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tmgieger t1_j20hi3b wrote

What part of the country has 12-year old reading The Outsiders in 2016? My public school in US, VA, in the 90's had to get special permission for kids to read & watch The Scarlett Letter because it discussed s-e-x. Can't imagine The Outsiders would have been allowed. I think it is great though.

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smallpaperbirds t1_j20paus wrote

I teach it every year in MA. We do a bunch of background beforehand with a digital scavenger hunt about the 60s, the author, greasers, etc . The kids get really jazzed when they find out it’s been banned or challenged in some school districts. Gets even more buy in. I’ve never one parent had push back ob this book, most of them have read it themselves and loved it. They bond with their kids while we read it.

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YasnaMutmain16 OP t1_j20kzh0 wrote

Actually it was 2017, and in Canada. I do remember we did have to get a permission slip to watch the film though.

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tmgieger t1_j20ma8o wrote

Interesting. Do you know if Canada has the same push for banning books in public schools & libraries, like Precious, GenderQueer, or The Bluest Eye. There is always an obnoxious group at school board meetings screaming about it.

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YasnaMutmain16 OP t1_j20q41b wrote

Definitely not. I know there is some hesitation on books regarding some issues but it’s much less common compared to the states. We also read a lot of controversial book according to you guys like The Giver, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Things They Carried, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Othello, and even the Marrow Thieves.

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-firead- t1_j20ncxm wrote

My son just read it this year in 7th grade, in a fairly conservative part of North Carolina. I read it when I was in 9th or 10th grade, but checked out from the library and not an assigned book.

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tmgieger t1_j20o4vw wrote

Did he have any thoughts on it? I do know 7th grade boys are famous for "I don't know" as a response to anything.

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an_imperfect_lady t1_j2229cq wrote

I taught it in Los Angeles to 7th-8th graders from 2009-2016. It wasn't a problem. Most of the kids seemed to like it.

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