Dr. Lechner and I have conferred about the next topic for our blog and she's kindly agreed to let me use a personal story as our starting point.
I'll begin by introducing your word of the day: bowdlerize
Way back when, Thomas Bowdler decided that all of the racy bits in Shakespeare's plays were just not appropriate for families. So Mr. Bowdler published his first edition of The Family Shakespeare in 1807, minus all of those bad words that could cause offense. This practice is still alive and well today. Occasionally when an edited anthology is published someone will examine it closely and discover that only certain kinds of content have been edited out before publication. Several companies supposedly sell "clean" versions of commercial movies, although they have been the subject of several copyright lawsuits. In school media centers we all too often hear about the media specialist taking out the BIG BLACK MARKER and marking through offending words and/or passages in books. Teachers and media specialists occasionally ask authors for permission to bowdlerize their work. I was recently making a site visit for one of my practicum students and her cooperating m.s. and I were discussing some new young adult titles. The media specialist told me about one book she'd been reading and that she KNEW that the language would cause a problem at her school. So, she was going to get out that marker and mark through the language. What should I have said to this media specialist?
47 comments:
I think you should have told her that if she did that, she would be violating the students' First Amendment rights. Also, I would ask her why she would consider doing that before anyone had even complained. I would have put the book on the shelf, waited to see if anyone checked it out, then see if any one complained about it. If she saw a less mature reader checking out the book she could try to suggest another book without actually making the book with the bad language seem like a forbidden book.
I would never infringe on the rights of the author by marking through parts of a book just because they may be inappropriate for some of the students. I think it would be better to never put the book on the shelf, then to mark through parts of it.
I would have asked her not to jump to conclusions. Don't assume a book is going to cause problems. If the book causes problems with someone in the school or with a parent, then handle it professionally by following the proper procedures as outlined by school policy. For example, our school has a policy that states that a media committee must make those kinds of decisions.
I think that I would have informed her that by altering the original work (marking out bad words with a black marker), she is committing copyright infringement. It's true, and it might scare her enough to re-think her actions. Next, I would remind her of the authors' First Amendment protection according to the Bill of Rights.
Knowing me, I would not be too confrontational up front. But, I would ask about her school/ district policies regarding challenged materials, and ask if any of these book had even been questioned. Then I would definitely try to educate her on the role that she should be playing as the School Library Media Specialist - probably via email (I know, completely spineless) and through the inclusion of several online links (ALA, solid district policies and procedures, etc.)
I'm curious, how did you respond???
I would have reassured her that as long as she has a thorough selection policy and challenged book policy, she has nothing to "fear" when it comes to having a book challenged. I would have talked with her about the First Amendment and Intellectual Freedom, and asked her to read the ALA's Bill of Rights. However, I would have made sure I wasn't being "preachy" in my approach...instead I would have empathized with her, and related any personal experience I had with having a book challenged.
I would have offered to look over her selection policy and challenged book policy and made suggestions if it was lacking a clear procedure on handling book challenges.
I also would have reminded her that just because she found it offensive, doesn't mean that the parents of the kids who check out the book will feel the same.
This must have been an awkward situation because she was willingly helping a student of yours...What did you end up saying?
Wow! I have actually been in a school and reading a read-aloud to my class when I came across a word that had the "Big Black Marker" treatment. It definitely is frustrating to omit an inappropriate word. However, many media specialists do that to avoid conflict. I can't say that I wouldn't be tempted seeing as I abhor conflict with others. I am a peace-keeping, don't rock the boat intentionally kind of gal.
However, through our studies of this class I have come to realize the importance of not censoring items I object to. If I allow censorship of something I object to, then someone else could sensor something I approve of. For example, if I wanted to take a book about Islam and the Muslim religion out of a library because I didn't like it, then someone else could take a Christian book or the Bible off the shelf. So, I have learned that there are always two sides to each story, and that we can't dismiss the First Ammendment for anyone whether we disagree personally or not.
