Christopher Ng

April 11, 2011

Master oI Teaching Program
SELA Curriculum Seminar
Dr. Jim Paul

As a teacher of SELA students, where do you stand personally, professionally and pedagogically in
relation to the selection of resources and issues of censorship in your classroom?
To Censor, or Not to Censor: %,9 is the Question
Censorship, as deIined by the Random House Dictionary oI the English Language, is the
suppression oI thought or materials deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, religious,
or other grounds. The issue oI censorship in schools, on the other hand, is one oI the many
controversies currently troubling the education system. Questions such as what topics are
appropriate Ior students, what texts might be inappropriate Ior classes, and Iorecasting how both
students and parents will react to these Iactors are extremely unpredictable. In the Iollowing
pages, I will be discussing a very brieI response to the issue oI censorship based on ideas Iound
in Fran Porter`s 'Controversy: The liIe-blood oI teaching, as well as the NCTE`s 'Guide on
Censorship: Don`t Let it Become an Issue in Your School. In order to Iurther expand upon these
above points, I will be examining the subject oI censorship Irom a personal, proIessional, and
pedagogical perspective.
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For me, the application oI censorship in the schools has always been an issue oI a
particularly close and personal nature. I graduated Irom a Catholic school here in Calgary during
a time when I witnessed Iirsthand the consequences involving censorship in the education
system. I remember one such incident which took place during a class in my Grade 12 year. At
the time, our current Religious Studies teacher (a very wise and very insightIul older gentleman)
made what had appeared to be a seemingly harmless comment regarding the practice oI world

religions. He said that 'In the end, it doesn`t matter what religion you belong to, so long as the
religious teachings you Iollow encourage you to be a good, honest person, and to care about the
world and the people around you. Do you think that someone like Mahatma Gandhi would go to
Hell because he wasn`t a Catholic? OI course not. AIter he made those comments, I heard that
there were complaints Irom several oI the students in the class. Certain parents were unhappy,
and our Religious Studies teacher was immediately suspended by the principal and subsequently
'encouraged to take an early retirement. Since it was a Catholic school, there may have been
some more 'devout (or perhaps Ianatical, in this case.) students and/or parents who were
oIIended by our teacher`s inIerence that Catholicism was not the 'one true religion, but merely
another one oI many trying to decipher some truth and meaning oI the human condition. (His
replacement, a very 'devout Catholic, never said anything controversial or even remotely
impressionable that I can remember.) However, I Iound it diIIicult to believe that anyone would
actually Iind my Iirst Religious Studies teacher`s comments oIIensive in the Iirst place.
Personally, I was extremely surprised and disappointed by his immediate removal Irom the
school, but his words and his message have leIt an impression on me over the years (in spite oI
not even remembering his name). Just because I choose to Iollow one religious path does not
mean it is the right path, nor does it mean that all other religious paths must thereIore be wrong. I
believe that a majority oI the world`s religions are attempting to deliver a similar message
albeit in slightly diIIerent waysoI living well, and oI being a good, honest, and caring person.
And what is so wrong or oIIensive about stating that?
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hile into my second semester oI teaching practicum at my designated Junior High
school, I was also privy to an interesting controversy surrounding a book one oI my partner-

