Friday, August 10, 2018

Whats your boundary?






Comfort zone, boundaries, safe space, favorite genre, we all have a name for it. I have differing limits for what I will read for pleasure, what I will implement in my classroom, and what I will read for academic content. Have you ever outlined your specific limitations, what you look for in a book, what you won't tolerate in a book?
When researching books to use in my classroom, I look at lots of things. I have to consider academic value of course, but there is also the content of the book. Are there innuendos that are inappropriate for classroom use? Is there explicit or graphic language?  Would this book offend a cultural or religious group in my classroom? Honestly, it is always stressful when choosing a new book. I like exploring new content, but I do rely heavily on those with experience, who may notice something offensive I might overlook before I implement the use of a new novel in the classroom. I do find gems of my own, but I have found that a second pair of eyes is always a good idea when dealing with students.
When selecting books for my own benefit I can relax my standards. I do not have to fret if some bad language occurs in the book, but I do have my limits. I do not believe any intelligent person needs to curse every other word to express him or herself and I feel the same is true for authors. The occasional curse word is to be expected occasionally in novels, especially from the antagonist, but any intelligent writer can find other ways to express "colorful language" without using words like f*&% and s*&% every other sentence. I also draw the line with sexual scenes. I do not like to watch porn and I do not want to read it either. Kisses and romantic scenes are fine but there are limits! When the scene is so graphic that I am ashamed that I purchased the book in the first place I am going to DNF the book and hide it so no one finds it in my possession.  Finally, and please hold the tar and feathers, I do not approve of homosexual love (LGBTQ) in books. I do not hate this population of people. I hate no one, but it makes me very uncomfortable, and there is a genre for that. If the book is LGBTQ friendly it needs to be listed in that genre. I get so tired of reading along and really enjoying a book and BAM there is a LGBTQ relationship. Usually the book is not listed in that genre, and the book is not identified as having any LGBTQ affiliation, but there it is. I cannot even purchase a new book for my kids without screening it first to make sure there is none of this interspersed within the pages. Again, I do not hate these people, but I do disagree with their lifestyle and would rather not read about it in my book worlds or have my children exposed to it without my knowledge from the pages of the books. Seriously why are middle school books even covering this topic anyway?
When reading for academic content the choice is made much differently. Who are the authors and publishers? What are their credentials? What is their reputation in the academic community on the specific topic? What other types of academic publications have they written? There are lots of ways to vest academic writings and I try to employ many of them before putting much weight into any academic writing. Experience and support form the academic community are much encouraged prior to placing value on any particular academic writings. Obviously some writings are safer than others. Text books and Academic Journals being among the most reliable sources, but even these can be tinged with the opinions of the authors, depending on the subject matter. It is always a good idea to do your homework when seeking academic texts.
So, what are your limits? Do you have limits? Do you only read specific genres or are you open to anything? Again, as an educator I look at every book through different lenses so I am curious, how do you filter books to select your reading materials, because there are so many books out there and so little time for reading them all.


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