I don't know what I would have said in that situation. I might have asked the media specialist to see her challenged book policy. Maybe the policy was laking and she didn't have an explicit procedure outlined. If you have a policy like that, you can feel better about putting books on your shelf because there will be a set process for any questioning. However, there also was no reason to assume that there would be a problem. You know the saying about what happens when you "assume" right? I agree with carmenparker that it would be better to wait and see if anyone complained about the book before assuming it was going to be condemned.
I'll tell you all what I said and did after we're done with this week's posts!
I bet she’s has been a media specialist for quite some time. The reason I say this is because she seems very bold and confident with her decision to black out the offensive words. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have openly discussed this with Dr. Repman. I wouldn’t discourage her from marking out the words; because it’s obvious she's comfortable with doing such a thing and will continue to do it until someone challenges her for making such a call.
I’m sure this media specialist knows her student body and parents well enough to know that they will more than likely challenge this material. However, that doesn’t give her the right to make such a decision. I would like to see how she would handle the situation if one of her students, parents or teachers challenged her for blacking out words she feels are offensive without any initial controversy. Who died and left her in charge? I think an experience such as this will definitely force her to think twice before making such a call.
Sometimes educators get in what we call comfort zones that cause us not to consider both sides of the coin. I try to avoid those comfort zones, even as a classroom teacher, because it's not a good feeling when you’re forced to handle situations the correct way versus your way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ve been doing this long enough to know, but we must remember there are policies and procedures we must follow and in a situation such as this I would definitely think twice about using something simple as a “black marker”.
If there has been no complaint, she technically has no right to treat the book any differently than any other book in the library. She is censoring it herself, in a way. I realize she feels she has the students' best interest at heart, however.
Sometimes m.s. will pass a book on to higher grade levels if they feel that the book (in this case words) is inappropriate for the students. I would suggest she consider that option. I think it gives you credibility when you support the first amendment rights and let it be known that you do, then follow the policies in place at your school. Then, if someone does complain, you have the opportunity to exercise those policies and procedures systematically. I would suggest these things and leave her to think about them.
I probably would have asked what she was basing her decision on as far as using the "Big Black Marker", such as a school-wide policy or county policy. I would then ask to see her policy for challenged materials and see if there is any guidelines for using the "marker". Personally, I would have left the book on the shelf for checkout and then see if someone complained. I would then follow my county's policy for challenged materials, as well as the selection policy. Also, what I think might be inappropriate for young readers, someone else might think IS appropriate. I would try my best to keep my opinions to myself about such material, which brings to mind the Captain Underpants Series. I personally do not like those books, but that doesn't give me the right to keep them out of my media center. I will say that we have had a few books that were deemed inappropriate for elementary students, but were appropriate for middle school students. So, we just send those books to one of our 3 middle schools in the county.
My name is Doris Hill. I am a special education doctoral student. Educational media interests me and I am one of Dr. Lechner's students. I love her classes!
Maybe you could ask her if her school has a policy manual that addresses challenged material. If they do, the next question would be do you have a committee in place to handle any challenges. Then you could suggest letting the outlined procedures take care of any “possible” upset parents who “might” not like the language in the book.
It would be wrong as it is violating the right of the First Amendment. I would watch that the book is checked out to more mature readers. We can't assume that just because it is a problem to us personally-- that it will be a problem to everyone else.
Well I agree that this media specialist does not have the right to do this. It is definitely hindering intellectual freedom. It is funny marking out words with black marker, because it just makes my 10 and 11 year olds more determined to find out what is under that black marker. It's like highlighting the bad language. Then they want to show the other students what is in their book.
Another problem is that she is making changes to someone else's original work without permission. This media specialist began making changes to the book even before it was challenged. In class we learned this was a violation of intellectual freedom and that if a student is not allowed to read a book like this they should simply be encouraged by their parents to choose another book. Of course anyone has the ability to challenge a book and that must have been her concern. It sounds like she wanted to avoid conflict. There are some really great books with bad language. I believe that many of these stories need to be heard and could still be heard without the language. I understand the media specialist wanting the book to stay on the shelf. I would like all the students to hear classic stories even if it means skipping over or blacking out the words.
