Week 3 Assignment #1

I enjoyed reading Chapter 3 because I just really hadn't put a lot of thought into censorship. I have always taught in younger grades and it just never seemed to be an issue. The interesting thing about the chapter was the writings from authors that had actually been censored. I think that their perspectives were honest and insightful. As an adolescent I was the type of person to follow the rules. If my parents told me not to read something, then I didn't. My brothers were a different story. I don't really think that censorship accomplishes the goal that was intended. I think that we live in a society that thinks too much. We have a tendency to micro-manage. Students need to be given the freedom to explore their own thoughts and interests. YAL is so popular because it deals with the truth. If you hide the truth from students, or censor their exposure, then we are doing a disservice to them. I am happy to say that I have not had to personally deal with this issue, but I will be more aware of this type of thing in the future.