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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Another teacher here just chiming in to say that you sound like a very good and thoughtful teacher. I imagine you work at a private school? Since you seem to have flexibility in what you teach.[/quote]

Nope, public. But a great school and a great department which means my colleagues and I get a lot of freedom to teach the kids in the way we think is best and we are constantly collaborating. Current research shows that students read more when given choice. My classes are built around readers and writers workshops - it’s just that this year I would like to move away from free choice independent reading during class to doing all our literature study around books of choice. If that gets them to read more, that’s the important part. They don’t need to be forced into Gatsby or Mockingbird.[/quote]

Thank god you teach at public.  I was worried that you might be my kid's teacher.  I'm sorry, but any English teacher who doesn't understand why kids should be "forced" to read classics like Gatsby, Mockingbird, and Grapes of Wrath--even if those books make them uncomfortable--is not a good teacher.  Life is uncomfortable, and all kids need to learn that.  I'm pretty sure a book like Mockingbird makes everyone who reads it uncomfortable.  That's why it's such a good book.  I honestly feel sad for your students that you're depriving them of that opportunity.  [/quote]

Mockingbird is harmful to students of color. It gives students the idea that Atticus is a White savior. Tom is entirely dehumanized.  Nobody is deprived of reading any book... they can choose Mockingbird if they want. They can also always read it at home with you. But I won’t MAKE kids read a book that is harmful to them. [/quote]

Hey OP, sorry for the naysayers (although, it's DCUM, so not sure we can reasonably expect anything else).  I'm not dissing your approach to your class at all.  I'm sure many kids will benefit from more opportunities to choose their reading material and especially for the opportunity to branch out from the classics if they choose to do so.  I just want to offer a word of caution.  Please do not lump all of the students of color together.  I'm AA and Mockingbird is actually one of my favorite books of all time.  I identified with Atticus, and although I'm first in my family to go to college, am now an attorney.  Don't make the mistake of thinking we are all the same or think the same, or will have the same reactions to this book or that.[/quote]

You’re right and this in particular is a very nuanced discussion. However I as a teacher have a REALLY tough time making my kids sit there and read the N word over and over in a text, or reading a story where a Black man is lynched by the justice system that still fails AA people to this day. I have no way of knowing which students that’s emotionally harmful for and which are ok with and enjoying the story. It’s a risk that feels inappropriate for me to take when students’ well being is on the line. [/quote]

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