[aisle] Addressing Problematic Authors

Thu Sep 24 10:45:37 CDT 2020

I do not have specific resources to share, but I'd like to share this quote
from a Washington Post article about Laura Ingals Wilder:

"Whether we love Wilder or hate her, we should know her. For decades, her
legacy has been awash in sentimentality, but every American — including the
children who read her books — should learn the harsh history behind her
work. Vividly, unforgettably, it still tells truths about white settlement,
homesteading and the violent appropriation of Indian land and culture."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/yes-little-house-on-the-prairie-is-racially-insensitive--but-we-should-still-read-it/2018/03/12/8e021422-1e40-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html

I think we should ecouragae teachers to not shy away from
contorversial authors, but look at their contributions to the literary
world as a whole body of work, and not judge them on biases that they may
or may not hold, if they were alive today.

I also agree that generalities do not help, and it is better to make
statements like "The author held views that are considered racist, and this
did/did not influence this work" "Or at the time this was written, the
author was part of a society that held racist beliefs".  It sure it a
challenging subject, but one met best, I feel, head on and with
sensitivity.

*Mrs. Karen Kruckenberg, MS Ed. TS, **LIS Endorsed*
Harvard High School Library Media Center Director
NHS Co-Advisor
815-943-6461 Ext. 2299
https://harcohilmc.weebly.com/
*"**The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined
effort of each individual." ~Vince Lombardi*
*“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
me.” **― C.S. Lewis*

On Thu, Sep 24, 2020 at 10:15 AM Kathleen Kerner via AISLE <
aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> Can we also say that a person "held rascist views" or "cheated on their
> taxes" or "was convicted of murder" instead of "was a bad person"?  That's
> a very broad judgement to make based on one aspect of a person's character,
> albeit an important one, but humans are more complex entities.  It would
> not be helpful if we started labelling all people as "good" or "bad" so
> simplistically. It is actually part of the problem of incivility that
> society is experiencing now.
>
> On Thu, Sep 24, 2020 at 8:53 AM Nichole Folkman via AISLE <
> aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>
>> I'm glad you bring this up. I do not have any specific resources to
>> offer, but I do think it's really important to show authors as humans who
>> have faults and are often problematic. Children are good at sitting with
>> difficulties like understanding that someone can be a great writer and a
>> bad person. Kate Messner has been talking about similar issues on her
>> Twitter lately.
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 4:21 PM John Heideman via AISLE <
>> aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>>
>>> I don't think an author's lifestyle or political views should matter.
>>> The content of the book should matter.If we censure every author whose
>>> views or lifestyle we disagree with we won't have many books in our
>>> collection.
>>> Mr. Heideman ( Children's Librarian North Chicago Public Library)
>>>
>>> On Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 3:49 PM Claire Greene via AISLE <
>>> aisle at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi, everyone!
>>>>
>>>> I'm trying to develop a playbook for teachers in my school to use to
>>>> address content written by problematic authors.
>>>>
>>>> My number one priority is finding substantive and meaningful ways to
>>>> represent diverse perspectives in the curriculum, but my question is about
>>>> addressing the use of works by problematic authors that are already written
>>>> into the curriculum.
>>>>
>>>> Specifically, our 6th grade LA curriculum includes work by Roald Dahl,
>>>> who many of you will be aware was involved in propagating many disturbing
>>>> racist ideas. While the content itself is not problematic, I think it's
>>>> hugely important to address the issue of his character in a clear and
>>>> concrete way.
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone have any specific lessons or resources that they have
>>>> already piloted with students around this theme?
>>>>
>>>> I have already perused the sources below, but I wanted to reach out to
>>>> you all as well.
>>>>
>>>> PBS Tools for Anti-Racist Teaching
>>>> <https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/tools-for-anti-racist-teaching>
>>>> Teaching Tolerance Guide for Discussing Difficult Topics with Students
>>>> <http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/TT%20Difficult%20Conversations%20web.pdf>
>>>> and all of the resources included in this epic EdWeek Blog:
>>>> 15 Classroom Resources for Discussing Racism, Policing, and Protest
>>>> <https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2020/06/15_classroom_resources_for_discussing_racism_policing_and_protest.html>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for your insights!
>>>> --
>>>> Claire Greene
>>>> School Librarian
>>>> Northbrook Junior High School
>>>> cgreene at northbrook28.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *Empower Every Learner*
>>>>
>>>> MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> AISLE mailing list
>>>> AISLE at list.railslibraries.info
>>>>
>>>> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
>>>> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aisle
>>>>
>>>> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>>>> aisle-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>>>>
>>>> https://www.aisled.org/
>>>
>>> MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> AISLE mailing list
>>> AISLE at list.railslibraries.info
>>>
>>> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
>>> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aisle
>>>
>>> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>>> aisle-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>>>
>>> https://www.aisled.org/
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Thanks!
>> Nichole Folkman
>> K-12 Librarian/ STEAM Director
>>
>> Co-chair of the Lincoln Teen Readers' Choice Award
>>
>> Scholastic Bowl Coach
>> Antler/ Staglite Advisor
>>
>> she/ her/ hers
>>
>> Check out my projects at
>> https://www.donorschoose.org/Mrs.Folkman
>>
>> Currently Reading
>> <https://www.goodreads.com/user/email_signature_destination/339006?utm_medium=reading_link&utm_source=email_signature>
>> [image: Book Cover]
>> <https://www.goodreads.com/user/email_signature_destination/339006?utm_medium=cover&utm_source=email_signature>
>> [image: Goodreads Logo]
>> <https://www.goodreads.com/?utm_medium=gr_logo&utm_source=email_signature> Get
>> your own email signature
>> <https://www.goodreads.com/user/email_signature_instructions?utm_medium=gyo_link&utm_source=email_signature>
>>
>>
>>
>> MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
>> _______________________________________________
>> AISLE mailing list
>> AISLE at list.railslibraries.info
>>
>> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
>> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aisle
>>
>> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>> aisle-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>>
>> https://www.aisled.org/
>
>
>
> --
>
>
> *Kathleen M. Kerner, M.L.S.*
> Library Information Specialist
> Walden Elementary School
> Deerfield Public Schools District #109
> 630 Essex Ct.
> Deerfield, IL 60015
> (847) 945-9660 x 3136
> kkerner at dps109.org
>
> "The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach
> them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And
> that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy, giving them
> access to those books, and letting them read them." -- Gaiman, Neil.
> "Neil Gaiman: Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and
> Daydreaming." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Oct. 2013.
>
>
> This e-mail message contains information that may be privileged or
> confidential and is the property of the Board of Education of Deerfield
> Public School District No. 109.
>
> It is intended only for the person(s) to whom it is addressed. If you are
> not the intended recipient of this message, you are not authorized to read,
> print, retain, copy, disseminate, distribute, or use this message or any
> part thereof. If you have received this message in error, please notify the
> sender immediately and delete all copies of this message. Any communication
> sent or received by District 109 is a public record and may be subject to
> inspection or copying under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act
> (FOIA).MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
> _______________________________________________
> AISLE mailing list
> AISLE at list.railslibraries.info
>
> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aisle
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> aisle-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>
> https://www.aisled.org/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.railslibraries.info/pipermail/aisle/attachments/20200924/68472bea/attachment.html>