents have the time to read all the books assigned themselves (if they haven’t already read it back in the day)?
I ran into a similar situation here. I was the ONLY parent objecting, though, and though the teacher was willing to give my child another assigment, I could not see a reason for a Catholic school using that particular book as part of the curriculum. I stood alone, and was poised to lose the battle….until the Archdiocese stepped in and told all the schools to not use the book at all. (I did not contact the Archdiocese). Still, I constantly fight the battle over summer reading assignments and in other situations as well. I often wonder why I continue to do it…why I am the only one…why not one other teacher or administrator sees a problem. I’d like to think that many parents do not know what their children are reading, but to me it is sadder when I find out they DO know, and don’t care. It is discouraging, but I feel it is my duty to keep trying. I know if I didn’t even try, it would be on my conscience as willingly permitting it to happen.
While I have not had this experience with my own children (who were homeschooled for many years and are now in a local Catholic school), I did have it as the student in the classroom. My 11th grade English teacher assigned a book my mother felt was objectionable. My mother contacted the teacher (a non-Catholic in a Catholic school) and explained why she didn’t approve of me reading the book. Not only did the teacher allow me to read a different selection, she appreciated my mom’s arguments enough that she changed the assignment for the whole class. This was quite different than when my oldest sister was in 8th grade and was assigned the same book. The (Catholic) teacher in that instance begrudgingly let my sister read something else, but kept the assignment. Only one other student’s mother complained and he too read the alternate selection. I’m sure neither time was easy for my mom, who is not a naturally outgoing person, but she was very careful to keep up with what we were reading/discussing in class and never shied from objecting when necessary.
Even as a homeschool mom, I do not have time to read every book that my children read. I find this to be my biggest challenge - letting go of micromanaging every last little thing that they see. I do have a program that I trust, and that gives me peace of mind. But as my children get older, they will select more and more books from the library shelves, or be suggested titles by friends and others. While dealing with a teacher who is mandating a particular title and subsequent discussions of the text is one issue, simply being aware of the influence of the rest of the world on our children is crucial and the key to that seems to be keeping the lines of communication open. In other words, if our children continue to come to us as a sounding board or a filter for all the garbage they encounter, then we can help guide them through the muck. It’s when our children lead separate lives and do not come to us for our opinion and guidance that they are at more serious risk of being negatively influenced by others.
I wholeheartedly agree with Michelle’s well-written statement. At some point, our children must leave the “cocoon” and will most definitely have to face the evils of the world head-on. As Michelle stated, we can best serve our children as a sounding board, through open and honest discussions and creating an environment of trust within our homes. Perhaps some of the best lessons in life are learned when our children have to stand on their own two feet. Every day I kiss my son goodbye as he hops on the school bus…and my last words to him are…“I love you. Make good __________”. And he fills in the word “decisions”.
I really see no problem with the parents calling the teacher out on this type of book selection, but I also do believe at some point our children have to find their own voice. It would be interesting to see what kind of feedback the teacher got from the -students- about the book, and what their impression of it was. Just because some students enjoyed the book, I wouldn’t be surprised if others told the teacher they were offended.
What if the teacher used this as a catechetical moment? I was horrified last year, when my graduate school professor proposed a Catholic sexual morality textbook that taught heretical teachings, from wrong propositions… but then it challenged my own knowledge of the faith and made me examine if I was able to truly define the teachings of the Church… These are teenagers who are still being formed in their faith, but the society of today speaks very loud- and they are listening. So maybe there could be a book that less attacks the modesty of the youth, but why are you as parents afraid of addressing the issues of today? Why do we need to act on the defensive and rather use what is handed us and bring out the good points and ‘convert’ the wrong into Christ??? What are we afraid of- that we ourselves maybe don’t know the teachings of the Church? What a great opportunity to learn them and to then defend them. The Church is herself evangelical in her being, and if we are Her daughters and sons, let us serve her and our brothers and sisters lost in the torment of this society.
I teach at a catholic school and was myself just a parent at first. I’d suggest attending the next PTO meeting and bringing it up, or sending a polite email to the principal about even having it on the booklist. This should do the trick. If not, consider introducing yourself to other parents in the class and asking the teacher if she could call a parent meeting (you’re all terribly concerned).
Hope this helps.
