Cox 1

Kaitlin Cox

Joseph Griffin

English 252

13 June 2021

Teaching Sensitive Literature: How should this be addressed?

Introduction

When I was in middle school and high school, I read a wide variety of literature. Some of

the books that I read were eye opening. I remember the first time that I read To Kill a

Mockingbird, and I was in shock afterwards. I did not realize that African Americans were

treated poorly. I had little knowledge about the world and the history of the United States.

Controversial literature is important for students to read so that they have a greater understanding

of the world. They can understand what is okay and what is not okay in this world. When I was

in high school, I remember not being allowed to read certain types of literature because the

teachers and administration feared the consequences of what would happen. However, I think

that there is a way that you can approach a controversial piece of literature and avoid the

negative consequences that could come with it.

I strongly believe that students should be allowed to commonly read controversial

literature so that they can grow as individuals and have a greater understanding of the world

around them. If students are not permitted to read controversial literature, this will limit their

experience and knowledge when it comes to interacting with controversial topics. Allowing

students to read controversial literature in school will better prepare them to face the challenges

that they will encounter outside of school and in the workforce. As a future teacher, I want to

prepare my students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, and good individuals.

 Cox 2

Background Information

What classifies something as controversial literature?

Controversial literature covers topics that arouse strong emotions in people. Individuals

tend to be argumentative and biased towards controversial topics. Controversial topics include

racial issues, violence or negativity, political biases, and religious affiliation (Reed). These topics

have two or more ways that they can be seen. People gain different viewpoints from the

experiences that they have and how they were raised. Due to these differing viewpoints,

individuals do not always see things eye to eye, and this causes disagreements. These

disagreements can be seen in the reasons for why people have banned books. See Image. 1.

Image 1
 Cox 3

Fig. 1 Source: "Banned Books: Reasons Books Are Challenged." LibGuides. 19 Mar. 2014.

Web. 05 June 2021. Accessed 5 June 2021.

Image 1 displays those who were against controversial literature in schools and other

organizations. The image conveys that parents were and are the main opposers to their

children being exposed to and reading controversial literature. From this information, one

can infer that parents want their children to not have knowledge about specific topics. They

are trying to shelter their children.

Teachers and Administrator Viewpoints

Teachers and administrators have varying points of view on this issue. As I have

researched, the majority of teachers do want to teach and have their students read controversial

literature in their classes. However, most of the time, this is stopped by the school board and or

administrators. Administrators answer to the parents because they are doing their best to please

them. Parents are sending their students to that school and therefore, the school board does their

best to please them. Brown University issued this statement, “Others may worry about student,

parent, or administrator feedback that they are seeking to indoctrinate students or that their

classrooms are too politicized.” Not only are teachers concerned about teaching this because of

their bosses, but also because of students’ parents. As mentioned and shown above, parents have

a large say in their children’s education and what the teachers instruct.

As time has gone on, teachers and administrators are trying to find effective ways to

incorporate controversial literature in the classroom. Brown University also provided some input

on this. They provided the tip to have a guideline for when teachers do discuss controversial

issues. This keeps the discussion organized and prevents it from going off topic or becoming too

heated and or opinionated.

 Cox 4

Policy Recommendations

Overview

Teachers need to address and allow the reading of controversial literature in their

classrooms so that students can grow as individuals and understand the world in a greater

capacity. When students are exposed to controversial literature, they become more aware of their

surroundings and the issues that the world has faced and is currently facing. Introducing students

to controversial literature will also aid them in finding credible sources and knowing which

sources they can rely on. Exposing this type of literature will not only affect English classrooms,

but schools as whole. Students are the future generation, and it is key that they are informed on

controversial issues so that they can lead the world to a better place. While some may be

concerned about how teachers share this information, there are specific ways to introduce and

share controversial literature.

Student and Teacher Relationship

Teaching controversial topics and reading controversial literature can either have a

positive or negative impact on the relationship between the student and the teacher. The type of

impact, whether it is positive or negative, is dependent on how the teacher goes about

introducing and guiding the discussion. For example, “…there is always the risk of offending a

student, parent, or another colleague, which can end you up in the principal's office trying to

explain why it is your job to help students explore issues that push people's buttons” (Soley).

