Oh, Canada.... Why?
This week, Cambridge Today writer Doug Coxson reported "[Waterloo Region District School Board] has developed a framework to identify and remove inappropriate or questionable texts." The announcement came from the coordinating superintendent in HR and equity services.
Right off the bat, I have two questions:
Why is this coming from someone in HR? Do they as human resource specialists have training in literacy, education, and childhood development?
Who gets to choose what is labeled "inappropriate or questionable"? And do those people have training in literacy, education, and childhood development... or at least a degree in library science?
What is the basis of "inappropriate or questionable"? Is it based on political views? Religious beliefs? Cultural perspectives? Societal norms?
This group has set out to protect staff and students from harmful texts found in the libraries. According to the HR coordinator, "The effort is specific to library collections and doesn’t consider materials or literature taught in classrooms." So they are targeting libraries and not classrooms where reading is required. It is effectively removing free-choice from a student's personal reading time.
Here are a few thoughts:
"The process to edit school libraries will involve educating teachers about the board’s framework so they can consider removing texts from their classroom collections." So while libraries are the focus, there will be pressure for teachers to alter what they teach and what resources are in their classrooms.
"Earlier this year, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board removed William Golding's classic Lord of the Flies from its curriculum after its advisory committee on equity agreed with a student who said the book’s themes were outdated and too focused on white, male power structures." Wasn't that kind of the point of the whole book? Golding himself said, "The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system..."
It truly bothers me that adults are making decisions that affect all students based on the recommendation of "a" student who claims the themes of LOTF are outdated. (In case it's been a while since you read it, themes include civilization vs savagery; loss of innocence; man's inherent evil; and dangers of mob mentality.) Well, I didn't realize all of that was behind us. Glad that kid pointed it out. But seriously, the kid is basing his opinion from a lack of formal education (I'm assuming the leaders of this school district at least have a high school diplomas or GEDs if not college degrees since they are leaders in education) and a lack of life experience (since they believe these themes are old-fashioned).
So, instead of encouraging the reading of challenging literature, learning literary analysis, and building skills in group discussion, we should toss what doesn't make us feel warm, safe, and fuzzy? Sadly, these themes of power struggles and good vs evil, racism and oppression still happen today. It's tough to face these things, but children face them every single day.
"To realize his purpose Golding patterned his book after a nineteenth century work on a related theme, R.M. Ballantyne's The Coral Island, whose three characters carried the same names as some of the protagonists in Lord of the Flies. In this way, he thought, he could show that little had changed though much had changed in that century." (Spitz, 1970)
As A Parent...
There are things printed and produced I never want my kids to hear, see, or read. There is hurt in this life that I would love to bundle them up and protect them from. However, to try to protect them in a bubble of only things I agree with does not expand their world view or challenge them to think on why we believe what we believe. Reading creates empathy for others, even if you don't agree with all their views. Can the same be said about social media? Look how much time and space that takes up in peoples lives.
I suppose my parenting philosophy is to strengthen my kids, teach them, instill a good moral compass, and trust them to explore and make their own decisions.
As A Librarian...
This makes my head spin! Everything we were taught from day one of the MLIS program was basked on the goal of make information equal, equitable, and accessible to everyone. That means a group of people getting to decide what my children can and cannot read is NOT okay with me. When different people come into leadership, how will that affect the literature available to my kids? What if they decide something I find completely demoralizing is the only type of book allowed? That's the thing about censorship, it can change direction in the blink of an eye. It can spread like wildfire until you suddenly find yourself without the capability of choosing what's in your TBR pile, because the choice has been made for you.
Other books targeted for censorship this year:
REFERENCES
Coxson, D. (2021). Books deemed 'harmful to staff and students' are being removed from region's public school libraries. Cambridge Today. https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/books-deemed-harmful-to-staff-and-students-are-being-removed-from-regions-public-school-libraries-4551859
Spitz, D. (1970). Power and Authority: An Interpretation of Golding’s “Lord of the Flies.” The Antioch Review, 30(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.2307/4637248
Stillman, J. (2019). New Study: Reading Fiction Really Will Make You Nicer and More Empathetic. Inc.com. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/reading-fiction-really-will-make-you-nicer-more-empathetic-new-study-says.html