Censorship rears its ugly head. Sort-of. *SIGH*

[mgibbzzz]

Okay. No bashing here, but has anyone seen or heard the commercials about our schools being lower than like 30 school in world? Other countries are working with their kids and making sure that they are learning and here we are setting sterotypes on our kids. 'Oh you can't read that you are only 10.'? What the heck! I am getting ready to go back to school for education and have several friends that are teachers. They are all frustrated with how this 'no child left behind' is actually leaving ALL of the children behind. Sorry, but I would be like you and send a note, if it doesn't work, I'd be walking in and having a chat. Our schools are not going to get any better if our kids are being held back. I understand not letting a kid read some thing to a point, but if there are only books thru the eight grade, let him read them. Isn't that what a library is for...reading?! My dad's cousin and another family friend are both librarians and would both probably have a fit about this. They are always encouraging people to read and to increase their ability. A tale of two cities...what the H#$$! That is a classic that most English teachers would be ellated to have a student say 'yeah, I already read that.'! Sorry, but this has been a pet pieve of mine here lately, thus the reason for changing careers and trying to make a differnce.

Michelle

DMK Ranch

 

[luvmychicknkids]

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We are a very small district and the entire school is on one property but separate and has three separate libraries. Our school, however, starts middle school in 5th grade (strange, I know). So, he uses the middle school library. I wondered the same thing, if they don't want kids to read it, why is it in their school.

He took his note (quite happily I might add) and we will see how it goes. I am assuming he will be allowed to get the books he wants now, but there is no guarantee.

Quote:
I don't agree with that at all. Yes we have lots of other options. My children all have over stuffed book shelves and can go to the public library as well. We buy them magazines and newspapers to read in addition to their books, shop online for books not available locally, lots of options. However, the school library is another of our options. It is one resource available to my children and they should be allowed to fully utilize that resource. We frequently buy new release books the kids want to read for home and donate a copy to the library as well so other kids have a chance to read them. I want to see every kid with their nose in a book and discouraging a child with an intense love of reading is NOT the way to see that happen.

 

[warcard]

I had so many reading bears on the wall it wasn't even funny, I think my bears equaled all the rest of my class's bears. My middle school list book list was a book in itself, while other kids barely covered a page (wow, okay I will stop talking about myself

) I can't remember my librarian ever saying I couldn't have a book.

Does he like sci-fi? I was well into the Star Trek series in 5th and 6th grade. For the most part "affections" are glossed over and violence is not "blood & gore" (Note: I did say most not all

)

It's great that he actually wanted to check out A Tale of Two Cities so young, I wasn't interested in the classics until later, the more archaic phrasing turned me off.

I still haven't been able to finish Moby Dick, but then again I haven't tried for a couple years.

Hope your note works.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

He has already read Moby Dick, too.

Started to read it a second time but got interested in something else instead.

It is funny, he absolutely loathes the Star Trek type stuff......that is my 7 y/o's topic of interest (and yes, he reads them, though a bit slowly).

 

[brandywine]

You should thank the Universe for sending you this librarian.

Now you have a kid who has had to fight for the right to read books. And Dickens, no less.

He'll take away a healthy disrespect for arbitrary authority that is a prerequisite for intelligent citizenship. And he'll never take literature for granted. His hunger for good books has been whetted. (He'll read garbage, too -- no worries, it won't scar him.)

In the first grade, I was tracked into "Reading Group 2" -- code for the slow, stupid kids.

Took me a long time to figure out why, because kids don't "get" these things -- but I was a poor kid enrolled in a rich school district, skinny, shy, poorly dressed. Therefore, stupid.

Well, it took me about two weeks after we started the Dick and Jane readers to whiz past all the other kids in the class on reading level. I devoured the elementary school library in a matter of months. darn near lived at the public library after that.

Even up to high school, they tried to steer me into a "vocational" track. Because a poor, poorly-dressed, socially awkward eighth-grader who reads at college levels is still stupid, right? Not, you know, college material.