Just to play devil’s advocate for a moment…My kids are still too young for school, but ponder this: are we doing a disservice to our kids by ONLY allowing them to be exposed to books that are completely in line with our faith and values? Isn’t one of the great things about developing a love for literature the opportunity to read about characters who live lives and make choices that are so vastly different from ours? Are we perhaps missing a fantastic opportunity for discussion with our kids about the ways that those character’s lives ARE different than ours, and encourage some critical thinking about the pros and cons of those choices?
I could be wrong, but I think the situation that Rebecca is describing (as well as the one I was involved in) is vastly different from “only allowing them to be exposed to books that are completely in line with our faith and values”. As Rebecca writes, “A book which includes incidents I feel I can’t describe here, language the San Francisco Examiner describes in a review as “Triple X,” and a blasphemous cartoon to boot.”. To me, that is a book that is probably a bit too mature for a freshman in high school, as most freshman are still forming opinions on everything and need some careful guidance in that area (at least, that’s been true for my kids, so far!). Certainly, I am no fan of banning books outright, but I think we, as parents, have to consider a few things about each child (maturity, feelings about their faith, etc) as we look at what they are “consuming”. Certainly, I think that most of us would object to movie of the same description being shown to our freshman child; books can make the same kinds of impressions. Just my 2 cents…
Chloe I think you’re right to a point. Reading things that only reflect our personal faith and values would reduce the list of options significantly, and reduce our ability to think about/discuss ideas that are different.
On the other hand, the genera of young adult literature is out of hand right now. I agree with you if we’re talking classics and great literature. Too often the books written for this age group are just further filth that can be found in the media at large. Just because cutting, and suicide, and homosexuality, and the occult, and incest, and so forth are written in book form, does not make it valuable or good.
This happened when my son was a freshman in a Boys Catholic High School. My husband called the principal, and he is not outgoing by any means. It was a disgusting, lewd book which dealt with a subject that in quite a few parents opinions was not appropriate for 14 year old boys. The teacher in this case came back at my husband and said “You know, they will be exposed to this kind of stuff anyway.” to which my husband answered, “Well, my boy is not being exposed to it NOW. ” The principal was very cooperative in this case. However, when my son was a senior, this same teacher almost failed him in English, and we feel it was because of what was done in his freshman year. That is a whole other story. That teacher became principal of a girls high school the next year. That school is closed now. That in itself speaks loud and clear.
Hi everyone, I do have 3 boys coming up thru the ranks of catholic elementary school and then thru the local high school. They are in 1st, 6th and 8th grades. I would like to know the titles of these books so I can be prepared to fight the battle should these books be brought into our school. Is it ok if you gave out that information? It seems kind of strange to be having this discussion, but with no specifics titles. Thanks!
L uhm I can tell you right now that even if we gave specific titles, it would not even make a DENT in the garbage that is out there. Trust me on this. I have 5 children, 2 in college, 2 in high school and one in grade school. I have been following/reading teen and “new” literature that is out there for several years now. It is sad, and monumental, the amount of filth that is in these books. My dream is to start my own site to publish reviews and to inform parents who don’t/can’t read everything. Even at the Scholastic Book Fair in our grade school I pull out titles every year that we do not sell to the children. All I can say is do your best to pay attention—learn good authors, and ones to steer clear of. Keep a notebook of titles/authors if you can. If you follow this site, and other Catholic/mom sites, you will hear names of good authors. And as others have said—keep the lines of dialogue open as much as possible with your boys. I cannot read everything mine read…we talk about what they are reading. I model for them how sometimes I bring what looks like a good book home, and can’t get past the first chapter. I don’t mean to discourage anyone, but I am passionate about this subject. Yes, books that have poor morals in them can be used for discussion, but only if those doing the discussing are well-versed in moral knowledge and Church teachings (which some teachers are lacking, sad to say.)
My good friend writes this occasional blog reviewing youth/young adult fiction from a Catholic perspective. She also worked at the library, but is taking a leave while she nurses and hangs with baby #5. I highly recommend her reviews. I hope it helps. and if it does. please write her and let her know so she’ll review more stuff. I keep telling her there is a real need for information like this.
We are former homeschoolers who started at a Catholic school last year. In the spring, my daughter informed me that her teacher was going to show a movie to the class which was R rated. I’m a quiet shy person. However, I couldn’t sit still and not say anything. I emailed the teacher and stated that I didn’t want my daughter to watch the movie. That’s all I wrote before signing the email. He responded politely that he wasn’t going to show it. It was just a suggestion by the students. However, he did tell me that movies and books have to get the stamp of approval from the principal before students can watch/read it. Perhaps your friend can get such a policy going in her child’s school? I can’t imagine a place for such a book as part of a Catholic curriculum. I will pray for her.
