Literature in School

Literary choices in school have proven a controversial topic for many years. Children are constantly surrounded by different forms of media, and from it, they are always learning about the world and how it works. What they are surrounded by may ultimately shape what kind of people they become, and how they move through the world. At times, emotions run high as parents and faculty look for a balance between education and choice.

On September 23, 2021, parent Kristy Walsh posted a video on Youtube titled “Hypocrisy is the Name of the Game.” The nearly four-minute video featured a conversation between her and Jill Pascarella, the principal of Carl Traeger Middle School. The parent set up a meeting in response to a phone call she received from her daughter about a book available in her teacher’s classroom library.

Pascarella started the conversation by requesting more information about the situation, along with asking if Walsh was filming, which Walsh denied.

“Transgender, gay, lesbian, whatever, I am not okay with that kind of material to be presented to my daughter… It’s not okay with me, it’s not okay with my husband,” Walsh said.

Such conflicts are not unique to Oshkosh. A similar situation happened in the school district of Loudoun County, Virginia, two years ago. Samantha Schmidt, from The Washington Post, wrote about the situation.

“Schools across the country have become increasingly accepting of LGBTQ identities… But attempts to make schools more LGBTQ-friendly have prompted a wave of backlash in districts such as Loudoun County,” she wrote. 

The recorded interaction between Pascarella and Walsh is less a conversation and more a statement by Walsh regarding her point of view, as she noted her daughter had chosen to read an alternate book, one not including transgender or LGBTQ issues. Pascarella responds by pointing out that such a decision perfectly reflects the district’s position on student options.

“That is absolutely your choice as a parent, for sure, no one is forcing anyone to read--,” she said, before getting cut off by Walsh.

The book under discussion is one choice in a classroom library, which means that the children are in no way forced to read this book, nor any other book in the library.

Walsh had more to say about the situation, moving on to the number of books featuring characters who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, in comparison to books featuring characters who are not.

“If you guys are presenting kids with the material about transgender, gay, and lesbian, I want to see the material you guys are presenting about heterosexuals. I want to see that. Where’s that option?” she said.

Nationally, despite the low percentage of books presenting such issues, dissent and book banning have arisen in some communities.

“Even though the books involving LGBTQ issues represent less than five percent of the books in the new collection, they’ve captured the most attention and prompted a heated debate in the [Loudoun] district,” Schmidt wrote. “Books about LGBTQ issues are increasingly becoming the targets of challenges and bans across the country. More than half of the top 11 most frequently challenged and banned books of 2018 included LGBTQ content.”

West Principal Erin Kohl believes in parental oversight up to a point.

“As a parent you have the right to limit what your own child reads, but not to limit options for other people's children,” she said. “As a school we believe it is important to offer books on all issues and topics to our students so they can become critical thinkers and form their own ideas and opinions.”

What kind of impact do books featuring diverse storylines and characters have on people, especially children?

Herts for Learning’s Michael Gray shared his insight on the importance of diverse books for all ages, especially children.

“For the first time, I now fully realize just how important a diverse book stock is in all education settings, ranging from early years all the way through to colleges and universities,” he said. “Children need to see themselves reflected back in the books they are reading to make reading relevant to them.”

Elliot Oliphant-Buchta, a sophomore, shared his experience reading novels and watching shows featuring transgender characters.

“I remember reading the book Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart in 8th grade, by my teacher’s recommendation,” he said, “Lily is a transgender student in middle school with a less than supportive family. Even though I wasn’t out as trans myself at this time, reading this book made me feel safe, and a lot less alone in a world I thought I didn’t belong in.”

Despite reading voraciously as a child, Oliphant-Buchta noticed the lack of books including transgender characters. He still remembers what he felt from seeing a transgender character in a show, for the first time, while watching the show The Fosters on ABC.

“For the first time in my whole life, I felt like I saw myself in a tv show,” he said, “on top of that, the program showed the progression of Cole’s transition as well as the struggles he faced. It wasn’t all negative though; I remember watching Cole finding himself and happiness. To kid me, finding characters like Lily and Cole gave me hope.”

Kelly Wayne, who teaches English 2 Honors in Global Academy, reflected on the history of diverse books during her time as a teacher, as well as the importance of such novels.

“During one of my first years teaching, some parents were upset about the UW-Madison Great World Text choice Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,” she said.

Wayne went on to talk about the reasons the novel upset parents.

“Confessions was an opportunity for Rousseau to explain how his experiences shaped his own life. However, one of those experiences was an inappropriate sexual relationship with a priest,” she said. “Out of the 700+ page book, this was a minor part but some felt the inappropriate nature of some of the topics discussed outweighed the fact that he was one of the most influential philosophers of all time.”

Wayne also spoke about the controversy surrounding The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, during her early days of teaching.

The Kite Runner briefly mentions, at the beginning of the novel, a man raping another man. Because of this, the novel has received some questioning regarding its appropriateness for younger audiences. At the time, The Kite Runner was an option for one of the book groups in the curriculum for English 1 Honors students. During the same year, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was also offered to English 1 students. The book focuses on the consequences felt by a woman after being raped by a man, which played a major part in the course of events of the book.

“I think a lot of our or class novels used to be written by dead, white men but in the past couple of years, as we continue to examine our curriculum and make changes, there is a much more diverse genre of literature being taught at West,” Wayne said. 

Wayne also shared that she makes it her goal to keep the books in the Global Academy classroom library and the curriculum as diverse as she can.

 “Children need to see themselves in literature and that is why diverse characters and communities are so important,” she said. 

Kohl agrees with this philosophy.

“Choice is critical in engaging students in reading as it allows students to explore stories, ideas, and topics that they are interested in or want to learn more about,” she said.

Wayne believes the classroom provides an appropriate environment to learn and grow through exactly these types of vicarious experiences.

“School should be a safe space to have these tough conversations while reading about different cultures, communities, etc.,” she said. “If not at school, in a safe, controlled environment, then where?”

By Addison Isely

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 2

November 1st, 2021