Harry's Censor

I believe Harry Potter should be allowed in the classroom. I actually believe it should be in every classroom, available to those students who wish to read it. This series is very addicting and encourages kids to read. Why should be deny students the right to read? If a parent does not want their child to read this series then they should be the one to take charge and remove the book from their child’s hands and inform the teacher of their wishes. I completely agree with the author of the article, a child’s parents should have say in what their kid reads but they do not have the right to censor everyone else.
If I was teaching a grade where Harry Potter would be okay to read I would definitely use it in my instruction. It is not a book I would teach to a second grader but for older grades I think it is perfect. It teaches kids to enjoy reading and that not all books are boring. This is a series the kids are not going to want to put down and I think that is a wonderful thing. It also teaches good vs. evil. Throughout the series Harry battles evil and in the end Harry trumps all evil and good wins. Is that not something all parents want their children to believe: good will always trump evil? Isn’t that what religious leaders want us to think? The only problems I could think of arising would possibly be a parent thinking the book presents material which is a little mature for their child which is a completely avid argument. It does have some issues which may not be appropriate for a younger child. I could see a religious fanatic freaking out over it because their preacher or the pope tells them their child shouldn’t be reading it because of magic.
If a problem arose in my classroom where the parent did not want their child reading the book, if we were reading the book as a class I would send the child out of the room while we read and have them read something else. I do feel this would be an undeserved punishment to the child but why should the rest of the class suffer because of one set of parents. If there was a clear majority or even close to half of parents who did not want the book read, I would have to give up and move on to a different book. I could not argue with that many parents and I think the year would go much smoother if I just gave in. But for those kids whose parent’s don’t mind I would try and get each kid a copy of the book so they could read it on their own.
There is nothing wrong with Harry Potter and it should be available for kids to read if they chose so. It opens up their minds to reading and it engages their imagination. It teaches us new vocabulary (muggles) and shows us that there is good in everyone, even those who don’t appear to have it (Snape). If a parent does not want their child to read the book, it is their responsibility (not the teacher, principle, or Liberians) to keep the book from their child. Besides the worst thing that could happen to a child who reads the book is they become addicted to reading and isn’t that something we want anyways?