When controversial literature is read or discussed, it can cause some students to feel attacked or

offended. Due to these feelings, they feel that they have to defend themselves. This can create an

uncomfortable atmosphere in the classroom. However, this does not have to be the case. Instead

of causing students to get upset, controversial literature can foster a positive environment that is
 Cox 5

used for growth if they prepare the right way. For instance, “Teaching about issues that are

controversial requires a lot of time, preparation, and in-depth study” (Soley). If teachers prepare

properly and have a structured discussion, there is less risk of offending or making a student

defensive. If done in a proper way, it can have a positive impact on the relationship between

students and teachers.

Introducing Controversial Literature

As previously discussed, the way that controversial literature is introduced can either

have a positive or negative impact. While there is no set way to expose students to controversial

literature, there are tips that will lower the possibility of it having a negative impact. There is a

Harvard graduate that provided some guidelines for how to introduce controversial literature.

She provides the following structure, “Choose carefully, make your case, create a safe space,

communicate with parents, be prepared for blowback, and teach the whole book” (Anderson). Jill

Anderson provided these subheadings on her website. She goes into each section specifically and

overall emphasizes the importance of communication, information, and preparation. Anderson

makes a point to communicate with the parents and students so that everybody knows what is

happening. She expresses the importance to know the book extremely well and to have the class

read the whole book. Overall, Anderson emphasizes the point of preparation; preparation for the

reading, for the parents, and for the backlash that might be received.

Author, Robert W. Cole, wrote a book that talks specifically about educating children. He

does not touch on controversial topics explicitly, but the teaching methods that he goes over are

still applicable. He states, “To a large extent, good teaching—teaching that is engaging, relevant,

multicultural, and appealing to a variety of modalities and learning styles—works well with all

children” (Cole). Robert Cole goes into more specifics later on his chapter, but this was his
 Cox 6

general overview. Teaching needs to be engaging, applicable to the students, and have a variety

of teaching methods. All students learn differently; some are visual learners, auditory learners,

and some are tactical learners. Having a wide variety of teaching methods will aid students in

their learning. This can be applied to teaching controversial literature. Students can learn to apply

the concepts in their own lives and learn it through distinctive methods.

Controversial Literature and Student Growth

Controversial literature will aid in the student’s growth as a learner. Many pieces of

controversial literature have historical context involved. The United States of America had a

rough beginning and there have been several books written about race, slavery, and the Civil

War. Learning about these things can be eye opening to many students and help them come to

the realization of how much the world has changed since then. Not only can it aid them seeing

the change, but what is acceptable of how to treat others. As an example, they can learn that

slavery is wrong, and that race should not affect how we treat an individual. History shaped the

world today, and it is pivotal that students understand it. To support this, "The legacy of the past

and its impact on the present as well as the process of interpretation by which accounts of the

past are constructed, mean that many topics studied in history may carry an emotional charge.”

This quote illustrates the connection that emotion and history have. As students learn from the

past, they can see how to change the future and not repeat the same mistakes that others have

made before them.

Controversial Literature and Individual Growth

Not only do students grow as learners, but they also grow as people. They grow in their

critical and analytical thinking skills. Controversial literature also helps students through the

trials that they go through in life. It provides them with skills to combat the daily influences that
 Cox 7

they go through. Judith Page conducted a study on the “Trump Effect” to see how it was

affecting students. The study wanted to see how and if the presidential campaign was affecting

students’ anxiety levels. They found that it was affecting students’ ability to learn and to focus

on school. If teachers were to equip students with the tools they need to handle controversial

literature, then they would be better able to grasp controversy in the world. Judith Page states,

“Research points to the benefits of high-quality discussion of controversial issues, such as

growth in tolerance for other points of view, interest in politics and knowledge about the issues

students investigate.” Discussing controversial issues in school will benefit students outside of

school. When the student is benefited, the world itself also benefits. Students are the future

generation, and they are those who will be going into the workforce and raising families. It is up

to teachers and those of us right now to influence how these children are raised and taught.

