Reflections

 Reflecting on the Research Process for the Critical Issue of Book Banning 

Over the course of the past two months in EDL 648 Curriculum Controversies and Political Contexts, I have had the opportunity to explore more about the critical issue of book banning in K-12 educational contexts. Our research focuses on using the perspectives of those who are for book banning, those who are against book banning, and those who have more neutral stances concerning the issue. I worked collaboratively with a group to review and analyze current literature on book banning. I conducted three interviews as a means of qualitative research to gather more data on the different perspectives on book banning.  I worked collaboratively with a team of three others to design and present a digital presentation of our findings. I am still working with my team to create a write-up about our findings. Below, you will find my reflections on the process. 

1. How was this process as an individual? 

As an individual, I enjoyed digging into the topic of book banning and learning about the various viewpoints and perspectives. Writing the blog posts was challenging but a great way to share my knowledge and understanding of the views presented on the topic. A blog is less structured than a paper; you can make it your own. I could be creative and share all the perspectives without embedding my opinions. Moreover, the process was enjoyable, insightful, and challenging. 

2. How did you work together as a group? 

Overall, we worked well as a group. People took leadership roles in the group to keep things moving, such as designing the presentation tool, creating Zoom meeting links, and contributing to the conversation. Everyone in the group had a voice and valid points to share. This added to my overall understanding of the topic. We made collaborative decisions and put our heads together when things got challenging. We asked questions, gave ideas, and came to consensus. Our group worked effectively and efficiently. 

3. What was hard/challenging about this work? 

The work for this process was challenging at times. The most challenging part of the process was when it came to choosing the research lenses and book-banning central debates. This was partly because most of our interview data was against book banning, and the “neutral” data was not neutral when analyzed with a critical lens. Moreover, finding supportive data for all three perspectives on book banning was complex when considering the central debates and research lenses that supported the debates.   

4. How does this give you insight into doing qualitative research that presents and considers not only your worldview but allows you to see the world through multiple worldviews? 

This process and project gave me insight into data collection with documents and interviews in qualitative research. I learned the importance of not having a voice but rather sharing the voices of others and their lived experiences in my blog posts. This process helped me dig deeper into considering and using all perspectives and ideas when analyzing a curriculum controversial issue. I could use diverse lenses to understand and listen to the various views and opinions on book banning. Moreover, I collected data, analyzed data, found patterns in the data, used research lenses to think about the data, and worked collaboratively with other scholars to determine implications and recommendations on the topic of book banning. Thus, I engaged in the qualitative research process. 

Capturing Voices on the Issue of Book Banning

Figure 1

Voices Carry

Note: Van Horn, D. (2013). Silence isn’t golden: Find Your Voice. Misawa Air Base. https://www.misawa.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/402368/silence-isnt-golden-find-your-voice/

Should books be banned, and who should have the authority to ban a book?  Book banning is a historical and controversial issue in K-12 educational settings, and many perspectives exist. This blog aims to share common themes from the viewpoint of three experienced educators. I interviewed an Elementary School Librarian, a Curriculum Developer-Subject Matter Expert, and an Ed Tech Company Senior Director. I asked them to share their understanding of the topic. As a result of the interviews, several themes arose that can inform one’s knowledge of book banning in K-12 classrooms, schools, and libraries. Below, you will meet the interviewees, discover the interview questions, and explore some common themes captured from the three voices on the issue of book banning.  

Meet “The Voices”

The Voice of a School Librarian

The elementary school librarian is a white female, veteran educator, and parent who lives in North Carolina. She has a background in journalism and has worked as a classroom and gifted education teacher. She is open to reading just about anything besides romance novels. 

The Voice of the Curriculum Developer-Subject Matter Expert

The curriculum developer is an Asian male and veteran educator with a Ph.D. who lives in Hawaii. Before his current job, he worked as a classroom teacher, district leader, and for the Hawaii Department of Education.  He enjoys reading nonfiction works in digital formats. He has read more about politics lately because “it's so loud around the news.”