teachers (who also happens to be the Assistant Principal) chose to use Ior a novel study in her
Grade 9 Language Arts class. The novel was called Last Sams Cage, set right here in Calgary,
and centers around a teenaged boy named Eddie who runs away Irom an abusive step-Iather at
home, choosing instead to spend several months as a squatter living in the Calgary Zoo. Eddie is
a juvenile delinquent, a small-time crook, and the novel pushes the boundaries regarding the
appropriateness oI certain sexual and criminal situations both he and those close to him Iind
themselves in. During several discussions with my partner-teacher, she described the process in
which the novel had been chosen. The novel was pre-read by all oI the Language Arts teachers
interested in using Last Sams Cage Ior their classes. Then, a decision was madein spite oI the
borderline sexual and other objectionable elementsto go ahead and use the novel. However, as
expected, several oI the students` parents Iiled complaints regarding the book`s content. The key,
however, was that my partner-teacher and the other Language Arts teachers were prepared Ior it,
perhaps even anticipating it. They contacted the students` parents and invited them to the school
in order to discuss their trepidations regarding the novel. The parents expressed their concerns,
and my partner-teacher in turn explained to them the rationale Ior choosing Last Sams Cage.
The parents were eventually placated, and no action was taken to remove or censor portions oI
Last Sams Cage Irom the students in the classroom.
hile assisting my partner-teacher in class with her Grade 9s, they surprisingly
responded to Last Sams Cage in a manner well beyond what either oI us had expected. Those
Grade 9 students were not what I would call 'avid readers (most oI them preIerring to use silent
reading time to listen to their iPods, sleep on their desks, or read intellectually sterile magazines).
However, every student in the class engaged with Last Sams Cage, and every class allocated to
silent reading during the novel study was actually used to read it, with every student expressing

an interest in both Eddie`s character and the events transpiring in the novel. From what I
observed, the students were able to strongly identiIy with Eddie`s personalitya young teenaged
boy oI their age who comes Irom a rough background, and becomes increasingly exposed to a
harsh adult world that shows very little remorse. It was shocking to see these students so
captivated by the text, and I seriously question whether or not they would have engaged to the
same extent with a less 'edgy book that adhered more to the traditional Alberta Education
Authorized Resource List.
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AIter reading both Fran Porter`s 'Controversy: The liIe-blood oI teaching, as well as the
NCTE`s 'Guide on Censorship: Don`t Let it Become an Issue in Your School, I was leIt with a
great deal to think about regarding the issue oI censorship. Analyzing the above texts gave me
the opportunity to reIlect on past personal and proIessional experiences pertaining to these
issues, but more importantly, this complex and complicated topic also denotes Ior me a certain
philosophy aIter which I would like to model my own teaching practices.
From a more speciIic standpoint, I am oI the belieI that the question oI censorship in the
school system is greatly over-sensationalized. The issue oI 'this being oIIensive or 'that being
oIIensive because oI sexual or violent or cultural content becomes slightly tiresome to listen to
aIter a while. Conversely, what I believe to be important is that any Iorm oI censorship (iI
necessary) oI classroom resources should be appropriate Ior the age oI the students. In addition, a
teacher should not be discussing oIIensive topics or handing out polarizing literary materials
simply Ior shock value. There must be some sort oI rationalization in choosing novel X or topic
Y that students can (or will) relate to in their own lives. In Language Arts, the notion oI
examining all sides oI a particular issue or topic in a balanced, sensible, mature Iashion should be

encouraged rather than censored, so long as the controversial item possesses some literary value
Ior both the teacher and the students. Subsequently, preparation and communication are two very
important elements when addressing any texts or materials with the potential to cause
controversy. Preparation is invaluable Ior a teacher pre-screening a text in order to identiIyas
well as anticipatewhere controversial or oIIensive issues might arise. A teacher should also be
prepared to justiIy their choice Ior the text in a calm, rational manner to parents and/or school
administrators in case oI complaints. In such instances, however, communication is also
extremely important between all parties involved. II either parents or administrators have any
apprehensions regarding course content, these concerns should not only be expressed, but also
discussed so that both the teachers and administrators know exactly what the concerns are, how
the use oI the materials in question might be justiIied, and what (iI necessary) can be done in
order to resolve it.
The issue oI censorship in the schools is a continuous, ongoing debate that will not
simply resolve itselI. As an aspiring teacher, I have both experienced censorship in the
classroom, and have observed Iirsthand when issues surrounding censorship have been
overturned, resulting in a positive, engaging experience Ior the students. As teachers (and as
aspiring teachers), we straddle a very Iine line teetering between over-censoring and plunging
(whether intentional or not) into inappropriate content. It is in Iinding a balance and careIully
navigating through these challenges that we are able to expose students to more sensitive subject
matter and material, while at the same time being conscientious oI its appropriateness, and
more importantlyits literary value.