School board bureaucrats target children's literature

(Vancouver Courier, March 2, 2011)

"How should you like to grow up a clever man, and write books, eh?"

"I think I would rather read them, sir."

So quipped Oliver Twist, the orphan hero of the Charles Dickens classic, when marvelling at the book-laden shelves in Mr. Brownlow's study.

Considering the reading habits of contemporary adults, it seems odd to call Oliver Twist a children's book. The gritty tale of London waif-children boasts more symbolism and character development than any John Grisham creation or "Girl Who Did Whatever" novel. But since 1838, its year of publication, Oliver Twist sat alongside other great works of 19th century literature in schoolhouses far and wide—although not without controversy.

According to critics, Dickens portrayal of the villainous Fagin was anti-Semitic. In subsequent years, anti-Twist advocates called for a book ban, the exploits of Mr. Bumble and Toby Crackit notwithstanding.

Today, a similar spirit of censorship exists inside the Vancouver School District where the Diversity Team (six bureaucrats operating out of the school board building on West Broadway) threatens all things Dickensian and other children's classics. According to the Team's 27-page Planning Tool for Vancouver Educators, elementary school teachers and administrators should: "Choose a range of children's literature that accurately portrays all kinds of families, various cultural communities and traditions."

Nothing wrong with that. We live in a multicultural, multiracial society. But they don't stop there.

"Review the resources you use with a critical eye," reads the manual, "for possible hidden messages about cultural, gender and other stereotypes."

Hidden messages? Sounds confusing and subjective. To assist educators, among other resources the team recommends "10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism," a censorship checklist invented by an American group called the Council on Interracial Books for Children.

Here are a few checklist examples, in no particular order.

"Check the story line: Liberation movements have led publishers to weed out many insulting passages... however, racist and sexist attitudes still find expression in less obvious ways."

"Check out the author's perspective: Children's books in the past have traditionally come from authors who were white and who were members of the middle class. Is the perspective patriarchal or feminist? Is it solely Eurocentric, or do minority cultural perspectives also appear?"

And finally, the death blow.

"Look at the copyright date: Non-sexist books, with rare exceptions, were not published before 1973."

Nineteen seventy-three? How did they decide on that date? In my experience, a sound argument can be made that no children's book worth reading has been written since the 1960s. So long Pippy Longstocking. Jump back down the hole, Alice, we don't need you anymore.

Despite a request from yours truly, the school district could not (or would not) provide a list of books removed from libraries or classrooms since the Diversity Team was created in 2005.

But one thing is certain. If educators listen to the team, and its how-to manual on book banning, Vancouver schools will be purged of classic children's literature. In light of the team's narrow interpretation of the acceptable, no one is safe. Not C.S. Lewis and his Christian overtones. Nor Mark Twain or Horatio Alger or Roald Dahl—all inherently racist white men who dared publish before our current era of enlightenment.

And what's to be done about empty bookshelves, if the classics fall away?

The Diversity Team has a plan for that contingency. Enter Steve Mulligan, the Team's anti-homophobia consultant, whose so-called "Pride booklist" includes glittering titles such as Uncle Bobby's Wedding and The Different Dragon. Like most forms of censorship, assaults on literature rely on the sensibilities or politics of a few—in this case, six bureaucrats at the school board building on Broadway. With their verdict, they indict everyone who embraces classic children's literature or grew up in its warm light. Books tap the imagination, especially in children. While imperfect, history's greatest children's books, written when reading was the most popular form of home entertainment, provide the best chance for young minds to develop a love of literature.

Surely, if anything exists outside the molesting hands of agenda-driven adults, it's the legacy of wonderful stories.

Comments

[get cash]

Would that help to step up in their education. I feel a little shaky with it.