The Voice of the Senior Director of a Global Education Technology Company 

The senior director is a white female, veteran educator, and parent living in Maryland. She has been a classroom teacher and a school district leader. She currently works for an Ed Tech company where she publishes digital textbooks. She is in a neighborhood book club and enjoys the diversity of books she reads. She also enjoys reading educational texts for professional learning.  

Figure 2

Questions Inform

The Interview Questions and Prompts

Each respondent shared their views on the following:

1. Tell me a little about yourself and what you like to read. 

2. Tell me a bit about what you understand about the issue of banning books in schools, classrooms, and libraries, and what do you think about it? 

3. What issues are associated with the belief that books should be banned? What issues are associated with the belief that books should not be banned?

4. Some people feel that a book containing explicit content (sexual, violent, etc.) should be banned from school libraries. What is your opinion?

5. Some people believe it’s essential for students to be exposed to various perspectives in books, including those that might challenge traditional beliefs. How do you feel about this idea?

6. Who should have the final say in banning a book from classrooms, schools, or libraries: parents, educators, administrators, or students?

Figure 2

Looking through Lenses

Lenses Define Views

Most professional educators have an understanding of the book-banning issue in educational contexts. However, depending on their specific roles within the educational field, they may have different lenses through which they view the issue. 

The Elementary School Librarian shared her perspective: "There's a few stages of book banning that a lot of people might not be aware of.” She suggests that there is a difference between banning a book and challenging a book, and the processes are different in school libraries. She posits that “a lot of people don't know that libraries have committees in place to deal with challenges.” Moreover, a book is not automatically banned in school libraries. It is a process. The librarian states, "When a parent brings a challenge against a book, then it comes to the team, and it's up to the team to decide. So not all books that get challenged get banned.” She views book banning from a particular lens as a librarian. 

The curriculum developer posits that politics plays a significant role in book banning. According to him, “There are policies in place that restrict certain types of books in schools for PreK-12 and policies  that exist and are being made around censoring or banning certain books, taking them off the shelves”. He also states that he feels that many books are considered for banning because they are “considered inappropriate” or “developmentally inappropriate for students.” Likewise he posits that he is unsure if during the process book banning that people “always consider both the benefits and the consequences.” He views book banning from a broader and less context-specific lens. 

The Ed Tech senior director shares that she views the issue of book banning in educational contexts from three perspectives. One perspective is from a very local lens. “Our local district that my students, my own children, are part of. There was just a series of significant protests from religious groups, particularly the Muslim community, on Banning LQBTQ+ kind of books in our district, so it is not part of the book. Those books are not part of the formal curriculum, but they're an option a student can choose for certain standard achievement in the district from elementary, middle, and high school.” Another way she understands book banning is through the lens of what is happening in another local school district. She shares that she has a female friend who is married to another woman and is also a leader in an Equity and Inclusion office in another local school district.  She and her friend  “have conversations about how her wife is dealing with the battles and banning materials in that particular district.” Thus, their discussion informed her understanding of the issue. Lastly, she posits that she also understands the issue in national contexts. For instance, she is aware of  “the different regulations and rules and the idea that Florida schools now have a dictated list of what they can have. And you know you've seen the media with the bins of books they have to throw out.”Moreover, she views the issue from the state to the " super local” level. 

Overall, all three educators have an understanding of book banning. And based on their positions, their interpretations vary. However, one thing that all three interviewees have in common is their understanding of the local and national political implications underlying the issue.  Thus, their lenses help to define their views on book banning. 

Figure 4

Book Banning Issues

Note: Cohen, M. (2018). Issue. Flickr.https://www.flickr.com/photos/143106192@N03/42435423330

What’s Going On?

A lot is going on when considering the many beliefs that undergird the diverse issues associated with book banning. Thus, some problems are related to the idea that books should be banned, and others are associated with the view that books should not be banned. The interviewees shared several common responses when asked, What issues are associated with the belief that books should be banned? What issues are associated with the belief that books should not be banned? Their responses suggested people want to ban books because of their moral/religious beliefs and because there may be a lack of understanding or uncertainties about book banning. Their responses suggest reasons that people do not want to ban books include the need for all voices to be heard and because books represent the realities of everyday life. 