I have children in public high school. We get a list of the books at the parent night at the beginning of the year. My kids are in the gifted class. There is always some choice involved for their independent reading. They often are given ones that I consider too mature for freshmen. However, we are required to sign off on anything that is not on the district approved book list. I did not sign off on “The Kite Runner” for my freshman daughter a couple of years ago even though I had read the book and thought it excellent. She read from the “classic” choice and read “Pride and Prejudice”. Last year my second daughter had the same teacher and “The Kite Runner” was not even one of the options. For sophomore year, the English teacher shows some films adaptions of some of the books they read. We have to sign off on anything that is rated higher than PG. When my oldest daughter was in that class, she showed a film that was not on the list, and I can’t even remember the name of it, but it was quite violent with mature subject matter. I don’t know what the rating was, but I was very angry because I knew that the film had not been on the list. I didn’t find out until she had already watched it, but I did inform the principal and was told it wouldn’t happen again. Same teacher this year passed out the permission slip with each movie listed separately, a description, and a rating. Many of them were not rated but were PBS specials. When my kids get a choice, I always ask them to choose the classic selection because I figure this will help them as they get to college. I can honestly say that most of the time I do not know what they are reading for school, but we have steered clear of the young adult section for awhile now. Incidentally, I found out later my daughter checked the “Kite Runner” out of the school library and read it on her own. So much for my vigilance. We had an English teacher let go a couple of years ago because she had her class read a book that was not district approved - can’t remember the name of it but it was the one made into a movie about the teacher who had her students write about their own lives and publish it into a book. So, I think for the most part if you do speak up, the schools will try to be responsive. They seem to be glad that parents are at least taking an interest.
Often I am that person, who first brings an issue to our school administration and/or the parish leadership, so I have some experience in this area;-) 1st pray. I know that sounds obvious, but by seriously praying over an issue you are more disposed to proceed in wisdom. 2) Assume the teacher/administration had good intentions and/or wasn’t aware of the problem. Do not take on an “us vs them” mentality. Yes there are people who are consciously and deliberately against the Church, but my experience is that most people are more ignorant than hostile toward the Church. Everyone is on a journey and I’m sure there are things you know/understand now regarding the Faith and morals that you didn’t ten years ago. PLEASE give people the benefit of the doubt. 3) Before you accuse anyone of anything, ask questions. Ask them about the assignment, how they arrived at it, etc. See first to understand. More times than I care to admit, I was wrong in my understanding of the situation. 4) Gently and with true charity explain your concerns. Where appropriate bring in supporting material (encyclicals, catechism etc.) But let the other person save face. Don’t start with phrases like “the magisterium says”... even if they do. Very annoying and off putting. 5) Suggest alternatives and options where you can. 6) In the end, you may have to agree to disagree and then you decide as parent what your child need. Do what you need to do, but try not to make it personal and try not to let you child know if you think the teachers made a bad choise.7) Don’t gossip about the situation. It’s a fine line between informing other parents and gossiping. 8) Try to know and support your teachers right from the beginning of the year, so if there is a problem you have some rapport going into a potentially uncomfortable conversation. 9) Sincerely thank the teacher for listening, for supporting, for trying to understand where you are coming from. And of course thank them if they adjust their plans 
I can honestly say, that I have a great relationship with our school’s teachers & admin. And, yes I am often that person who brings up things. Part of the reason I started (a small part) was because of the “us vs them” mentality. Please avoid that. And thank you brave parents for speaking out when we, as a community, are not giving the best to our children.
We left our Catholic school, for many reasons, but one reason was the highly objectionable books that were required reading, beginning in 5th grade. As a former teacher myself, I tried to remain non-judgmental and polite. The entire year, I was the only one to speak up. The next year, 6th grade, I was not alone in my objections. While I tried to understand where the teachers were coming from, the reading material was trash (and why expose them to this when there are so many pieces of quality literature?). Exposing them, just to expose them to what they will be exposed to, seems silly to me. I, along with a small group of others, did seek the professional opinions of child psychologists who absolutely concurred with us. We met with the teachers to share these viewpoints and these opinions fell on deaf ears (well, we received a polite nod, I suppose). Eventually, we did leave and are now attending an authentically Catholic school where discernment is given to reading material. There are websites for movie review, and there used to be one for book reviews, but if anyone can suggest another, I would certainly appreciate it. In all cases, I think we, as parents, must speak up but, of course, take great pause to consider our motives along with the best way to do the speaking.
