The Kids are Alright
A parent (a former Black Panther, no less) has challenged the use of Huckleberry Finn as part of the curriculum at St. Louis Park High School in Minnesota. His daughter was told she didn't have to read it, and was permitted to read The Secret Life of Bees instead. Mr. Gilbert's objection to Huck Finn is, of course, to the word that must not be named. And he's not asking for the book to be pulled from the school library, but from the curriculum. Apparently, he feels that giving his daughter another option of book to read makes her feel "different" from her classmates. I'm willing to bet that him squawking publicly about the curriculum also makes her feel "different" from her classmates, but I digress.
A group of students at St. Louis Park High School started a Save Huck Finn blog to raise awareness of the issue, and to bemoan the lack of open discussion about the inclusion (or possible exclusion) of the text within the high school. And on March 17th, they posted an off-the-top-of-their-heads list of suggestions as to how parents and teacher might be able to handle discussions of the text. The well-reasoned and reasonable comments of these students makes me proud of today's teen readers, and gives me hope for their future lives as decision-making adults:
[I]t would be much more productive if we as a student body were to propose a different solution to the the parent’s objections rather than repeatedly vocalizing our collective outrage.
Alternative solution#1 (Parents)
Sit down with your student and discuss the book. This is by far the easiest solution, and I am surprised that anyone thought they had to protect other parent’s children as well as their own.
Alternative solution #2 (Teachers)
Discuss the cultural biases and sterotypes of the 19th century. Discuss the evolution of racial slurs. Discuss the possibilty that Mark Twain was satirizing racism. Read some of his essays. The learning possibilities are endless.
The bottom line is that removing the book from the curriculum is by far the worst solution to dealing with the issues it presents. Issues like racism should not be painted over as if they do not exist. it is much better for them to be presented and discussed sensitively. The teachers at St Louis Park are all qualified to do that, and have been for the time that Huck Finn has been a part of the curricula.
As I said before, the kids are alright.
Special thanks to Leila at Bookshelves of Doom for the initial heads-up.
A group of students at St. Louis Park High School started a Save Huck Finn blog to raise awareness of the issue, and to bemoan the lack of open discussion about the inclusion (or possible exclusion) of the text within the high school. And on March 17th, they posted an off-the-top-of-their-heads list of suggestions as to how parents and teacher might be able to handle discussions of the text. The well-reasoned and reasonable comments of these students makes me proud of today's teen readers, and gives me hope for their future lives as decision-making adults:
[I]t would be much more productive if we as a student body were to propose a different solution to the the parent’s objections rather than repeatedly vocalizing our collective outrage.
Alternative solution#1 (Parents)
Sit down with your student and discuss the book. This is by far the easiest solution, and I am surprised that anyone thought they had to protect other parent’s children as well as their own.
Alternative solution #2 (Teachers)
Discuss the cultural biases and sterotypes of the 19th century. Discuss the evolution of racial slurs. Discuss the possibilty that Mark Twain was satirizing racism. Read some of his essays. The learning possibilities are endless.
The bottom line is that removing the book from the curriculum is by far the worst solution to dealing with the issues it presents. Issues like racism should not be painted over as if they do not exist. it is much better for them to be presented and discussed sensitively. The teachers at St Louis Park are all qualified to do that, and have been for the time that Huck Finn has been a part of the curricula.
As I said before, the kids are alright.
Special thanks to Leila at Bookshelves of Doom for the initial heads-up.