One’s moral or religious beliefs may prompt people to want to ban books. The librarian posited, "What's in the book might conflict with a person's personal, moral compass, moral beliefs.”   She shares that “parents don't agree with these things in the book, such as wizardry, violence, sex, and don't want their children to be exposed to them.” Similarly, the curriculum developer noted that people are “a little more concerned about an inappropriate exposure or having that lack of control” regarding why people want books banned. He states that people are concerned that books could “have negative influences on young adults or children.” Likewise, the Senior Director says that she feels that religion is an apparent reason one would want to ban a book as the message of the book may conflict with their beliefs.

Additionally, the interviewees shared that people want books banned because of their beliefs about controversial topics like race. One respondent explains that an advocate group called Moms for Liberty has pushed banning books by infiltrating school boards. She states, “They are very against schools teaching anything that has to do with race, sex, and even like things that we teach, like perseverance.” Another interviewee suggested that books are “controversial because they're seldom talked about. And sometimes, we don't talk a whole lot about certain things and try to hide them or sit them under the rug. That does do a disservice to people, who usually are marginalized groups. I think those voices don't get heard, and their concerns don't get heard. And so I think people who are against banning books are somewhat concerned about that.”  One respondent suggested that people want to ban books because of racial bias and to hide history. Sometimes racial biases and history is portrayed in books “by elevating voices that have not been elevated.” She states that “certain groups feel like that is rewriting history when it's actually making a more cohesive story about what the events were in history. So I think racial bias probably comes into it.” Thus, according to the respondents, a person’s moral/religious beliefs are associated with why they would want to ban books.

All of the respondents alluded to the issue of uncertainty when it comes to why people want to ban books. “I think it is that uncertainty, or even lack of control, that they are concerned about,” stated the curriculum developer.  Another of the interviewees shared, “They jump to conclusions or misinformation, or they don't have an awareness to understand…They're jumping on a bandwagon, but they don't understand. It's a choice; like it's not like every student has to read that book about the transgender child, or whatever it is, but they think because it's allowed in the school that every kid is reading that particular book. It's just lack of awareness and the actual implementation”. Moreover, according to the interviewees, having a lack of understanding or uncertainties about the issue is why people want to ban books.

On the other side of the issue, there are reasons why people believe that books should not be banned. The interviewees suggested that people are against book banning because they believe that books help all voices and perspectives be heard and represent the real world. One respondent stated that books “can be mirrors to the world” and are “a personal experience. And it's a way it's a way for kids to learn about themselves, about others, about things that are different for them.”  She suggests that “books have not portrayed people who are not white, basically, for a really long time, and there's been a lack of diversity in children's literature. So there are more pushes to show, you know, more children of color. To show different families, like there might be a family that has two dads or two moms, or a single parent”. Thus, books represent the realities of our world.  Another suggested that books provide “freedom of voice and access to information and ideas and keeping that space the dialogues open.” Another interviewee stated that people are passionate about inclusivity which is a reason why they are against banning books. She goes on to suggest that books help “kids feeling like they belong in their community that they can contribute to their community.” Overall, when discussing what’s going on regarding the issues associated with book banning, there are a lot of conflicting opinions. According to the respondents, one’s moral/religious beliefs, understanding or uncertainties about the topic, the need for all voices to be heard, and representations of the realities of everyday life are issues that are going on today on both sides of the case.

Figure 5

The Irony

Note: Schumin, B. (2013). Why So Ironic? Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/schuminweb/10337875634

Isn’t It Ironic?

During the three interviews, all of the respondents felt as though there are reasons why books should not be banned. However, when asked, “Some people feel that a book containing explicit content (sexual, violent, etc.) should be banned from school libraries. What is your opinion?” the juxtaposition between whether a book should be banned appeared to be an ironic part of the conversations. One respondent stated, “ Yeah, that's that irony part”...” I think that children do need to be protected. I mean, there, that's what people would argue, right? That they're protecting kids from that kind of content. The reality is now more than ever.” She stated “I do think there is developmental appropriateness. Again, who's the keeper of what developmental appropriateness is? I would hope it's based in some research.” She continued  “I'm not directly answering your question. But I'm saying, like, basically, what I'm saying is probably what anybody could argue to say that they should ban the material because it's developmentally inappropriate or because of the explicitly of the content” and “their brains are developing, and we have to protect them in a way that recognizes the maturity of kids.”

