In recent years, countless schools across the country have been considering changing or removing books from their curriculum to avoid controversial topics or even to make lessons appear more up to date with the newer generations. While updating education is heavily important, changing books that have been used in school curriculums can do more harm than good. Books that have been used throughout the years are educational, historical and can push students to analyze the meaning beyond just the words. Schools should keep established books in the curriculum instead of replacing them with newer, updated books.
A major reason why schools should not change curriculum books is because many of them contain important information about history and social lessons. Classic novels like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Great Gatsby” reflect the certain time period they were written in, allowing students to understand history, culture and different perspectives better. Even if a book contains outdated information like older language or difficult themes, it doesn’t mean it should be replaced with something new. Instead, teachers should use those moments to encourage discussion and critical thinking. Rather than avoiding uncomfortable topics, they should use them as a learning opportunity.
Another issue with changing books is that it can ultimately lead to disrupted learning. When schools switch curriculum materials, teachers must constantly create new lesson plans, assignments, quizzes. This can lead to rushed lessons or holes in student learning. Keeping the curriculum books consistent allows teachers to improve what they already have and keep a stable learning environment.
Changing books can also lead to some censorship. Some books that are currently being used are filled with challenging beliefs and controversial topics. However, education should always keep exposing such valuable topics to students. It helps them view different ideologies rather than just ones that are with their times. Reading these books that showcase unfamiliar viewpoints helps students learn things like empathy and develop their own opinions while thinking independently on complex topics. Taking complex, challenging material away from students can weaken their ability to create their own ideologies and opinions on certain topics.
Another important reason schools should not change books in the curriculum is that classics and old texts that have been around for a long time often connect generations of students. Parents, older siblings and even teachers might find that they have read the same books when they were in school. This shared experience with books can create meaningful conversations at home and in the classroom. When books remain a part of the curriculum, overtime they become a big part of educational tradition. Students can hear different perspectives from people of all different ages.
Schools should definitely keep all books in their curriculum the same simply to just avoid lack of exposure on certain topics for all students. Historical, established books produce critical thinking and provide students with topics to analyze. With keeping the same books teachers can show students how to understand and discuss them thoroughly. Such classic books are so well known across the country in education because they are just that informative for people learning.
