Charlotte Greene

Mrs. Cramer
College Comp 1
18 January 2017
Censorship for Schools Reasonable or Out of Control

Why censor students from their education? Schools nationwide permit censorship to

make limitations for students goes too far. The schools limitations go too far when it comes to

research and gathering information on school projects or assignments. (Petress, Ken.) In

addition, when the school limits what students can and cannot read. (Jacobson, Linda.) When

schools limit students it causes them to be held back from what they could excel with if there

were not limitations.

The censorship in schools limit a great amount of students research, and information.

How schools limit students is by blocking websites that could be helpful in research projects.

Also, they limit students from information they could learn due to the section or lesson possibly

offending someone. (Jacobson, Linda.) By not teaching, a lesson due to a student or their parents

views effects the other students negatively. Children as well as parents these days takes these

subjects too personally, as if the teacher is singling them out. In reality, the teachers are just

trying to teach their students about the past, and to show them life skills for the future. Society

today needs to know about the past like the mistakes, and rude judgements to prevent a relapse

causing more problems in our communities.

There are various ways censorship is taken too far in schools; an example is how students

are limited on what books their allowed to read. Schools ban books restricting students to learn

something other than what is just taught in the textbooks. Banning books cause students to be

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held back further learning. (Jacobson, Linda.) Censorship towards books takes out the fun of

what a student would like to read. Also, various students are actually in higher reading levels

than their grade level. Schools nationwide should not restrict the education of children.

Schools nationwide should allow children to choose their own books of interest. Teachers

should not be bribing students to read with giving out prizes or making it a competition on who

can read the most recommend books. (Spencer, John T.) Children should be able to read a book

that they enjoy; and be encouraged to find more of the same genre. As a result of guiding

students to look for a book they would enjoy helps them to realize that reading is not a chore.

(Spencer, John T.) Students should not be censored or bribed into a book that makes the book

seem like a chore.

Censorship should be reexamined in schools to set fewer restrictions. Otherwise, the

students will be impacted due to the limitations on information given. The school should

reconsider some of the books; and information they have censored from students. Also, schools

should encourage children to excel in their grade levels as well as their reading levels. By

allowing schools to do this is causing children to suffer. Schools nationwide permit censorship to

make limitations for students.

In my opinion, I believe that censorship should not be involved in our schools

curriculum. School faculty should allow the students to research papers for our classes, and not

have a restriction just because of "trigger" words. What I mean by trigger word is that our school

administration has multiple subjects or words set up on a block list. If you look these words or

subjects up it will say that the site is blocked therefore censoring what can be research. If

anything, these restrictions cause our work to not reach academic standards with our school

withholding information from blocking websites. Our school also bans certain books in attempts

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to censor us. This becomes confusing to students because our faculty wants to achieve in higher

standards but it seems impossible due to censorship.

Banning information just causes more of a problem for the assignments that are assigned.

For example, if a teacher gives us a history assignment, and has the class use computers to find

information about African Americans, there would be various websites blocked due to the subject

being about a race that could be taken offensively. Some Parents and students take these subjects

too personally, when the subject is focused on the past not a classmate or any individual. When

has a teacher ever assigned an assignment where it asks for a question like How do you feel

about other races?" Never has a history teacher given that kind of question to any student no

matter what race. When races are discussed, it is taught in a section with a textbook, and not just

a made-up occurrence that is intentionally out to offend others.

People these days are extremely sensitive when it comes to feminism, races, sexuality,

politics and abortion. These subjects should be able to be discussed without someone saying that

it offends them when the subject is not directed towards them. These subjects are supposed to be

brought up in classes to prepare children for the real world. Censorship is restricting our freedom

of speech. If a student only is interested in a specific author let them feed into their joy instead of

crushing it. Also, schools cannot censor us forever but by doing, it now causes people to lean on

limitations in the real world. By leaning on limitations causes people to expect certain standards

throughout life. For example, if you get a job in a business and you see some co-worker on a bad

sight there are no limitations on what you can pull up on those computers. Another example is

that if youre at home and you accidentally click something that infects your computer there

were no restrictions in order to prevent that accident. The point is that there are no limitations in

the world there are only responsibilities.

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Work Cited:

Jacobson, Linda. "Unnatural Selection. (Cover Story)." School Library Journal 62.10

(2016) 20-24. Teacher Reference Center Web. 5 Jan. 2017.

Petress, Ken. "The Role of Censorship in School." Journal of Instruction Psychology 32.3

(2005): 248-252. Teacher Reference Center. Web. 5 Jan. 2017.

Spencer, John T. Dont Bride My Kids to Read" In practice/ teaching (2012) 72-73

Teacher Reference Center Web. 17 Jan. 2017.

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