I think that the Media Specialist should have treated the book like any other new book in the library. Put it on a shelf and wait and see if there is a problem. I agree with other post about how many students will try their hardest to figure out the word and then use it more often than if it was just there in the book. Most students would just read the word and move on.
I would also wait to see if any situation arises becuase isn't that what you selection policy is there for? I would also ask her why even bother to spend money on the book if you are going to deface it by taking out the big black marker.
It is hard for me to believe that she is actually going to mark out the words. I don't remember ever checking out a book in school where some of he words were marked out.
I think that she should be reminded that about the rights students have under the first amendment. We as media specialists have no right to sensor what they read. If we spent time marking out all of the "bad" things in a book, we wouldn't have time for anything else. She needs to put the book on the shelf as is. If someone does challenge it, the she needs to follow the proper procedures for a challenged book. There is a chance that no one will say anything about the book. There is also a chance even if she does mark out the bad parts in the book that someone will challenge why there are words marked out. Then she still has to go through the challenged book process.
After bringing these points to her attention, I would remind her that she should not assume that the book will be a problem and let the students decide for themselves.
I think maybe a reminder on intellectual freedom could be in order. Maybe this person needs to reread the First Amendment and also the Library Bill of Rights to refresh her memory. I might try to start a conversation with her about the huge amount of responsibility she is undertaking by individually deciding to censor school library materials, ethically and legally. She is really putting herself in the "line of fire" by doing that and does she realize that?
As many others said in their posts, she should consult her selection policy and challenged materials policy. If the book was appropriate to select, then it should stay on the shelf in its original condition. If it does offend people with its language, then the challenge policy would be followed.
Honestly, I am so surprised to hear that people actually mark out words in books. I guess I am naive about that. One of the first things children are taught in the library is to take care of books, not to WRITE IN THEM, get them dirty or wet, etc., and there goes the librarian writing in the book and defacing property! It's rather hypocritical.
Clearly this media specialist is not aware of the First Amendment or she wouldn't have mentioned that she was going to mark out language in the book to a professor. Maybe she thought it was her duty to censor anything that may be considered inappropriate for the students. Before taking this class, I would have thought that the media specialist would have been in trouble for having controversial material in the library. I had no idea. What a relief to know that it isn't entirely the media specialist decision about what stays in the library! I think you should have definitely set her straight about censorship. She would probably be relieved!
I don't like confrontational situations and try to avoid them, if at all possible. I would have tried to get a conversation going about challenged materials by asking her how she KNOWS that the book would cause problems. Has she had problems with books similar to this in the past? Maybe parents have had disagreements with books in the past.
Then I would have asked whether she has a challenged materials policy and what it says. If not, I would have advised that she develop one. If she did, I would have encouraged her to review it.
I would have suggested that she put the book on the shelf for students to read without changing the text and see what happens. I would remind her that the challenged materials policy would be there to back her up if she did have a problem.
I would try to encourage her to support her students and their First Amendment Rights. I know that parents can be intimidating, but if we don't stand up for our students and their rights, who will?
It seems like this media specialist is expecting the worst before the worst even happens. Maybe she is not comfortable with or confident of her school’s/system’s policies regarding challenges and reconsiderations. I think she should gently be reminded that she is infringing on the author’s copyright with her bowdlerizing, and perhaps she should go back and read the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights. It might be helpful to sit down with her and review the existing policies regarding challenges in order to determine if weaknesses or inconsistencies exist. If problems are found, perhaps an investigation of more well-written policies can be examined in order that her school’s policies can be strengthened.
She should be reminded that she is drawing more attention to the potential “problem” by blacking out the “offensive” words. When we had a challenge at our school, the media committee determined that the language was too strong for a middle school audience, but not for a high school audience. While the book was pulled from our shelves, it quickly found a place in the high school’s collection. This is another possibility. I would also remind her that she is on an extremely slippery slope as she bowdlerizes, and she is supposed to be one of the foremost defenders of free speech at her school. It becomes very dangerous if the collection represents merely the tastes of one person.
