I remember when my fourth grade teacher handed me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, she knew how much I adored reading and thought that I would enjoy the story. Little did Miss Long know that she would be the reason for an addiction to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the entire wizarding world that I am still happily afflicted with. I devoured each book multiple times and found that their lessons on morality and the reality of good and evil to be extremely valuable; for this reason I agree with the assertion that Rowling's enchanting books should not be banned from the classroom. Any book that attracts children and encourages them to read rather that play a video game or watch television should be treasured, not questioned and despised.
I would certainly use Harry in my classroom. The wonderful literature hidden inside of Rowling's books is too important and valuable for students to pass up. Young readers would be able to join Harry and his friends on all of their journeys and learn and grow as the main characters do. I also think that these books would be wonderful to get wary readers excited about literature. The subject matter and exciting plot of Rowling's stories would be excellent encouragement for students who don't enjoy reading.
I believe censorship is an important aspect of teaching and should be constantly observed. However, censorship has a tendency to be biased and unreasonable as in the case with the dispute over Harry Potter. If the subject matter is too steep or inappropriate for a certain age group, then a book should certainly be withheld. But if children can understand and learn from literature that excites them and makes them want to read, then why would we ever deny students that privilege?
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I'm like you I have seen many children get hooked to reading the Harry Potter series. I would also use the Harry Potter series in my classroom to get children to read. Your right some books are certainly not appropriate for certain age groups and should be witheld from that age group. I totally agree that it should be allowed in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteCensorship can be extremely biased and thats why sometimes it is uncalled for, I think that as long as the children learn which is what you said then it should be used with limitations
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Nicolette. The Harry Potter series offers a number of lessons and areas for discussion that would help educators explain or introduce important concepts. Paired with the series' success and the level of enjoyment that children get from them, teachers could not ask for more of a miracle. Despite this, we have paranoid parents who are afraid these books will turn their children into devil worshipers. Amazing, really.
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