To Replace A Mockingbird
The freshmen English department plans to remove the classic from it's curriculum and integrate more relevant works
By Patricia Carmona
The freshmen English department plans to remove the classic from it's curriculum and integrate more relevant works
By Patricia Carmona
“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a novel that has been in school curricula for decades. Published in 1960, this book has been taught for almost that entire 60 years, but is often on the American Library Association’s lists of most frequently banned books.
Although the book is a standard part of high school in many districts, the Pioneer freshman English teachers have begun looking for books to replace it, to provide a more modern discussion of race, stronger characters of colors and to avoid “white savior” tropes, a common issue in literature when white characters are portrayed as heroes who must rescue characters of color.
The freshman level teachers met over the summer to discuss how to improve the curriculum in regards to racial inequality. They’re all on the same page that removing the book would be beneficial for their students. The book has not been removed officially, but the freshmen English team agreed to remove it from this year's curriculum.
English teacher Nicole Iskander doesn't think this book is relevant to teach anymore because it doesn’t align with the current issues relating to race in comparison with recent books.
“The book focuses on a historic portrayal of racism and almost gives readers a sense that racism is a thing of the past. There are contemporary books that are not only relevant but written by people of color, that are available for us to use in our curriculum.” Iskander says.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” doesn’t offer many lenses to look at when shedding light on a serious matter about racial injustice, therefore easily overshadowing the voices of the victims of racial profiling who are replaced by the white savior complexity.
“First, the language in the book is damaging. Teaching a novel with language like that can be hurtful. It’s a novel about racism, but none of the characters of color have roles with an agency. We don’t get their perspective at all,” Iskandar said. “It also perpetuates the white savior complex in regards to Atticus (Finch) and Tom (Robinson). I think it’s important to remind students that racism is not something of the past, and a way to do that is to use an up to date, relevant novel that takes on the issue.”
Iskandar’s fellow freshmen English teacher Laura Cozzella acknowledges the book’s attempt on bringing up racial issues but ultimately said it still falls flat into the white savior complex story. Atticus Finch, a white lawyer is portrayed as heroic by defending a Black man, Tom Robinson, who has been falsely accused of rape by a white woman in the novel.
“Although the novel brings up an important history behind false accusations of people of color, this is the only positive topic of the novel,” Cozzella said. “As I mentioned, there are undertones of white saviorism throughout the novel. It is Eurocentric and focuses on that.”
To steer away from the Eurocentric stories Cozzella, focuses on stories that empower minority stories and are also written by people of color.
“‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas is an amazing novel about a teenager who is stuck between two worlds and who finds her voice through activism,” Cozzella said.
Katie Ratermann also teaches freshman English and believes “To Kill A Mockingbird” has to be taught from a critical race perspective and analyzed rhetorically, but it’s best for the curriculum to discontinue this novel to create room for more relevant and varied narratives similar to “The Hate U Give” in order to read more inclusive stories students can learn from.
“I believe students deserve to read varied, authentic narratives from a variety of authors,” Ratermann said. “It is also my responsibility as an English teacher to allow students to write about their authentic experiences and to celebrate their identities by including representative, relevant texts in the classroom curriculum.”
Although the book is a standard part of high school in many districts, the Pioneer freshman English teachers have begun looking for books to replace it, to provide a more modern discussion of race, stronger characters of colors and to avoid “white savior” tropes, a common issue in literature when white characters are portrayed as heroes who must rescue characters of color.
The freshman level teachers met over the summer to discuss how to improve the curriculum in regards to racial inequality. They’re all on the same page that removing the book would be beneficial for their students. The book has not been removed officially, but the freshmen English team agreed to remove it from this year's curriculum.
English teacher Nicole Iskander doesn't think this book is relevant to teach anymore because it doesn’t align with the current issues relating to race in comparison with recent books.
“The book focuses on a historic portrayal of racism and almost gives readers a sense that racism is a thing of the past. There are contemporary books that are not only relevant but written by people of color, that are available for us to use in our curriculum.” Iskander says.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” doesn’t offer many lenses to look at when shedding light on a serious matter about racial injustice, therefore easily overshadowing the voices of the victims of racial profiling who are replaced by the white savior complexity.
“First, the language in the book is damaging. Teaching a novel with language like that can be hurtful. It’s a novel about racism, but none of the characters of color have roles with an agency. We don’t get their perspective at all,” Iskandar said. “It also perpetuates the white savior complex in regards to Atticus (Finch) and Tom (Robinson). I think it’s important to remind students that racism is not something of the past, and a way to do that is to use an up to date, relevant novel that takes on the issue.”
Iskandar’s fellow freshmen English teacher Laura Cozzella acknowledges the book’s attempt on bringing up racial issues but ultimately said it still falls flat into the white savior complex story. Atticus Finch, a white lawyer is portrayed as heroic by defending a Black man, Tom Robinson, who has been falsely accused of rape by a white woman in the novel.
“Although the novel brings up an important history behind false accusations of people of color, this is the only positive topic of the novel,” Cozzella said. “As I mentioned, there are undertones of white saviorism throughout the novel. It is Eurocentric and focuses on that.”
To steer away from the Eurocentric stories Cozzella, focuses on stories that empower minority stories and are also written by people of color.
“‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas is an amazing novel about a teenager who is stuck between two worlds and who finds her voice through activism,” Cozzella said.
Katie Ratermann also teaches freshman English and believes “To Kill A Mockingbird” has to be taught from a critical race perspective and analyzed rhetorically, but it’s best for the curriculum to discontinue this novel to create room for more relevant and varied narratives similar to “The Hate U Give” in order to read more inclusive stories students can learn from.
“I believe students deserve to read varied, authentic narratives from a variety of authors,” Ratermann said. “It is also my responsibility as an English teacher to allow students to write about their authentic experiences and to celebrate their identities by including representative, relevant texts in the classroom curriculum.”