I would first ask the m.s why she ordered the book before previewing it. Then I would ask her if her committee approved of the book order, if not then why she ordered it. Next I would have to ask about the county policy on challenged books. I would remind her that if there is a problem with the book then it needed to go through the challenge process, not the “black marker” process. I would remind the m.s that this was a form of censorship and that as m.s were should be up holding the students right to information.
I ran across a book in our school library that had several words covered with white out. It shocked me to see this. We teach the students to take care of books, yet we have adults defacing them. And as someone else said already said, it causes more attention to the words than the word itself does. Most older students read over them and go on with the story. If the students in your school are not mature enough to handle the words then send it on the the higher grades so that it can be appreciated. Many of the students hear and see much worst on television and in movies. If they read it at least they are reading.
As many of you have already stated. This media specialist should have been asked about the policy set in her school and what other guide lines are in place before she began making asumptions about this book. I also wonder....does she read every book before it is placed on the shelf? She should also be reminded that she is infringing on the rights of others by taking this matter in her on hands. I'm sure she had the best interest of her students at heart but there are rules and guidelines that must be followed. I also am one that doesn't like to see "ugly words" in childrens books. But I do not have the right to make changes or hide the book from others. It must be placed on the shelf as is and dealth with when or if the situation arises.
I think it is a precarious situation to be in. Our duties and responsibilities to uphold our constitutional rights must be unbiased. We need not censor others due to what our opinions may be but must follow the policies and procedures of our school system. If we begin marking out words that may be offensive, we may find the entire book eventually marked out. While reading “The Giver”, I found words that were not offensive at first sight, but later found out that the words held double meanings. Some of these words are RELEASED and STIRRING; RELEASE means put to death; STIRRING means to begin to have sexual feeling. If these words were to be marked out, the story would lose all contexts especially with the word RELEASED in which the storyline evolves. I believe that we must decide if the book is age appropriate when purchasing materials for the media center, so that we must not alter an author’s intellectual property.
As educators, we all want to steer clear of parent complaints. It is hard sometimes not to give in to the pressures that we sometimes feel to try to make everyone happy. But, marking through text in a book is, in my opinion, infringing upon the rights of readers. Someone also suggested that it is a violation of copyright law. Therefore, I would have made the suggestion to the media specialist to put it on the shelf without marking thru it. More than likely no one would even complain. I would have also reminded her if someone did complain most schools have a controversial materials policy in which a committee meets and then determines whether or not a book should be banned. It should not be up to one person to decide if a book should not be on the shelf.
I really like what Carmen Parker said about putting it on the shelf and seeing what happens.
I also liked what amandarkick said and it got me thinking.
Right now I am listening to a wonderful song by fifty-cent that has plenty of "colorful language", and I think about the wonderful teaching opportunity that is lost in the black marker.
(Now please remember that I teach high school and that is all that I have ever taught)
As a media specialist I hope that I would have the courage to read the story as written. I also want to have the opportunity to discuss with the children about the appropriateness of language. I am sure that the author struggled with putting a questionable word in the text so as the reader you should have to struggle with making it fit in the story line. Is it tough, you bet! but man can the kids learn from a discussion about why that word needed to be there to make the point, or maybe it didn't and that is a fine conclusion also, but don't deny the kids the chance to make their own decision.
I have to agree with the others. I would have told the media specialist not to do it. First, no author uses profanity without a reason. If an author is using profanity, it must add to the story somehow. The media specialist could be changing the story completely by marking out some of the language. My other question to the media specialist is why order the book if you plan to change the story. I would have ordered another book without any strong language. I am the first one to say “be proactive instead of reactive” but in this case I would wait to see how the parents react to the book before I start making changes.
I try to be very diplomatic in my dealings with others and this would be no exception. I would have sympathized with her first instincts and applauded her restraint from using the "big black marker" since it does indeed violate copyright law which we, as media specialist, must uphold at all costs. I would also point out that a book is similar to any work of art and that what is beautiful to some is offensive to others. At one time Michaelangelo's David was covered with a fig leaf to make it less offensive. Sensibilities change over time. What may seem so disagreeable today may not tomorrow.
