Alternatives
When youth are assigned to a book or topic that makes you or them uncomfortable what then?
There are a number of alternatives that provide a simple solution.
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Alternatives in a Nutshell
In today’s schools, there are a plethora of new opportunities to calm the censorship wars. There are eBooks that can be personalized or collaborative conversation. When teachers choose a topic over a title, such as the Holocaust, then there are a wide variety of choices, ranging from books to multimedia, to help a wide variety of abilities and even mirrors and windows into culturally relevant closely related topical concerns. Parents can be involved in a choice for their child or teen and teachers, administrators, and policies often readily provide alternatives to a one size fits all book. Credentialed school librarians are poised to help parents, teachers, and learners select from a banquet of possibilities without shouting at one another. In short, when choice happens, everyone succeeds.
For Parents
Who Can I Talk to About My Child's Resistance to Reading at Home or School?
The Answer? Talk to Your School Or Public Librarian!
Whether a school librarian or your public librarian, they can help address common barriers to reading that your child may be experiencing at home or in the classroom. Additionally, they can point you in the right direction for alternative resources based on their assessment of your child's needs and yours as parents (The American Library Association, 2017). The American Library Association has posted FAQs on the types of questions and answers your librarian can give you regarding materials in the collection and which ones are right for your child based on their individual needs.
Librarians are committed to providing all patrons with resources and information services regarding patron needs (The American Library Association, 2022). Rest assured, your school librarian or public children or youth librarian will be able to guide you and your child in the right direction to bridge the gap in their literacy levels and get them engaged with reading with the correct formats and content at the right level.
For children with learning or physical impairments, you might find that your library also has a committee dedicated to training staff and working with the community to ensure accessible services and resources, which include alternative formats (Rubin, 2019). Another example of how librarians can help is their knowledge of different strategies and methods to address other barriers to reading, such as reading anxiety or issues surrounding comfort levels with a book's content or themes (The American Library Association, 2022; Essential Partners, 2022). Librarians are also equipped to help teens enjoy reading at school or home. Librarians often develop book clubs to engage with teens to reduce anxiety with reading and increase their reading and comprehension levels (The American Library Association, 2017). So, ask your librarian about book clubs offered if you have a teen at home experiencing reading anxiety or issues staying engaged.
You can explore the resources linked below from the ALA for better context in librarianship and how your librarian can help you.
Dialogue & Deliberation Resources for Libraries
Tips for Working With Teen Readers Facing Challenges With Reading Level and Engagement
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Who Can I Talk to When My Child Is Assigned or Wants to Read a Book That Makes Me Uncomfortable as a Parent? The Answer? Your Librarian!
While libraries and librarians are duty-bound to acquire and maintain a diverse collection of materials for the information needs of communities, they also acknowledge and understand patrons may feel reluctant or confused about the inclusion of some materials. Each year, libraries are faced with concerns from the public, such as parents, over the books their children are exposed to because of their themes or content arising from cultural differences or alternate perceptions regarding topics such as race, gender, and religion (The American Library Association, 2022).
However, librarians are knowledgeable in speaking to patrons such as parents like you regarding concerns over book titles that you may feel uncomfortable with for such reasons. Your librarian is the best person to speak to about these concerns, and they will work with you respectfully and professionally to propose solutions such as an alternative book title that is appropriate and ensure your child is not being held back from essential learning opportunities (The American Library Association, 2022).
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