Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 1985, Page 25

Description:	Miscellaneous, etc.Censorship debatedby local moderatesJean Patton is anadvocate of betterreading in the schools.As a member of theIndiana Home Circle,she said she is the onewho has spoken mostbluntly about whatstudents are and arenot reading in schools.Patton is also amember of the StopTextbook CensorshipCommittee of EagleForum. The purpose ofthe group, she said, isto get back to the grassroots of education.While Pattondescribes the IndianaHome Circle as beingMonroe Countysconservative group,Edward Jenkinson hasa different opinion.Jenkinson, a professorof education anddirector of the Englishcurriculum studycenter at IndianaUniversity, describesStop TextbookCensorship as anorganization that hasprotested textbooks,Horary books, andreference books,according to his articleForty Targets of theTextbook Protesters.The article continues,The protestingorganizations haveevery right to complainin a democratic society,and they can fullyexpect to be heard.However, they shouldalso expect to havemany of theirobjections challenged.. . particularly whentheir protests arepolitically andreligiously motivated(and) lack substance orvalidity.Patton, however,maintains that teachershave no rightprotesting. Theyresent beingchallenged. Theyassume they areimportant and right,and they do not like it(being challenged),she said.South Englishteacher Lady AnnLoudenback said thatalthough the bookprotesters are sincere,their purposes are oftenmisguided. Parentshave lost control oftheir childrens lives.(Protesting) is a way ofgaining control,Loudenback said.Patton said she doesnot disagree with whatis being put in as muchas what is being leftout. There are somany well writtenbooks which havesubject matter ofpermanent interest andcan appeal to majorbackgrounds, she said.Jenkinson said thatliterature taught in theclassroom should beconsidered in terms ofeducation provided bythe book within theobjectives of the class.A significant point tothis is the idea thatparents should beaware of what theirchildren are reading.He stressed, however,that his and othersrights as parents onlyreach as far as theirown children—notothers. The censorthinks he knows what isright for all thenation, Jenkinsonsaid.Speaking abouttodays classroomliterature, Patton saidthe teachers tookthem out—books withgood, strict Americanlanguage. The blameis also placed on todayswriters. If they reallywish to get through tothe heart of citizens,then they need to speakin language that issuitable for all, shestated.Patton, who was amember of the Indianastate textbook adoptioncommittee, said thatthere is a conspiracyagainst literacy today.In Indiana, the statetextbook adoptioncommittee adopts abook for six years. Upto seven books areplaced on a list, andschools are required tochoose one of thosebooks to use in class.Its the subjects,ideas, theyre after,Jenkinson said of thosewho want books out ofthe library. People aretrying to create aperfect society. Theultimate danger is thatin trying to do so, theyare creating thoughtcontrol; so they arekeeping people in thedark.Student Life 25
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/2192
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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