CCBC-Net Archives
Middle Passage
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Susan Daugherty <kdaugherty>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 07:54:41 -0500
There have been many good points made lately about THE MIDDLE PASSAGE, which I won't reiterate. I notice a dichotomy though in the way teachers and teacher-librarians (school librarians) look at the teaching of this subject versus the way teachers of teachers, public librarians, and parents look at it.
Most school librarians, myself included, have had experiences introducing a book to children in a group when we realized that someone in the group couldn't deal with the content because he /she was not ready for it. This is a very uncomfortable feeling. Children vary so much in their ability to handle sad topics, frightening concepts or facts, and they vary in their own experiences greatly. I have also had groups with a few African-American children in them to whom I've read books about African-Americans. Sometimes the black kids in the group are uncomfortable and express it in their expressions and body language. This worries me, but I think I need to introduce the class to these books. I own 2 copies of THE MIDDLE PASSAGE because it was immediately clear to me on seeing it that it was a very important book and in fact I was waiting for it for years after hearing Tom Feelings talk about it a long time ago at the CCBC. But I am a librarian in a K-2 school and it was also obvious to me that most children of this age don't have the context for it yet (as others have mentioned). Since most school librarians introduce most books as group experiences as the most efficient way of sharing our expertise, using certain books with groups becomes difficult. I believe in buying the book and having it there for individual use by people who feel it is appropriate, including the children if they wish. If a teacher asked me about using MIDDLE PASSAGE with a group, I would discuss it with them. I have found that teachers are usually more worried about using something on the edge than I am; they tend to be wary of materials that could be controversial with parents. Our parents are very outspoken and do not hesitate to complain, which makes teachers leery of using certain types of materials.
Susan Daugherty
Susan Daugherty Librarian Franklin Elementary School Madison, WI 53505
kdaugherty at madison.k12.wi.us
Received on Thu 24 Jun 1999 07:54:41 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 07:54:41 -0500
There have been many good points made lately about THE MIDDLE PASSAGE, which I won't reiterate. I notice a dichotomy though in the way teachers and teacher-librarians (school librarians) look at the teaching of this subject versus the way teachers of teachers, public librarians, and parents look at it.
Most school librarians, myself included, have had experiences introducing a book to children in a group when we realized that someone in the group couldn't deal with the content because he /she was not ready for it. This is a very uncomfortable feeling. Children vary so much in their ability to handle sad topics, frightening concepts or facts, and they vary in their own experiences greatly. I have also had groups with a few African-American children in them to whom I've read books about African-Americans. Sometimes the black kids in the group are uncomfortable and express it in their expressions and body language. This worries me, but I think I need to introduce the class to these books. I own 2 copies of THE MIDDLE PASSAGE because it was immediately clear to me on seeing it that it was a very important book and in fact I was waiting for it for years after hearing Tom Feelings talk about it a long time ago at the CCBC. But I am a librarian in a K-2 school and it was also obvious to me that most children of this age don't have the context for it yet (as others have mentioned). Since most school librarians introduce most books as group experiences as the most efficient way of sharing our expertise, using certain books with groups becomes difficult. I believe in buying the book and having it there for individual use by people who feel it is appropriate, including the children if they wish. If a teacher asked me about using MIDDLE PASSAGE with a group, I would discuss it with them. I have found that teachers are usually more worried about using something on the edge than I am; they tend to be wary of materials that could be controversial with parents. Our parents are very outspoken and do not hesitate to complain, which makes teachers leery of using certain types of materials.
Susan Daugherty
Susan Daugherty Librarian Franklin Elementary School Madison, WI 53505
kdaugherty at madison.k12.wi.us
Received on Thu 24 Jun 1999 07:54:41 AM CDT