Thanks “Been There Too.” There are definitely situations where the only choice for parents would be to leave a school. Which, if it comes to that, means the problems are much bigger than the occasional lapse in judgement. Our school is mostly “good” and our principal is devout herself, so she is usually open to concerns. She has a public school background and her kids are grown, so she doesn’t always see the concerns herself immediately, but once they’re pointed out she usually “gets it.”
I’ve also found that not all things are worth fighting for . . . for example our school has a 7th & 8th grade Valentine’s dance - which I think is at best silly and at worse promoting pairing up and too much emphasis on boy/girl things at an early age etc. I have decided not to pursue changing this until one of the teachers retires. It’s just not the right time . . . and in the scheme of things not crucial enough to deal with . . .
It is hard to parent well these days and it can be tempting to be quiet, but I really do urge everyone to speak up. I am amazed that often one or two people who speak up create a space for others to speak up and things can and often do change.
As a high school English teacher (public school), I am fascinated to read this post and all the responses. A few thoughts:
1) Midwest mom, thanks for the wise post. There is that old saying that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar, and that is so true. I always appreciate it when parents take the non-combative approach and come more with the attitude of “here’s the problem I’m struggling with; how can we work together to find a solution?” That goes a long way with teachers.
2) It is remarkably complex being a teacher ... it’s like herding cats sometimes. The sad truth is that lots of kids would rather scrub a toilet with a toothbrush than read a book. My guess is that this teacher had a few students who loved the book and were totally fired up and vocal about it, so he decided to give it a go. And it’s generally true that if teenagers know that a book is controversial and/or banned, they usually get interested in it right off the bat. (Ironically, if the parents at the school are working to get it removed from the class, it probably means that their kids are MORE likely to want to read it than ever before.) I’m not saying I agree with all of this, simply that it’s a fact of human nature (starting with Adam and Eve, I guess).
3) I don’t know the book in question, but I have found that a lot of the “bad stuff” in books is usually part of a journey that the character is on, and that there is some sort of redemption or “lesson” at the end. For example, Macbeth is all about murdering people to become/stay king, but it’s obvious from the trajectory of the story that Shakespeare is NOT endorsing that line of action. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has some tough stuff about sexual abuse, which is always a hard discussion to have, but I have had kids tell me that they are glad we read/talk about it because it can encourage young people to open up and talk about abuse instead of keeping it inside. So I think the teacher has a responsibility to teach the tough material in a way that helps kids see beyond it, if that makes sense.
4) Are there certain books I feel are just plain inappropriate for high school students, period, no matter how they are taught? Absolutely. But if I feel that way about a book, odds are good that someone higher-up (like the school board) does, too, and it would never become an issue.
5) Most teachers, I think, are willing to work with families. I once had a girl in class whose father had committed suicide the year before. I told her up-front that “Hamlet” could be hard for her, and she requested an alternative title, and she read “Taming of the Shrew” instead. And one of my colleagues years ago had a boy in his class whose parent had recently been murdered (seriously). He was supposed to teach “Macbeth” but could not bring himself to put this kid through that experience. So he switched gears entirely and taught one of Shakespeare’s comedies instead. He never told the class why he was doing it; he just quietly developed an entirely new curriculum for a play he’d never taught before, just to spare this poor boy some terrible reminders of his own tragedy.
Whew. That was long! Sorry, but it’s a topic that is very close to me, as you can tell.
It was good to hear from a public school teacher. I especially liked #3.
I don’t know the book in this post but mention of “triple x” is enough to make me cautious. Rebecca, was the book, “Water for Elephants”? I think parents should be able to speak up in any schooling situation and be heard.
I do know that no one in the Catholic Church agrees on what is appropriate and what is not. For example, Harry Potter is very controversial as we know from the heated debate that was on F and F about it recently. Doesn’t the classic. “Catcher in the Rye” also have controversy? I’m sure the list could go on and on. My son read, “The Children’s Story” at school (6th grade). I read it myself and read reviews on it and could see that some Christians objected to it. I did not have a problem with it. We had a very meaningful discussion about it and I was well informed on the discussion in the classroom. He really thought long and hard about the implications of it and we are still talking about it.
There was another book that got removed from the high school reading list that I would not have had a problem with my high schooler reading it. I did not agree with the author’s point of view but the book generated a great deal of powerful conversation for me and would be an incredible learning tool for my kids. Yet, Catholic friends of mine were very against it.