In high school I found some teachers who got behind me, some peers who shared my interests, and just took off.

My anger over having been discounted by snotty teachers and eyed suspiciously by librarians (both school and public) became a useful drive to learn and achieve when grafted onto my intrinsic love of reading, and later, writing.

 

[warcard]

Even if he doen't like Star Trek I would encourage him to 'shop' around in the sci-fi/fantasy area (if he hasn't already

) there are lots of writing styles and especially the sci-fi will give him some scientific information in a fun environment.

A cool read the Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars series (I can't remember the author), very interesting information on terraforming Mars.

 

[chickiebaby]

I certainly agree about censorship, but I have to say I cannot STAND those Stephanie Meyer books which all my daughters' friends are mad for. The girl characters are totally passive, anytime anyone has any sexual interest terrible things happen, and ALL anyone does is stare longingly at each other thinking sexual thoughts. Seems like an icky combination of lurid fascination with sexuality and evil, while no clean, fun outlet for teen sexual energy . .

All for Dickens, but I don't even like my ninth grade daughter reading these. Let alone 5th.

edited to say I dont dislke 'em because they have sexual stuff in em, but quite the opposite, because of the punishing nature, to girls in the books, of any sexual activity. Kind of like the Britney Spears situation: all you are for is to sell sex but God forbid you actually try to grow up and be an adult woman. . . .then we don't like you anymore . . .


just sayin'.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

If he like Harry Potter, may I suggest the Inheritance Triology by Christopher Paolini? Eragon and Eldest. Very big books, and I am still rather impatiently waiting for book 3 to be released LOL

What about Lamp Lighter books? I have read both Ishmael and Self Raised, both very good books but very advanced reading.

There are also Margaret Weis' books, the Sovereign Stone Trilogy. Book 2 is kind of questionable though, so I would suggest you look into them before letting your child read them. I would let my kids read them, because honestly, what they are going to read in these books is not any worse than what they are going to see on TV. Have you seen the Dukes of Hazzard movie? I mean, even Harry Potter had curse words in it, and the schools have the kids reading those in elementary school, and some of the last books in that series has some deep stuff in them!

luvmychicknkids, I applaud you for encouraging you son to read and for being available to him so he can discuss things with you. That is what we as parents SHOULD be doing, and not everyone does.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

may I suggest the Inheritance Triology by Christopher Paolini? Eragon and Eldest. Very big books, and I am still rather impatiently waiting for book 3 to be released LOL

LOL he re-read them both this summer. I asked why he was reading them again and he said "BECAUSE........Brisinger is coming out in September and I want to refresh my memory!!!" Oh, and your wait (as well as his, our pediatrician, etc. is almost over!!!!)

He has read the Margaret Weis books but I don't recognize the Lamp lighter ones...I will check into it.

Honestly, the ONLY thing I refuse for him to read is something with page after page of graphic sexual encounter. I don't even mind brief sex scenes......sex tends to happen in real life on occasion after all....but I am not letting him read long and graphic descriptions of someones parts. He can come up with those analogies on his own one day (FAR in the future).

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Quote:
LOL he re-read them both this summer. I asked why he was reading them again and he said "BECAUSE........Brisinger is coming out in September and I want to refresh my memory!!!" Oh, and your wait (as well as his, our pediatrician, etc. is almost over!!!!)

He has read the Margaret Weis books but I don't recognize the Lamp lighter ones...I will check into it.

Honestly, the ONLY thing I refuse for him to read is something with page after page of graphic sexual encounter. I don't even mind brief sex scenes......sex tends to happen in real life on occasion after all....but I am not letting him read long and graphic descriptions of someones parts. He can come up with those analogies on his own one day (FAR in the future).

OHtay...LOL Your son, I am afraid, has out read me! LOLOL and I am an avid reader! *picking chin off floor*

Thanks for the heads up about Brisinger! I will need to refresh my memory as well. I re-read Eragon after the movie came out, because my husband was perturbed when I pointed out the mistakes in the movie

ETA: I wish MORE kids devored books the way your son does!