Award winning book censored in 8th grade classes


Proving that imposed morality is alive and well for students
In the lively discussion in response to this thread, regular reader watcherinthewind and I disagreed on how much influence parents should have over some choices of their older children.

How much influence should other parents have over what your children are exposed to? Unfortunately we know what one San Francisco area school district decided.

Citing his concern for "the morals of our society," Burlingame schools Superintendent Sonny Da Marto has stopped four eighth-grade classes from reading "Kaffir Boy," an award-winning memoir of growing up in a South African ghetto during apartheid.

Da Marto had banned the book from the Burlingame Intermediate School late last month when the 13- and 14-year-old students were nearly halfway through it, said their English teacher, Amelia Ramos, who was required to take the books back from 116 students.

"The kids were angry," Ramos said. "They were frustrated. They were appalled. And some were so upset that they couldn't muster any type of verbal response. They were very quiet."

A divided Burlingame Board of Education discussed the issue at a public meeting Tuesday night but declined to reverse Da Marto's decision.

The book has been challenged frequently since its publication in 1986 because of two graphic paragraphs describing men preparing to engage in anal sex with young boys. Although Ramos taught "Kaffir Boy" last year without incident, a parent complained this year -- and Da Marto agreed.

Now I am not a parent, I will admit that up front. If you have read this blog for very long, you'll also know I am not a fan of public education, largely because I believe that it removes a parent's ability to choose for their child.

I did read Kaffir Boy years and years ago. As I recall, it told of overcoming the situation. In that, it shares the same approach as Huckleberry Finn, where the language and situation is used to POINT OUT Huck's realization that the escaped slave Jim was a better man then most of the other men in the book, including Huck's father.

Pretty potent stuff. Makes for amazing stories. Even more so when it's based on what really happened.

I believe we call that inspiration.

If teens are interested, I think they are going to get information no matter what adults try to do. I believe we owe it to them and to ourselves to make sure that the information is available and accurate.

By focusing on the anal sex, the school administrators have just waved a red flag in front of the kids. Never mind that this would have been an amazing opportunity to talk about sexual consent and ethics. The two things that the kids know for sure is that nonconsensual anal sex gives power and that adults are afraid to talk about it.

Nice job.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - April 13, 2007 at 05:22 AM  Tag


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