I guess what I am saying is we all have a different perspective on what is appropriate and what is not. This makes it a bit harder to sort through all of this.
I am also both a mother and a high school English teacher, and I’ve had someone complain about every book I have ever taught. You name the book, and I will give you the complaint I just roll with the complaints, which have ranged from the utterly ludicrous to the misguided to the “they have a point, why am I teaching this?”
In the first two types of cases, I gave the student an alternate assignment; in the third case, I decided there was a better book out there I could use to accomplish my goals, and I changed the curriculum. The teacher should be willing to work with you on this, Rebecca! English teachers run across issues like this all the time!
I consider myself to have pretty high standards for literature, and even in “The Classics” there are some pretty controversial scenes, etc. We only read excerpts from certain pieces of Roman and Greek mythology, for example. I’ve had several parents complain about The Grapes of Wrath, The Crucible, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Canterbury Tales, etc. It’s tough; there’s not many “good” stories without some sort of controversy (and I am not talking about poorly written Young Adult fiction- I don’t teach that!).
Now, I also want to know: What book was your child assigned to which you object?
You are the voice of reason today, Michelle. Thank you and I agree!
I’ve been reading this posting with interest. It makes me think about my own high school literature classes in public high school almost 20 years ago. In my junior AP American Literature class we read Beloved by Toni Morrison. This novel is very disturbing, with some very mature scenes in it. I remember reading it and barely being able to bring myself to believe I was actually reading what I was reading. My parents weren’t aware of the content and there was never a question of challenging its place on our reading list. So on one level I am still in shock that our teacher “dared” to teach us this novel. And yet on another level I am very grateful to her. I would never have read Toni Morrison otherwise, and I think that would have been a loss. The disturbing issues her novel introduced opened my eyes to the presence of a different type of suffering in the world and taught me to see with compassion where perhaps I might have previously only judged. That is my own experience, but I just want to share that, for me, reading an explicit piece of fiction during my high school years didn’t lead me down a road of immorality, but helped add a new dimension to my faith. Hope this makes sense in some way.
I see lots of good comments. I homeschool and have kids in Catholic school. Here is my question. If my kids only get excited about pizza, chip, and cookies…..should I just give in and let them eat it because I can’t get them to eat anything else?? They can read trash on their own time but there are thousands of quality books out there that do NOT have “explicit” material in them, so why do we not raise the bar and expect that the average teen can handle quality literature. I am not against tough subjects. To Kill a Mockingbird is a good example. But we all know that some of this stuff is more mental porn than learning how to appreciate another’s point of view. One does not need to read detailed scenes of this sort to understand the basic issue. There are just so many better alternatives.
Yes, good analogy with the food! I am a huge fan of books (we have about 2000) and there are plenty of books in my library that I don’t intend to let my kids read until it’s age-appropriate (“A Clockwork Orange”, anyone?), but that I still have because they are appropriate at some age. But the question has to be asked, “Why do we want kids to read?” I detest the “at least they’re reading something” argument for reading trash; there is so much good out there (and even if it’s a morally bad book, like “Madame Bovary”, it may still have lots of literary value) so why assign books that not only contain/glorify/normalize evil, but are badly written to boot (and, honestly, that describes rather a lot of stuff out there)? And even more so I detest the idea that because they’ll be exposed to various awful things at some point, *I* (or another trusted adult) should be the one to expose them. It’s one thing if they run across something somewhere and I can step in and give guidance; it’s quite another if I’m the one who gives them the awfulness in the first place.
The worst immoral book we had in high school was The Last of the Wine—out of the entire Sophomore class of 50 girls, only three of us read the whole book; the rest of us (including myself) never got past the first 30 pages.
Of course we had mythology studying the various gods and creature feature animals like dragons and such, Shakespeare (not too bad if you can understand it), the Epic of Gilgamesh (SO difficult to understand).
Moms, I am really glad Rebecca brought this up.
What puzzles me is that our local (public) high school English department has both well respected classics, and newer, “post modern” literature, without seeming to make any distinction. Is that typical in your local schools?
One mom mentioned “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. There is a description of—not an allusion to, but a description of—the rape of an eight-year-old girl. This book was suggested as summer reading for kids just out of seventh grade. I asked my daughter to choose something else. I just don’t think she ought to be reading a graphic description of rape.
Another book mentioned was “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. My daughter had to read that over the summer. I read it also just to be involved with what is going on in her life. I found it so repulsive that it made me physically ill. I found “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” to be quite disturbing as well.
