Saturday, December 12, 2015

Uncomfortable? So What?



Huckleberry Finn, one of the greatest novels ever written, has been removed  from an 11th grade curriculum because it made some students feel uncomfortable.

It will still, however, be in the school's library so renegades who want to read Twain's classic can track it down. I suppose we must take comfort that it was merely exiled to the library and wasn't burned.

[Math makes many students uncomfortable. Hmm.]

It would have been nice if the school administrators had the courage and insight to say, "Our students are not delicate flowers. Being uncomfortable is a part of learning. If critics take the time to read the book, they'll find that it carries a strong message against racism. Even if it didn't, students need to encounter plenty of uncomfortable books, words, and subjects if they are going to be well-educated."

No such luck.

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