Bill Johnson of the Rocky Mountain News, a columnist I always make sure to read, weighs in today on lots of the craziness going on in Colorado. I’ll let you discover most of the craziness for yourself. His mention of a school administrator in Norwood, Colorado, who both banned a book and apologized for the ban in the same week is interesting because of a short statement near the end of the column:
He {Luis Torres, a professor at Metropolitan State in Denver} worries even more about the freshman
English teacher who put the book on the reading list in the first
place. The teacher initially apologized.
"It is very hard on young teachers, especially one who thought
he or she was doing something they thought was good. To get
reprimanded, to see a book they recommended destroyed, has got to be
hard to take," Luis Torres said.
Bless Me, Ultima, he said, is a "totally beautiful,
poetic book, which is why young people respond to it. This teacher
should be rewarded for recognizing something that is a cultural
treasure."
Bob Conder {the Norwood administrator} has said the teacher will not be disciplined.
Given the state of things today, if I am that teacher, I might be thinking about another job.
Better yet, another career.
I wouldn’t blame that unnamed teacher if he or she wanted to leave. Not one bit. I can’t imagine measuring every future decision with the yardstick of a book banning situation. What incentive does that teacher have to push the boundaries of her classroom, to search for texts that will excite and inspire his or her students? Will he or she be able to trust the backing of the administration the next time that he or she wants to teach something edgy?
Or will the teacher play it safe and stick to the sterile anthologies and yellowing book room books from now on? I hope that professional can just brush this experience off. Keep your eyes on these situations. This garbage is why new teachers aren’t sticking with teaching.