Contrast this with “Macbeth”. Yes, there are murders, but they are not described in graphic detail. There is a moral point to the story. We are asked to consider if our lives are “sound and fury, signifying nothing”. This is a valuable play because it is thought provoking without the disturbing, graphic imagery of some of the more modern books. Furthermore, it is clear that murder, selfishness, greed, etc. are wrong.
There was one book proposed by the English department which was so offensive that parents complained and it has been removed. It was “100 Demons”, a “graphic novel” where the main character, an adolescent, describes multitudes of disgusting incidents in her life: being lured by an older man, dropping acid with her boyfriend, travelling with her boyfriend and the “hippies” to sell drugs, boyfriend and one other boy commit suicide, her mother calls her a prostitute, and her mother launches into a diatribe about how smelly the private parts of women of various races are. She goes to Sunday school and concludes that it is okay to hate if the other person hates first. The book concludes in despair: the girl decides that there are “no angels ringing bells, only judges on high”. Half the English department showed up at a meeting to defend the book, on the grounds that a lot of kids in the school are experiencing these very negative things, and the book will be helpful to them. Seriously?? A book which offers no hope? And would they want to discuss their personal problems in English class, as the teachers claimed?
This book was proposed, alongside a curriculum including Sophocles, Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante. I don’t get it.
It seems to me that in literature classes, students ought to both learn about historically respected classics and movements in literature, and also gain something from each book—walk away a better person for having read it. I do not understand how *so much* post modern literature like those I described above can be a part of the curriculum, when there are thousands of years’ worth of books to cover, and the post modern period has only lasted for half a century. I don’t understand why the post modern literature chosen is so repulsive.
My tenth grader has read two short stories so far this year: one about a couple deciding whether or not to have an abortion, and another about an older man luring a fifteen-year-old girl into rape. Honestly, is there nothing better out there?? Must by 15 yr old daughter read about a girl her age being lured into rape?
I do not understand what the adults who choose these books are thinking. I believe they are well intentioned, and I do not approach them with an “us vs them” mentality. I oppose their choices, not their intentions or personal character, but I honestly do not understand how any adult can think these types of books I described are good for adolescents.
Though it’s been over 30 years since I’ve been in Catholic high school, the classics (Dickens, Shakespeare) that has withstood the test of time of many centuries (Siddhartha too). Points of View is border line, thankfully they’re abridged versions.
Extra curricular is something else altogether. And as you know, reading for pleasure and reading for English Lit are too separate animals.
It seems today, even though I’m not a mom, that you can’t please anyone. There are so many books, that there is bound to be something objectionable for everyone.
There are many classic works of literature that are disturbing. Flannery O’Connor comes to mind. She writes about rape, incest, murder, child molestation and child rape, among other things. Yet she was a faithful Catholic. I studied her in college and I am grateful that I had a professor who was able to walk us through it, because if I were left to my own devises, I wouldn’t have understood what she was getting at. So much of literature needs to be read together and discussed. I’d rather my child read a controversial book with a good teacher than read it on his own.
And sometimes bad literature produces good - nothing made me more afraid of drugs than reading “Go Ask Alice” in the 8th grade.
I think Midwest Mom’s comment sums up excellently the way to approach a teacher or administration on these matters. In some cases, the teacher may sincerely not have seen anything objectionable about the content, or was simply trying to engage his or her students. If you try not to assume the worst in people, it can make a world of a difference. Let the teacher know you are on their side!!
I once knew a an English teacher who give her students (in high school) a few minutes of free reading every so often (it had to be a novel, no magazines, etc). I want to say she some how incorporated a lesson out of this, maybe they had to also write a paper or something? But it was then students could choose novels they wanted to read. So if there was a particular book that was questionable, she would not make it part of a mandatory assignment but I suppose students had the option of choosing that book for their free reading. I though the idea was brilliant because I know I loved to read until I got to high school and was assigned books that I did not care for (for example, I had a real problem reading Catcher in the Rye as a freshman, it was so vastly different from anything I read up to that point in my life). I would have loved to have been able to chose my own books every now and again. It may have even made the mandatory reading assignments a bit more palatable!
What about the questionable stories/writings in the bible? I am not well read on the old testament but there is a lot of violence, incest and polygamy. Cain and Abel. Then there is a story of a father holding a knife over his son ready to sacrifice him to God. We give our kids coloring pages to color of this one. Songs of songs gets very sexually intense with some graphic poettic phrases.
All in all we are looking at the big picture and the meaning behind the stories. I would so the same with other books as well.
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