Questionable
Curriculum:
Violence in Kiddie Lit
It's bad enough that there's so much violence in TV,
movies and video games these days. Must there also be violence in assigned
reading in school?
Apparently, it's on the rise.
Aggression and conflict are increasingly found in the books selected for
English classes at all grade levels. Thankfully it is rarely as graphic and
disturbing as what's shown on popular "fight" cartoons and video games.
But just by being on assigned or
recommended reading lists, books with violent scenes get an unspoken "seal of
approval" that kids are likely to take the wrong way.
Nobody wants the truth censored. Of
course we need to teach kids about violence, with a purpose of helping them
grow up to be peaceful problem-solvers.
But all of us want the truth given to schoolchildren
in age-appropriate, balanced doses. And gang-type violence in school curriculum
is just flat wrong.
It's possible that educators feel that the action and
excitement of story lines that feature real-life conflict, aggression, war,
battles and fights will draw children in to reading. The problem is, when the
material is sanctioned by school, it has even more influence on the child than
what's available in the private marketplace.
And we hear from all kinds of sources that the more
violence children see or read about, whether in school or elsewhere, the more
violent they become.
Monkey see, monkey do. Ever heard of
that? Bad modeling is always bad, even when it's presented to kids in an effort
to help them AVOID what they see, read and hear.
We've known for a long time that children tend to
become what's modeled for them. Consider these principles from a 1951 book, "Children Who Hate: A Sensitive Analysis of
the Anti-Social Behavior of Children In Their Response to the Adult
World," by Professors Fritz Redl and David Wineman (New York:
Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.):
n Children who have a
"sick conscience" often have had role models who demonstrated only
negative behaviors such as how to be hateful, hostile and aggressive.
"Seldom do they observe tenderness, feelings of mutual consideration,
helpfulness or concern." Violent books in school that do not feature
"good" characters or heroes wind up making the "bad guys" into the heroes in
kids' eyes.
n The best way to keep a
child from becoming a juvenile delinquent is to work to develop and encourage
the child's "behavior controls." This book describes 22 of those
controls, including:
• tolerance for frustration
• ability to cope with insecurity, anxiety and fear
• temptation resistance
• ability to resist group psychological intoxication
• ability to resist a negative initiatory act
• ability to delay gratification.
n The weaker the child's set
of controls, the more suggestible he or she will be to participate in a bad
behavior.
n Commonly, a child may think
of an act of aggression or delinquency, and provoke someone else to do it. Then
they join in — and blame the initiator (p. 187). The initiator may be another
child, something he's read, or something he's seen.
n Without trusted adult role
models acting as key inhibitors of aggression, and counteracting it, the
children are stimulated to unbridled expression of hate. (p. 248)
Obviously, schools need to be very careful about
depictions of violence in the reading and other presentations made to children.
Parents who care will preview the curriculum. Similarly, after-school program
staff need to be aware of violent content in the books in their own libraries,
or other media sources, and keep it away from kids.
If anyone who cares about kids sees violence in media
that crosses the line, object strenuously to the after-school instructor and
management, or the school teacher, principal and school board, if necessary,
and request more temperate, civilizing and uplifting book selections instead.
By Susan Darst Williams • www.AfterSchoolTreats.com • Reading • © 2010