Summary

It is a necessity that teachers address and allow their students to read controversial

literature. When students are given the ability to read controversial literature, they grow as

students and individuals. They gain life skills that enable them to handle the trials and challenges

that they have to face. Teaching controversial literature can either have a positive or negative

impact on the students and the student – teacher relationship. Whether the impact is positive or

negative depends on the teaching method and how the teacher manages the conversation.

Opposing Viewpoints

Negative Reactions to Controversial Literature

Students could choose to react negatively to the controversial material being presented.

Racial, political, and religious topics could cause students to act out and become angry. In my

high school English class, we were reading Tom Sawyer. There were some controversial topics
 Cox 8

with race and slavery in that novel. During the reading, one of the students in my class got up

and walked out. When that student came back, he was visibly upset and did not speak the rest of

that class period. However, this problem could have been prevented if my teacher had introduced

the book and forewarned the class of the topics in it.

When teachers choose to introduce controversial literature, they can prepare ahead of

time and guide the discussion. They can also explain the purpose in presenting that material.

With an understanding of the purpose behind reading and discussing controversial literature,

students will be more likely to react in a more positive way. They will also have less adverse

reactions and if they do have reactions, they will not be as major. Teachers can also choose how

they react to students’ outbursts. If they choose to react in a calm manner, the outburst can be

quickly reduced. However, if teachers decide to react in anger or yell at the student, then the

outburst will be increased in size.

Conclusion

In past years, controversial literature was more censored, and schools were very strict

about what students were allowed to read. Since then, teachers have been allowed to introduce

and expose their students to more controversial literature. While this practice has not been

perfected, it has still been improving the lives of students. Allowing students to read

controversial literature is still a work in progress as not all books are allowed to be read and

students still might have a negative reaction.

This issue needs to be addressed because of the importance that it not only pertains to a

student’s education, but also a student’s development and future. As individuals are exposed to

controversial literature, they will grow as students and people. They will develop skills to
 Cox 9

overcome different trials and learn how to react in controversial situations. Reading controversial

literature will benefit these students and the future generation.

 Cox 10

Works Cited

Anderson, Jill. "Bringing Controversial Books into the Classroom." Harvard Graduate School of

Education. 9 Jan. 2019. Web. 20 May 2021.

"Banned Books: Reasons Books Are Challenged." LibGuides. Web. 06 June 2021.

Chang, Benjamin, Anna Lavergne, Kim Pinkerton, Permille Ripp, and Gabe Silveri. "The

Students' Right to Read." NCTE. 25 Oct. 2018. Web. 20 May 2021.

Cole, Robert W. "Chapter 1. Educating Everybody's Children: We Know What Works-And

What Doesn't." Educating Everybody's Children: We Know What Works-And

What Doesn't. June 2008. Web. 20 May 2021.

"Controversial Issues / Secondary / Historical Association." Historical Association. Web. 06

June 2021.

Medwin, Deborah. "30 Most Controversial Education Practices in U. S. History."

Top Education Degrees. Web. 20 May 2021.

Page, Judith. "COMMENTARY: The Benefits of Bringing Controversial Issues into the

Classroom." EdSource. EdSource, 23 Aug. 2017. Web. 20 May 2021.

Philpott, Sarah, Jeremiah Clabough, Lance McConkey, and Thomas N. Turner. "Controversial

Issues: To Teach or Not to Teach? That Is the Question!" 2011. Web. 20 May

2021.
 Cox 11

ProCon.org. "Teaching Controversial Issues and Critical Thinking: Evidence of Importance and

Outcomes." ProCon.org. 25 June 2020. Web. 20 May 2021.

Soley, Mary. "If It's Controversial,Why Teach It?" If It's Controversial, Why Teach It? 1996.

Web. 20 May 2021.

"Teaching About Controversial Issues: A Resource Guide." Choices Program. 07 Nov. 2019.
Web. 06 June 2021.
Cox 12
 Cox 13

Works Cited

AuthorLastName, FirstName. Title of the Book Being Referenced. City Name: Name of

Publisher, Year. Type of Medium (e.g., Print).

LastName, First, Middle. “Article Title.” Journal Title (Year): Pages From - To. Print.