· 387 B. C. Greece, Plato suggests purging Homer for immature readers.
· 35. A. D. Rome, Caligula tries to suppress "The Odyssey" because it ex-
Greek ideals of freedom.
· 399. B. C. Socrates is accused of introducing new divinities and corrupting the
young.
· 250 B. C. China, All teachings of Confucious banned.
Censorship is nothing new. It is been occurring since people put pen to paper. A
teacher must be informed about the books some people thing are objectionable in today's
culture. This is no easy task, in our country many cultures and religions and peoples are
represented. This makes selecting literature for the classroom a somewhat difficult task.
Every teacher must arrive at their own conclusions regarding these sensitive issues.
As a reading teacher I use literature to teach reading. I believe this avenue
offers the most to my students. I try to choose from a multicultural list to inform all
students that whatever their ethnic or religious background, they are just one of many
in our country.
When I chose my reading material, I was amazed at some of the books that
had been challenged. Challenged is the current euphemism for "censored".
Censorship is "the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic
or educational materials on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable
in the light of the standards applied by the censor", writes Henry Reichman in
Censorship and Selection. According to definitions like this observers point out,
many decisions made by school boards about what can be taught in schools might be seen
as acts of censorship.
Challenges arise to materials in school curricula in the following areas:
· sex and drug education
· literature showing children challenging parents and authorities
· teaching evolution without reference to creationism
· "invasions of privacy" projects requiring students to share personal information
Supreme Court cases that deal with censorship issues show a broad trend toward
supporting the schools, but they also caution educators to remain aware of values,
including minority values, in the communities where they serve. Other experts
have cited the First Amendment of the Constitution as protecting both students'
rights to know and teachers' rights to academic freedom. At the same time, legal
experts argue, parents have the right to protest books or materials that they con-
sider damaging to their children.
Many of the books that are challenged today seem to be ones that deal
honestly with issues of today's young adults and teens. Some wonder if the
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