Pam Russell, an Anne Arundel County mother of three, did something last fall that surprised her a little.
She objected to a book that her daughter, Bridget, a freshman at South River High School in Edgewater, was assigned to read in English class: Maya Angelou's famous 1969 memoir, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
Russell was among the parents who objected to book's use of profanity and its depiction of sexual violence.
The fact that "Caged Bird" has been hailed as an American classic has not stopped parental objections, which have dogged the book for years. The same is true for any number of literary works, from Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" to Dante's "Inferno."
"To a degree, I agree with what the schools teach," Russell says. "But I don't feel that they are infallible. If I disagree, I can speak out."
School systems expect to hear from parents, and vary in how they handle these challenges.
Anelle Tumminello, coordinator of high school English for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, explains that "Caged Bird" suits the objectives of the county's ninth-grade English curriculum, which focuses on journeys of self-discovery and maturation. She notes that teachers discuss the book at length with students and address issues of appropriate language, violence and teen pregnancy. The school system also offers an alternative book, Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations" (an abridged version), and related study guides and assignments.
Fairfax County and the District take a different approach to book selection. In Fairfax County each school has its own committee of teachers, parents and administrators to select novels for students to read. The District also allows each school to choose its books.
"Teachers know what [materials] they need to have to supplement a text," says Janice Leslie, director of secondary instruction for Fairfax County Public Schools. "And we have such a large and diverse county, this is essential."
But that doesn't stop objections. Fairfax has developed model lessons that teachers can use for students reading alternate books. Jennifer Beach, secondary language arts specialist for Fairfax County, says, "Parents are partners. With the model lessons, children can still participate in the classroom discussion."
This year the District will rely on a committee of parents, teachers and administrators to select systemwide reading. The intent here, says Elizabeth Primas, director of literacy, reading and language arts for the District of Columbia Public Schools, is to ensure that students have a uniform curriculum, the better to meet various standards and take the SAT.
"This will give all students the baseline exposure they need," says Primas. "But the teachers will be free to select more books."
Primas says she knows of no current parental objections to any novels.
Millie Davis, division director of communications and affiliate services for the National Council of Teachers of English, says the Fairfax approach in particular is a step in the right direction.
