A New Year’s Wish
by Carol Frow
Whenever someone asked me for a book recommendation, I used to take pride in being able to answer with both excitement and knowledgeable authority. Please notice the words “used to.”
Of course I am a reader. I teach ELA! Not only do I sink my teeth into the latest mysteries by Janet Evanovich and Robert Parker, but lately, a book club of close friends I initiated is reading those titles we’ve wanted to get to but never did. Those are a joy! But, as an ELA teacher like many of you readers, time is limited, so mostly I read the books my students read so as to build a reading environment in my classroom, converse with students about books, and even make recommendations to those who claim to not be readers. After a few questions such as genre, type of protagonist, and topic/theme, I can usually steer these tenuous readers to something that they could potentially enjoy.
So, why “used to”?
“It’s too violent!” Meanwhile, do these students play video games where killing is the goal?
“It’s got offensive words in it.” Meanwhile, have these students heard (and said) worse on the bus that very morning (or perhaps in their living rooms at home or online…)?
“It’s immoral with too much sexual content.” Meanwhile, do these students have access to HBO, Cinemax, etc. as well unlimited access to TikTok and YouTube?
“It has content I don’t agree with.” Meanwhile, do they tout themselves as moral people who supposedly teach acceptance and tolerance?
I recall a common adage most people used to adhere to – treat others as you would want to be treated.
Or better yet, when I taught in a Catholic school, the third grade religion text defined “Catholic” as “open to the whole world.”
Open. Perhaps I can extend that to the concept of being open-minded. I strongly believe that people are entitled to their opinions and beliefs. I would not want someone condemning my opinions or beliefs; however, where is the discussion and debate? Where is the open-mindedness to simply hear someone’s thoughts and make a conscientious effort to think differently or step out of one’s comfort zone to understand someone else’s ideas? What happened to some study or research before forming an opinion?
What happened to actually reading the entire book before condemning it?
I used to truly love recommending books to people, but I don’t enjoy having to add disclaimers to potential readers. It could be more violent than you prefer. It could have some words that might upset you. It might make you uncomfortable…. It might contain ideas that are different from yours….
What happened to opening the cover of a book and desiring to enter into a world that was different from your own? What happened to reading a book to learn about new things? To go to new places? To discover aspects of culture? To realize that even though there may be differences in ideals or life choices that deep down inside, people are just people?
What happened to discussing a book to learn the incredibly important themes within it, those themes which will diminish the violent scene, the discomfort, the offensive concept, and potentially promote love, understanding, and acceptance? Wouldn’t that far outweigh the page, or scene, sentence or line, even the single word that some people “heard” about this book to deem it unacceptable?
So, what is my new year’s wish for this brand new year? I truly hope that before more books are condemned and banned, before more books are yanked from library shelves, before more teachers are forced to dismantle their classroom libraries, and before more students lose the love of reading books they choose, that people would actually read the book, absorb those words from the page, ponder their relevance, and allow the lesson to outweigh the sudden spurious suspicions that fuel the bandwagon.
Happy New Year, WPCTE Members! May you all have a wonderful second half of the school year, and may it be filled with wonder in the classroom, good books for all to read, and exciting experiences of pen to paper!
Author’s Bio: Carol Aten Frow is the Executive Director of WPCTE and a thirty-four year public school educator. Currently a seventh and eighth grade ELA teacher at Belle Vernon Area Middle School, Carol enjoys reading, quilting, traveling, and curling up on a cold evening with a hot cup of tea and her cats - (John) Milton, Leo (Tolstoy), (John) Keats, and the newest addition, Harper (Lee).