Webb Chapter 6

I really looked forward to this chapter of Literature and Lives because of the impact this particular topic has had on our immediate area. I liked that Webb uses the example from the Kalamazoo area school district because it allowed me to make a little personal connection with what he was talking about. On page 108 the author writes, "[u]pset that their freedom in the classroom was impinged upon, these teachers were also confused and pained that parents should find the text [Huckleberry Finn] and their methods insensitive." I think that, for the most part, teachers put a lot of time and effort into preparing for and applying their classroom curricula, and it is obviously hurtful when someone (or, especially, an entire community) tries to discredit your reasons for choosing a particular literary text. The relationship between censorship and teacher freedom is a perilous one but I think Webb is absolutely right in saying that communication is essential at all levels of the secondary school. Keeping parents and administrators well informed about how, and WHY, you are going to teach a certain text will eliminate most confrontations before they even begin. On top of that, he mentions the need for courage from secondary school teachers to continue tackling controversial topics in the face of opposition. "While there are many resources and organizations ready to help teachers create create intellectual freedom in the classroom, the courage teachers most need must come from within," (page 110). Just like he discusses in chapter 2, he argues in this chapter that controversial issues are not only a part of the educational process, but a necessary component in the enhancement of student learning and experience. I liked, also, that he gives teachers a few insights on how to handle dealing with such weighted topics in their classrooms, such as giving the students options on how to handle and discuss difficult material. Rather than forcing students to read the "n" word from Huckleberry Finn aloud in class, perhaps you let them skip over that word, or just eliminate passages that contain that word from the selected passages you have them read in front of their peers. I strongly believe that as teachers in the secondary classroom we should teach "in light of" controversial issues, not "in spite of" them.