I would ask her if she knew she was violating First Amendment rights by marking out words and explain to her the dangers of censoring books or parts of books.
I would also ask her if she had a challenged book policy and if she was very familiar with it. I would advise her to not mark the word out and if it was challenged by someone to follow the policy that was in place. Then the committee could make a decision as a whole on what would be the most appropriate action to take.
I think that I would have "sighed" big and challenged her on the challange. I'd like to know exactly what was being blacked out and how it affects the story. I really think students should not be so sheltered from the real world that they are blind-sided when they are able to experience life. I also think that Bowlerizing the text will also bring about more curiousity, however that may encourage the students to "research" what was blacked out. I think that I would. I KNOW that I would try to figure out what had been there. When we alter someone's creation like some do with music you take on a great liability.
Well, I think that we have really touched on this point in this class. I think that as a MS, she is probably aware of all of the controversy out there when it comes to books being challenged due to the content. However, like we have read and agreed with, everyone has the right to read what they want. If the book has not been challenged for the language, then I would have confronted her about it. Afterall, most of the kids have heard these words on television, because we all know that tv is not censored most of the time. I think that she should be reminded that the students have a right to choose what they read. I also see why she did it. As a teacher this year, I have had to face a lot of parents when not letting their gifted students fix missed problems on test. I can see where she would rather mark out the word than to have to face the confrontation with a parent who watches every move their child makes. I think that we as future MS really need to make a stand when dealing with these issues.
I think I probably would have asked her if there had been any controversy at her school over the book yet. Then I would have explained to her that by marking the words out, she was violating the First Amendment rights of her students. I also would have discussed intellectual freedom with her. Maybe she is misguided in thinking that it is her right to choose what her students are allowed to read. I also would have asked to see the challenged material policy for the school. Maybe the policy would help clear up how she should handle the situation.
I know it is hard sometimes to step out of the role as a parent for me and into the role of teacher/M.S. I have to understand that as I do have the right to limit what my children read and view, it is not my right infringe on the intellectual freedom of my students. Sometimes I think, especially in conservative rural areas, M.S. probably do try to avoid potential conflict more so than they should.
First, I just wanted to say that I would like to see how she how she would censor the book I read for this banned book assignment (The Bluest Eye). The “Big Black Marker” would never work. She would have had to tear out whole pages. I think a lot of these ideas are great. I would like to have told her that she was ruining the book and might as well trash it if she was going to take her marker to it. If you can’t read a book the way the author wrote it and the way it was intended to be read then what’s the point? However, I am not so bold so I would have just asked if she had a thorough challenged materials policy. If not, I would have given her some examples of really strong policies and let her know with a policy like this in place she need not be fearful of complaints because she would have a very clear method of dealing with them. I think that a reminder of the basic principles of intellectual freedom would also have been in order in this situation.
I'm not really a very confrontational person either-and of course it's hard for me to come up with a reply when I'm so taken aback.
I too have occasionally encountered books from the library with words marked out and even with my many years of experience I've still naively assumed that a reader did the marking, NOT the librarian/media specialist.
I may not have used one of my favorite phrases: "slippery slope". Once you start allowing yourself to pre-censor it can be very hard to stop.
Anyway, the rest of the story about what I said/did is still to come...
