Teachers 'Should Be' First Line of Defense Against Inappropriate Literature in Schools
We often talk about parents being the first line of defense against harm directed at their children. I mostly agree with that. When it comes to what’s going on inside classrooms and school libraries, educators—teachers specifically—need to be a force to be reckoned with against anything that puts children in jeopardy. Making sure the books children have access to are appropriate is one area in which teachers who truly care about young people should be both vigilant and vocal.
Parents are ultimately responsible for their sons and daughters. That’s one reason I believe strongly in parental rights. We’re talking about their kids. Yet we know that most parents are working during the day or home raising preschool littles. While they should be keenly aware, especially nowadays, of what is being taught in schools, they are not there every day. Teachers are. This places a sacred duty upon them.
Those same teachers are often highly involved in curriculum writing. Trust me, I know. I did it—and I hated it. Teachers plan units and request and order books that accompany those units. While I do not recall being an active part of the plethora of books on school library shelves, I was, as an ELA (English Language Arts) teacher, tasked with ordering books for my classroom shelves. Reading teachers did the same. Additionally, ELA and reading teachers are at times consulted about books for a number of reasons. In other words, our thoughts matter because we are trusted as “highly qualified” in literature, among other disciplines.
With trust comes responsibility, so it is incumbent upon every educator—ELA teacher or otherwise—to be that line of defense for children. I’ve been highlighting Gender Queer, for example—the pornographic—yes, I called it—graphic novel that shows children masturbating and having anal and oral sex. Parents are not in the school libraries; they’re at work. Teachers are in the building. Presumably, teachers are in the profession for the well-being of students. This line of defense is part of that.
I have had the honor of working with some amazing teachers during my career—amazing educators and amazing people. While that is true, I must say that any one of them who is not bothered by Gender Queer being in the schools where they work is of concern to me. Being bothered is not enough, though. I encourage those who are bothered to be bold and take a stand. I don’t know if it’s in the district where I worked. I’m not saying it is. But I challenge teachers of character, in every district, to find out, and if it’s there, to speak out—against this particular novel, yes, but also against all material that sexualizes children. We say we want to stop the evil of child sex trafficking. Well, believe it or not, it starts here—yes, with a little comic strip-like book in a school or public library.
More about that soon.
Photo 1: Pexels/Mikhail Nilov
Photo 2: Pexels/Nicole Berro
RELATED | VIDEO: My Library Visit to See if Sexually Graphic 'Gender Queer' Is in Children's Section