They can't see the trees for the forest

My daily pursuit of local news turned up this tragic story.

Words that come to mind: Censorship, book burners, short-sighted, fundamentalists, unimaginative, small minded, bureaucracy.

Freedom Writers was a great movie. I haven't yet read the book, but I imagine it was even better. But more than that, it was incredibly inspirational. And not just to teachers and other educated people. It was inspirational to students...students who are poor, disconnected, marginalized, and forgotten. It inspired them to write and read with passion, to tell their stories with passion. But because of racial slurs and explicit language, the Marion County School District doesn't want the book in the classroom and is going to fire a 27 year teacher who dared to teach it anyway.

I am not a fan of violence. But the fact is, violence is all around us. No matter our socioeconomic status, we've been exposed to violence and bad language and racial slurs. We all know it's out there. But for some of us, it's the world we live in, our everyday reality. And that's why they relate so well to Freedom Writers. Who the hell cares about the violence and language and racial slurs. That's their reality. And if that helps them relate and learn and become passionate, then by god, embrace it and show them the way to a world that does not live in everyday violence. Give them a voice and a reason to use it.

Stupid people and their self-righteous short-sighted dogma.

They can't see the trees for the forest

My daily pursuit of local news turned up this tragic story.

Words that come to mind: Censorship, book burners, short-sighted, fundamentalists, unimaginative, small minded, bureaucracy.

Freedom Writers was a great movie. I haven't yet read the book, but I imagine it was even better. But more than that, it was incredibly inspirational. And not just to teachers and other educated people. It was inspirational to students...students who are poor, disconnected, marginalized, and forgotten. It inspired them to write and read with passion, to tell their stories with passion. But because of racial slurs and explicit language, the Marion County School District doesn't want the book in the classroom and is going to fire a 27 year teacher who dared to teach it anyway.

I am not a fan of violence. But the fact is, violence is all around us. No matter our socioeconomic status, we've been exposed to violence and bad language and racial slurs. We all know it's out there. But for some of us, it's the world we live in, our everyday reality. And that's why they relate so well to Freedom Writers. Who the hell cares about the violence and language and racial slurs. That's their reality. And if that helps them relate and learn and become passionate, then by god, embrace it and show them the way to a world that does not live in everyday violence. Give them a voice and a reason to use it.

Stupid people and their self-righteous short-sighted dogma.