me arts ed

‘Best interest’

I live in a community where some individuals have requested that the school board have certain books removed from our classrooms and library book shelves. The conversation went on for months with both sides taking time to express their opinions. Some advocacy is based on fact and research while others are based on personal beliefs/choices and emotions. These conversations are similar to others going on across our state and the country. We all have opinions and lately I’ve been wondering how individuals can express their options in a way that provides a ‘point of view’, not in a way that comes across as “I am right and if you don’t agree with me, you are wrong”. Most importantly, I wonder how opinions can be expressed without negatively impacting the education of young people? After all, we know they’re watching and listening.

Every year before the July 4th parade in Whitefield, a small town located not a 30 minute drive from Augusta, an artist gathers with other artists and friends to shed light on a ‘challenging topic’ to include in the parade. Artist Natasha Mayers has been doing this for years. Some of you are familiar with the marvelous film that was made to document Natasha’s life story called Natasha Mayers: An Unstill Life. The film chronicles her life as an artist and activist. You can access the trailer and rent the entire film at THIS LINK.

For this years parade the group focused on books that have been banned and created giant books that are included on a list. They passed out more than 100 children’s books wrapped in caution tape, with bookmarks listing banned books. I’m sure many of you are familiar with some or all of these books, I’ve listed them below.

Its one thing to be aware of banned books but it’s another to express your opinion or to take action. I’ve given some thought about my beliefs and I’m reading, listening and watching. One of my summer goals is to read more of the books on banned book lists. When I participate in a conversation it will be based on my reading and my understanding through my own lens. I attended my town’s candidates forum this spring where the candidates were asked their opinions on banning books from our schools, specifically the book Queer Gender by Maia Kobabe. The two individuals who strongly opposed hadn’t read the book, one had looked at the pictures. I’ve noticed that many people who are opposed to certain books also have strong feelings about the curriculum being taught in our schools. In addition, their rhetoric includes wanting the power to make curriculum decisions. As a teacher I am totally committed to working with parents to educate the child. But I am opposed to parents making decisions for other families. Should parents be making decisions for their own children or all children? Some advocates are attempting to undermine the wisdom of teachers and educational experts who are trained to make curriculum decisions and choices about teaching and learning. I realize that not all educators are ‘experts’ and I’m not suggesting that educators make all the decisions. Policy’s and procedures are in place with curriculum committees that include teachers, administrators, and school board members to guide and make decisions on curriculum.

I’m not offering answers, only questions. My baseline question that has always guided me: what is in the best interest of all students? Some folks are saying ‘best interest’ has become murky. Well, no one said that education wasn’t messy business. It feels like we’re at a critical moment so I ask you: will you be part of the problem or part of the solution? How can arts educators use artistry to help at this moment in the history of education?

Banned books for teens and adults

FICTION, FANTASY, ETC.

• The Bluest Eyes, Tony Morrison
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
• The Call of the Wild, Jack London
• The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
• The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
• The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown
• Black Boy, Richard Wright
• Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
• The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
• Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs
• Looking for Alaska, John Green
• The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
• Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf
• The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath

NONFICTION

• A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn
• Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Susan Kuklin
• The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, Nikole Hannah-Jones
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X & Alex Haley
• Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
• You Can’t Read This: Why Books Get Banned, Pamela Jain Dell

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Maus, Art Spiegelman
• Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
• March (series), John Lewis & Andrew Aydin
• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel
• Queer: A Graphic History, Meg-John Barker
• Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, Gregory Neri & Randi DuBurke
• Blankest, Craig Thompson
• This One Summer, Mariko Tamaki

Banned books for children

PICTURE BOOKS

• Donovan’s Big Day, Leslea Newman
• It’s a Book, Lane Smith
• The Day in June, Gayle Pitman & Kristyna Litten
• The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
• In Our Mother’s House, Patricia Polacco
• Flabby Cat and Sleepy Dog, Jeanne Willis
• Little Red Riding Hood, Trina Schart Hyman
• Nappy Hair, Carolina Herron
• Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Bill Martin
• Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story From Afghanistan, Jeanette Winter
• The Paper Bag Princess, Robert Munsch
• The Dumb Bunnies, Dav Pilkey
• Strega Nona, Tomie DePaola
• The Stupids (series), Harry Allard & James Marshall

CHAPTER BOOKS

• The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
• Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead Goerge
• The Giver, Lois Lowry
• Melissa, Alex Gino
• A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
• Go Ask Alice, Anonymous
• Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
• The View From Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg
• An Indigenous People’s History of the United States, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• Joey Pigza Loses Control, Jack Gantos

COMICS & GRAPHICS NOVELS

• Bone (series), Jeff Smith
• Drama, Raina Telgemeier
• The Breakaways, Kathy G. Johnson
• Class Act, Jerry Craft
• They Called Us Enemy, George Takei