Another interviewee posited, “I do think that there's, you know, definitely, there's things that young students shouldn't be reading about. But I also think that a lot of these books that are being targeted are, for, you know, like high school, and a lot of the reasons are because it's homosexuality, or it's transgender, or it's, you know, whatever kids getting in trouble” and “ the world is a not a great place all the time. You can't protect your children all the time. But I don't think books are the places that we necessarily should be looking.” She also shared that “when you say you can't teach about sexism. Then you know women were being discriminated against in the suffrage movement”,  and “I don't know what people are thinking that sex and violence just will cease to exist in the world because it won't. And say a kid is involved in a school shooting, and there's a book about a school shooting, and it explains the thought process and what the kids are going through. This could be a very therapeutic book for a kid to read”. Thus, deciding if books containing explicit content should be banned from school libraries is challenging.

Another respondent shared that maybe there is a place for banning explicit content and maybe there isn’t by stating, “I don't know if school is the right place” and “I don't think there's any reason to ban those books in our public libraries.” He shares, “I don't have a stronger reason for sexual or explicit content. So I don't know how much I can say about those, but I can understand the reasoning behind either trying to remove those books or even just so, we're redacting some parts of it that may be offensive or modifying so that they are more appropriate to students”. Thus, there appears to be some dissonance regarding books with explicit content in school libraries. Isn’t it ironic?

Figure 6

Many Perspectives

Note: Kilby, E. (2013). Perspective Sculpture.Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/9398892292

Perspectives Matter

In the three interviews conducted on the controversial topic of book banning, it was obvious that the respondents agreed that it is essential for students to be exposed to various perspectives in texts, including those that might challenge traditional beliefs. One respondent shared, “I value multiple perspectives all the time. So that I think it, I actually think it's important. Because I think for students when they get into the real world, that's what happens.” Another shared, “ I do believe that school is a place where we develop critical thinkers,”  even if topics challenge “conventional ideas and traditions.” While another posited, “I think that everybody doesn't have to agree with everybody else” and “There's nothing wrong with presenting alternative viewpoints in the world. We're not all the same.” She says, “These are issues that our children are dealing with, whether we like it or not, so I think they, you know, deserve to have some form of, you know, something that can help them understand it in any way.” Moreover, the interviewees feel that it is essential for students to learn multiple perspectives through books. 

Book Banning Interview Conclusions

There is much knowledge to gain by listening to the perspectives of others about controversial issues in education, like book banning. The final question asked during the interviews was who should have the final say regarding banning books. All three respondents concluded that more than one person should have the final say. They suggested that a group of knowledgeable people with diverse perspectives should have the final say in the issue. Interestingly, their collaborative and varied perspectives and voices have informed and brought to light the following themes about book banning: one’s lens (or positionality) informs what one believes about banning books, there are a plethora of issues associated with book banning, situational irony plays a part when discussing some ideas about book banning, and books help us to understand multiple perspectives. Capturing the voices and stories of others can help us discover more about controversial topics in education, like book banning. Multiple perspectives matter.  

References

Cohen, M. (2018). Issue. Flickr.https://www.flickr.com/photos/143106192@N03/42435423330

Kilby, E. (2013). Perspective Sculpture.Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/9398892292

Looking Through Lenses [Image]. (n.d.) https://pxhere.com/en/photo/716981?utm_content=shareClip&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pxhere

Schumin, B. (2013). Why So Ironic? Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/schuminweb/10337875634

Questions Inform [Image]. (n.d.) https://www.b-c-training.com/bulletin/wicked-problems-what-do-i-need-to-know/

Van Horn, D. (2013). Silence isn’t golden: Find Your Voice. Misawa Air Base. https://www.misawa.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/402368/silence-isnt-golden-find-your-voice/