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
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Content: Censorship in schools seems to come from a desire to ensure that our children grow up making the choices and following the beliefs that we desire for them by removing any other options. This may ensure that those children conform with our beliefs in the short run, but the risk is that they will react with hostility to those same ideas years later when they are exposed to other opinions. Many would argue that a gay child who is not exposed to information about homosexuality may behave in a way that he is told is proper at first. Eventually, he will hear about homosexuality from someone and will be all the more upset at his former enforced ignorance of the subject, yet no less likely to act on his desires from then on. This is a matter of opinion and not of solid fact, but it is one that should be taken into account when we think about the potential effects of censorship in schools. The Snowball Effect
Additionally, censorship in schools tends to snowball when warring factions of parents take the battle of wills to the classroom with book banning. A small adjustment to the curriculum could lead to further demands, with the removal of a single book leading to the proposal of a library overhaul or the revision of a single point in a science class leading to a battle over the entire curriculum. There are many cases throughout “censorship history” that involve the removal of one or two books or forms of teaching to appease one group of parents, only to have another set of censorship opportunities requested by another group. The old adage “you can't please everyone” certainly rings true in this case, as a veritable “snowball effect” is a common danger of censorship in schools. Practical Considerations
An important distinction to make is the difference between selection and censorship.