I checked out my banned book from my school’s media center. I was amazed the book was available being that the school is only two years old. I was also surprised when reading the book to see the book had been bowdlerized. When seeing this I was so distracted I could not read anymore. I had to put it down and take a break. I wondered what the word was, why someone would just mark it out, what was the reasoning behind marking the word, did the person go through the legal steps, what are the legal steps? AHHHH! I literally had to go and look the answers to the questions up before picking up the book again. I guess I am just a curious person but I wanted to know. I do not believe in using or hearing such language or watching certain content but for some reason or another someone felt those things were a part of better entertainment. I think it is rather strange students sing very inappropriate music for whatever reason and that is not marked out or discouraged but if they only knew what they were singing and the true meaning behind the words their parents would be appalled. On the other hand they are handed a good piece of literature and it happens to have a vulgar comment in it and the author and book has to be banned or the wording has to be marked out. It is kind of weird some people can be looked up to as a role model regardless of how many in-moral actions they commit but nothing is done about it but if it is written down in a book form, watch out you are banned. In the world that we live in inappropriate language and content is going to be seen and heard one way or another. It doesn’t make it right or wrong but that is why we are able to make choices upon the situation. I choose to ignore it and know that it wasn’t needed to be a good piece of entertainment but marking it out was very distracting and an offense to the owners work. Ok off my soap box. I am glad that the discussion on bowdlerizing was raised. If I was put in the situation as given I would first have to remind myself that I am a visitor in the school and that I need to caution what I may say because I would not want to step on anyone’s toes. As nicely as possible I would casually begin the discussion by asking about the rights of the readers and the library bill of rights. After hearing the answer I would then ask about the procedure written in the county’s selection policy regarding bowdlerizing. From the responses I would make my suggestions and further questioning. I am anxious to know what was said and done with the situation.
My first question would be the media specialist, “Have you had a complaint about the language?” If so, had he or she followed the correct protocol? (POLICIES)
I don’t feel that the black marker is the answer to issue because the media specialist is infringing on the students’ first amendment right. In Georgia, fourth grade students actually study the Bill of Rights in depth, so they have a basic knowledge about these rights. I really like the comments that other have said about the black marker is a highlighter for bad words. Yes, I am still that child you would spend the entire class period trying to see what BAD words I could fill in the black space with. Also, he or she setting a good example for the students to follow by “Marking in the Book.”
Our fourth grade classes read “Bridge to Terabithia” last year, and guess what? Not a single student or parent complain about the book. I know that I am going to sound really old by saying this: “ Kids, today, are exposed to inappropriate language, role models, and many other things because of the American society we live in.”
Well, not only is it a violation to their First Amendment rights, but it is ridiculous to think that you can do something like that. Kids are not stupid, and it won’t take them long to figure out which word to fill in the blank. Besides, bad language is everywhere. Kids have already heard those words in school, on TV, and from other kids. I am not saying bad language is okay (I definitely don’t allow my kids to use bad words), but I think many kids go through a phase in middle or high school where they experiment with bad language when they are around their friends. By not censoring information, kids can have access to more accurate information and can be allowed to make their own unbiased judgments.
First, I would not be confrontational, but I would have asked her why she was using a marker to cover the material in question. Then I would ask about the reconsideration policy, and if that book had been challenged. A discussion of intellectual freedom and the First Amendment Rights of the students and anyone else reading that book would need to be discussed. She needs to understand that what she is doing is copyright infringement. She shouldn’t just change the author’s work; she would need his permission to do that. I understand that people may not like the language in a book or its subject matter, but that is an opinion. I would let her know that I understand her concerns and her need to “protect” her students, but we cannot censor what is written. Our jobs as media specialists are to protect intellectual freedom and provide materials that show many points of view, whether we agree with them or not. As media specialists, we need to be neutral; a provider of information, not a censor or restrictor of the information.
She ordered, bought and shelved the book. She needs to leave it alone until such time that it is challenged (if it is challenged) and then follow the policy for reconsideration. For a media specialist to censor a book or any written material, it just goes against the grain of who we are and our positions on intellectual freedom.
The first step is to allow her to put herself in the place of the author and ask her the question, "How would you feel is someone used a black marker on your work." Authors put a lot of time and thought into their works. Words are chosen for certain reasons. Phrases are used to draw about certain emotions. It is never a reader's place to "edit" a book that has already been published. Rather than censoring the book with a black marker, let's go through the proper channels and follow the selection policy of the district and see if the book truly needs to be removed from the shelf. The book is better of not in the library than defaced in the library.
