Thursday, March 7, 2013

to read or not to read?

I am a Reading Teacher. I graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education- Major in English. but seriously, this blog is not about me. I am writing to express my views on reading and "censorship," so to speak.


As a BSE English graduate, we are expected to be exposed to a genres of reading. And when we say genres, we should really open our eyes to the vast readings available at hand. We read for different purposes, but at the end, our main objective is to really both enjoy and learn something from the book or story. We analyze and criticize in a scholarly manner, and we don't simply give labels or over-react to something. Literature, as we believe, is a mimesis and a copy of life. And at the end of the day, we can always look at literary pieces in different perspectives, using the literary theories at hand.

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Up to what extent should we disapprove of what our kids are reading? At a young age, I suppose that children are not allowed to read books which are really "beyond what their age can take," or the so called R-18 books, labeled as SPG. But will we still censor books which are already labeled as easy-reading and for primary or intermediate levels? If it is age appropriate, why censor?

Children, I believe, have the freedom to read books which are of interest to them. Unless we give them to opportunity to choose, they won't develop their own reading taste. Young as they are, we should not undermine their capability to think critically and evaluate their own readings. That is precisely the reason why parents and teachers are here: to guide and to explain things which are difficult for them to grasp. At the end of the day, I think it is still better that our children are aware of life's realities, than to shelter them and to make them so naive as compared to their peers. It's always a matter of how we explain things to them. Because no matter how we censor these materials to our children, in this highly advanced and technological age, these materials will find a way to land in our children's hands.

Our job as teachers is to be in one with parents in making children be critical of the things they should and should not read given their age. This does not entail; however, censoring all the books, but rather helping them to evaluate the materials they will read. It's akin to helping them develop a sense of morality, differentiating what is right from wrong, so at the end, they are able to make sound and logical decisions on their own. As a famous children's book author puts it, "we may be too worried, thinking so much that there are topics which are too much for our children to handle-  such as discrimination, domestic violence, homosexuality, and divorce/ separation. However, we should never underestimate the ability of the kids to understand. At the end of the day, it's a matter of explaining in a manner and language they will easily comprehend. When  we do this, we are not only helping our kids be more aware of what's going around them, we are also making them feel that they are being trusted. If a child feels that the significant adults believe they have the ability to understand and to make sound decisions at a young age, they are more likely to do what is morally and acceptable.

Let us just be minded that nowadays, children are getting more curious than ever. They have questions which will leave us aghast and questioning "how did they ever get that idea?" The more we hide things from kids, the more they will strive to know, on their own devious and sly means. We would rather that children hear the reality from us, than discover it in a not so pleasing way. It's always better to learn from someone who is mature enough to handle an issue, than from someone who is just as inquisitive and emotionally unstable peer. With an adult supervising, children will think that what they are getting credible and reliable facts, plus the guidance and values they will need as they face and soar life's daily battles. Ultimately, these little nuggets of wisdom and values learned from adults will be their guiding force when confronted with difficult situations.

The more they read, the more they will learn. It will always be wise if we tell them upfront what makes a good book, and we help them qualify the things they can and cannot read at this point in time, rather than simply commanding them not to. Our kids are wise. Maybe even smarter. They may pretend to simply accept our prohibitions, but they maybe cooking and thinking something at the back of their minds. Teach them well and let them lead the way. With the pieces of advice they get from significant adults in their lives, they won't feel lost or unstable. That is the power of information and mutual consent, which parents and teachers must never neglect.

1 comment:

  1. The more they read, the more they will learn. Noong bata ako, limitado lamang ang mga reading materials na nasa bahay namin, kaya lumaki ako sa panunuod ng tv. Ayan, puros kalokohan ang natutunan ko :)) pero ini-encourage ko din ang mga batang nasa munti pa lamang gulang na magbasa ng naaangkop sa kanilang edad at kapasidad na umintindi.

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