Title: Censorship In Schools And The Effects On Our Children | Everyday Health
Headings: Censorship In Schools And The Effects On Our Children
Censorship In Schools And The Effects On Our Children
NEWSLETTERS
Sign up for our Healthy Living Newsletter!
Enter your email
The Latest in Kids' Health
New WHO Guidelines Urge Less Screen Time, More Active Play for Young Children
More Evidence Finds That Delaying School Start Times Improves Students’ Performance, Attendance, and Sleep
What Are The Effects On Children Of Single Parents?
Understanding Your Gothic Teen
Teaching Teens Responsibility
Six Suggestions for Boy Scout Meeting Ideas and Events
Piaget's Theory For Parents
Top 5 Baby And Parenting Magazines
Tips To Keep Your Sleepwalking Child Safe
Is School Food Bad For Students?

Content: A teacher who crosses a book off her class’ reading list is not committing censorship unless she is doing so out of a sense of hostility toward the contents of the book. Teachers have to make choices as to the books and other materials that will most enhance the education of their students, and not every book can make the cut – there simply is not time to read everything. When bias and personal feelings get in the way of the selection process, censorship gets a foothold in our school systems. Another difficulty in monitoring censorship is that it is against the nature of concerned parents to think that they are committing this act. Many parents feel that by complaining against books that contain descriptions of nudity, occult references, or profanity, they are protecting the children in the school system and upholding the integrity of the community. These are lofty goals, and certainly do not associate with censorship for those committing the act. This makes self-monitoring nearly impossible. Teachers may be enticed to censor materials because they are afraid of the reaction of parents, making the act itself invisible and difficult to trace or quantify. How do you record the number of times that a book is not ordered because of the fear of parental reaction? In Conclusion
Censorship in schools is certainly present and the addition of even small changes can lead to battles over the future integrity of our children and community.