Wow! If the media specialist felt the material was relevant enough to order it, then she should have thought about the work as a whole. We can't just mark through the parts of a book that we don't like (even though sometimes we wish we could). First of all, it infringes on the rights of the reader. Secondly, isn't that a violation of copyright? Additionally, if it is that bad that we have to mark out parts, does it really need to be on the shelf? We could go through the steps to have the material removed from the shelf.
I think that this is a touchy subject with some. However, I am not a confrontational person and would really have to choose my words and actions wisely.
I agree with many that have commented so far. Many times, I think we can all make a knee-jerk reaction. We sometimes make more wrong decisions when we get defensive prematurely. In the case of this teacher, it seems that there were no complaints. Also, blacking out parts of the book would create issues with the copyright law.
She shouldn't jump to conclusions when the book was never challenged. I am sure that there are clear procedures for challenged materials IF it were brought into question. I would have to watch myself, because I can be confrontational. If it were me, I would offer to help her to review the book and the policies of her school district. I think someone else has already mentioned that passing it on to the high school could be an option too.
Mainly, I would want to know if anyone had complained about the book. And if so, I would then tell her that she should follow whatever policy that the school has in effect for censorship. Sometime, people jump to conclusions about books and make rash decisions based on their own opinion. This is not fair to the rights of neither the author nor the reading public.
At the risk of sounding a bit extreme, marking on or censoring someone's published literature is like tying a sarong around the Venus de Milo and sticking mannequin arms onto the missing parts because the sculpture is too sexually suggestive and advocates violence. This type of censoring is just silly and violates the rights of the students, and it distorts and diminishes the artistic efforts of the author. I feel that as educators we should refrain from doing that. If a media specialist has that level of reservation about a work of fiction; then, he or she should just refrain from placing it on the shelves of the media center.This would be better than defacing the creative works of others.
I can't imagine getting out a black marker and covering up words in a book. First of all, the idea of even writing in a book bothers me. I have never been able to even write in textbooks that I bought with my own money! I also believe that this media specialist needed to be reminded that she was violating the First Amendment. It is not up to her to decide what a student should or should not read. If someone does have a problem with the content of a book, then they need to go through the proper procedures to issue a formal complaint.
I would have told her to present it to the media committee for approval, and focus on library rights. As long as she has a thorough selection policy, she is covered.
Don't do it...do not mark in that book!!!!!
If the book is recommended for that age level do not touch a thing! Somehow I think that it must be against the law..........
I have had three art teachers in my years of teaching elementary music....the art teachers have drawn on bathing suits to some of the pages of art books in their library........
Wow that is a sticky situation! I really do not like confrontation but when it's dealing with personal rights and legalities I definitely would consider discussing this with an administrator and other personnel who are familiar with challenged materials. I would ask many questions to get to the bottom of the reason why someone would black out an author's words even without knowing where or not it would be controversial with every student. This media specialist would need to be educated on student's rights as well as copyright laws. It just shows that a media specialist must be aware of each book in the collection so they will see and take care of problems that may arise out certain materials. Students have intellectual freedom and this MS needed to be reminded of that.
Bathing suits on the art books-it's hard to know how to respond to that!
For those of you old enough to remember Paul Harvey, here's the rest of the story plus a postscript.
In fact the m.s. in question is a graduate of my program so I know she knows better. My response was that the book should stay on the shelves until it is challenged. When she assured me that it would be challenged I said then she would be better off removing it from the collection rather than defacing it. Next time I'll try to remember the "black marker as a highlighter for bad words" line.
The postscript: As I've been mentioning the discussion as I visit my practicum students I've discovered that this practice is MUCH more widespread than I would have believed. So perhaps I'm going to have to try to work through my fear of confrontation and be much more up front about intellectual freedom when I get a chance to discuss it.
What we think we know is not always what we know. This teacher should have reviewed her counties policy about such a situation and followed the correct path. If we do not have the author's permission to alter their work then it is illegal for anyone to do so. What would she have done if a student or parent pulled out their "Big Black Marker"? Well, they would have to pay for the book of course. As professionals we must follow the law.
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