Throughout the semester I have taken a look at censorship through literature. This time I wanted to explore the topic on a slightly different level and I found an article that touches on censorship with movies that are shown in class. The article is really about more than that though. One could say that it is about the censorship of class time and how it should be used.
An issue arose at Newburgh Free Academy when a new policy was put in place. The policy required the teachers to get permission to show videos in class before they are viewed. The teachers decided to make it an issue of censorship. They believed it was being done because some of the video selection was not necessarily appropriate for all viewers, and everyone know the quickest way to get what you want it to scream “CENSORSHIP”. That way the administration looks like the bad guys because they are not allowing valuable educational material to be used. The main complaint from the teachers was:
“That the new policy would prevent them from using controversial films as a way to discuss important issues in class.”
Interestingly enough the movies they discussed were those such as Saving Private Ryan and Schiendler’s List. These are excellent movies, but some of the material in them may be questionable to show students, not to mention they are rated R. Many students would have to see these movies with a parent if they were in a theater. The debate about whether the movies are appropriate or not is really beside the point. It was not the main argument posed by the administration when they created the policy. The main problem was:
“Saving Private Ryan” is 170 minutes long. By the time a teacher turns off the lights and turns on the DVD player, there goes a whole week. Depending on the length of the periods, a class watching “Schindler’s List” at 195 minutes might do nothing else for more than a week.”
So really what they are doing is more of a censorship of class time. In this regard I can see both sides of the argument. If a teacher were to show the entire movie it would take up a considerable amount of class time. Are movies educational though? I think we can all agree that showing visuals to coincide with a written material if there is a point to tying it into what is being done in class is valuable. Movies can reach a student that may have a tough time envisioning what is on the written page. They can touch the visual learner. This can really bring the text alive for this type of student. Does it take a entire movie to do this, probably not. Especially if the movie would take up a week of class time. An argument posed in the article states:
The question is not whether students should be exposed to the issues raised by these superb movies but whether a whole week in the dark has anything to do with education. These students already know how to watch movies. What they do not do as well is read and analyze — skills that will help them much more after they graduate.
Like I have previously stated, movie can do something that novels do not allow. If students are having a hard time visualizing a movie can really benefit them. Even if students do visualize well than a movie lets them see how another person interpreted the book. I do think it is important to make sure that a text is used with a movie like Private Ryan. The article suggest the book Johnny Got His Gun would show war, violence, and the effects of the war much better than a movie. This may be a book that could be read along with a viewing of part of a movie.
I found this article to be very interesting because of the variety of issues that it brought up. Class time, censorship, tying movie into reading are all very valuable issues for teacher to think about. The topic of censorship on videos and when they should be used ties into teaching as a whole, especially in an English class. The interpretation of the movie and comparing it to the literature can make for many interesting writing prompts. As far as what content is appropriate I believe the argument is the same as it is for literature. Parents are always going to have something to say. When it comes to movies a letter home may solve much of the problem and the child does not have to attend the class if there is a issue or they can work on an alternate assignment in another area.
Movies in Class are a Waste of Time
March 22, 2007
The Herald Record
