A final look

Dear Joshua,

This is my last blog entry as a member of my YA class. I walked out of class yesterday with some friends and we all agreed that it was a sad day. We loved this class; we learned about a whole new world of books that we never really new existed. We knew about “Twilight” and how we wouldn’t touch that thing with a 10 foot pole. We knew about beginner reads like “Charlottes Web” which I loved. But YA can be so much different, so much better.

There were some advocates for the classic literature in the high school English classrooms, who were very adamant on the subject and reluctant to consider YA novels. I hope their minds have been changed. I believe classic literature is important and integral to intellectual growth, but if that’s all you use, then you’re going to lose some kids along the way. We talked about text pairing as a possible solution, like pairing a classic novel with a YA novel covering the same themes. I’m all for it.

We had some debates on what high school kids should read and what’s appropriate. I do not believe in censorship, but I understand there can be legal issues at hand with certain topics. But topics such as diverse cultures, drugs, violence, and even relationships must be mentioned if you are to truly teach a student. I went to Catholic school (unlike you, you lucky bum) and I was never told how to have safe sex. I was never told how to deflect violence. I was told that premarital sex was a sin of a terrible degree and abstinence is key. I was told to turn the other cheek when wronged and that smoking one little joint would be the end of me as I knew it.

These are all lies.

These are potentially harmful lies, especially considering that I know of 3 girls from my graduating class that got pregnant (without marriage) right away without any form of birth control. I currently work in a local high school that recently had a lockdown due to excessive gang violence that resulted in 7 fights in a matter of two hours. I have friends that smoke a little weed every now and then and function perfectly well.

Educators should do their job. They should educate. I don’t care if the subject is uncomfortable. Get over yourself; this isn’t about you. This is about your students. This is about their lives. The information you choose to give them, no matter what the format, will help shape their lives. Give them books to help them with their issues. Show them different sides of the story. Knowledge is power.

Your sister,

Paige