Read Across America and Cancel Culture?

 Read Across America is held each year on March 2nd.  I know this because it's my mom's birthday, and she shares her birthday with Dr. Seuss. What a great day of celebration for all ages! Exciting activities are planned by dedicated teachers for this special day.  Students and teachers celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss! And Dr. Seuss happens to be one of my MOST favorite authors with his rhythmic-style and "coined" words and phrases.  Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, is simply one-of-a-kind.  And who doesn't love a rare treasure?  

Not many years ago, Dr. Seuss was labeled "progressive." Several of his most famous books including The Butter Battle Book and The Lorax were considered "controversial". With themes related to the nuclear arms race or conserving our natural resources, perhaps Dr. Seuss was ahead of his time.  Yet, it was his seemingly-simple books that led to the best conversations, creations, and ideas from my students!  Dr. Seuss's books invigorated students (and their teachers) on March 2nd each year.

So one can only imagine my surprise after reading that the Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia  chose to "Cancel Dr. Seuss" citing racial undertones. 

"As we become more culturally responsive and racially conscious, all building leaders should know that in recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss," the school district continued.

See the following link for the article. https://www.foxnews.com/us/loudoun-county-public-schools-dr-seuss-racial-undertones 

 Baffling.  If I thought for one minute that this was true, I would have never used these books in my classroom.  Not one single time did I ever detect any racism.  Never.  And just in case I missed it, at least one of the hundreds of students that transitioned through my classroom for over twenty years would have noticed.  AND that student would have mentioned it to his/her parents who would have certainly informed me that there was a problem.  It did not happen. Not one time.

So canceling Dr. Seuss aka Read Across America Day is a problem for me on many levels. 

First, reading is a complex skill.  Students learn to read at different rates. Research shows that one in five people suffer from dyslexia or other language based learning disabilities. (Dyslexic students often require a structured, multi-sensory, Orton Gillingham-based literacy program.) Comprehension involves six complicated skills, therefore the challenging task of learning to read should be celebrated!

Next, reading provides freedom. It allows us to escape into a fantasy world, travel back in time to historical events,  study newly-discovered data, and determine the ingredients needed to create one's favorite dessert. This seemingly simple skill is a requirement even for small tasks and should never be taken for granted. This freedom most definately demands to be celebrated!   

Finally, reading provides the groundwork needed to begin a variety of conversations.  Whether it results from an incredible sports play described in an internet article, the debate of a Shakespearean play during English class, or the dialogue exchange about a Biblical passage during your small group, reading leads to liberation.  It sparks creative conversations leading to new inventions and provides essential information necessary for panel discussions. Reading promotes growth both personal growth and growth in our society. The ability to read is truly liberating.

For these reasons, I do not understand why Loudoun County Public School would choose to cancel Read Across American Day and Dr. Seuss.  

When the illogical is deemed logical, I am forced to ask difficult questions.  

• What would be the reasons to cancel the celebration of Dr. Seuss and reading?    
• Is reading not important to this school system anymore?
• Does the current administration desire for their students to be forever dependent upon the bureaucracy? Why?
• Why would a school district stop reading books by Dr. Seuss after so many years? (Will teachers be allowed to show the Seuss-inspired movies with a Hollywood spin?)
  
• Is this "Cancel Culture" behavior due to the themes in Dr. Seuss's books? (Many of his themes encourage conversation and promote creativity and logical thinking.)
• Could this public school system in Virginia want to crush creativity and problem-solving strategies in their students? Why?

I could go on, but I'm confident you get the message.  

According to the above article, Learning for Justice, a liberal education advocacy group, pressured the district into putting a hault on the yearly celebration honoring Dr. Seuss.  The article states that Learning for Justice (in efforts to uphold the mission of Southern Poverty Law Center) determined that Dr. Seuss's writing and illustrations include racial undertones according to research. 

Please understand my message. Cancel Culture is not the way.  Open conversations (also known as the freedom of speech) lead to a deeper understanding for everyone involved. Policy change is an option, but only after a particular situation has been discussed openly and fairly. You may disagree with my opinion, and I am just fine with that.  What we all MUST agree on is that the cancel policy hurts everyone- not just one side or the other.  Instead, we must agree to abide by a code of ethics in order to collaborate effectively and together determine how to proceed in these situations. Only then will we begin to build bridges and understand one another on a deeper level.  

Proverbs 27::17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." With God's help, we can share differing opinions in authentic and productive conversations while showing God's love for our fellow man. I believe that is a WIN-WIN combination.