"Censorship and Book Banning" in America by Melissa Kell
This article illustrates the main idea behind censorship and gives some examples of certain instances. The main example the article gives is "The adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. The book makes use of the "n" word and is therefore deemed "questionable". The fate of "questionable" books are decided by a government organization that weighs the books educational value over its "questionable themes". However this list of books that can't be read in the classroom only effects schools who would actually want to read those books. Schools can censor their students independently without the help of the government. Schools can choose not to buy certain books which can easily censor and limit the education of students.
"School Curriculum-Hidden Curriculum"
This article refers to what schools teach to their students "under-the-radar". Aside from the regular curriculum there is a hidden curriculum that teaches other things. Things like Obedience, Punctuality and discipline are all taught in class when a teacher says "be quiet" "come to class on time" "get your work done" etc. Schools create these hidden curriculums subconsciously or consciously. They can actively instill values in students or teach a certain way to influence the students to act a certain way in that class.
"Curriculum Policy"
This pdf is an official document that contains the basis for a good curriculum. The overall theme is surprising in the fact that it asks that the students learn basic information in all subjects, the goal of advanced education isn't necessarily to learn that particular information but to encourage the student to think in different ways and expand their horizons. The Curriculum Policy also places emphasis on the arts and music and experiencing them both which not all schools have (or can afford). The overall goal of a curriculum is to learn basic information primarily and take away new ways to think from higher subjects according to this source, advanced information is only supplementary.
"Government Speech and the School Curriculum" by Professor Anne M Lousin
This article talks about certain topics that aren't discussed in schools, such as the Armenian Genocide and other genocides that don't get as much attention as the Holocaust. This may be because the government wants to talk about genocides that we've helped in to help portray America as a hero of sorts. While the government doesn't actively say what can't be taught there's a basic curriculum that must be taught to pass tests and this curriculum takes time away from topics that teachers and students would learn independent of the government. At the same time the curriculum put in place by the government is based on American history which is important to know as people who live in the US. However the government will always design its curriculums to support its own image.
"List of Banned books in Schools"
This list of banned books contains several books that would be deemed inappropriate for students, many of these are classics such as "Huckleberry Finn" (which was previously talked about in another article) "Catcher in the Rye" (Which SOF has apparently gotten away with), several dictionaries that contain biological descriptions of private parts, and "The Grapes of Wrath" was banned in Oklahoma for its use of the "n-word". This shows that schools are more worried about students coming into contact with inappropriate things than they are with actual learning. The books that were banned reveal the sub-curriculum of these schools, a lot of books were banned for the use of the "n-word" this shows that those schools don't want their students using racial slurs, this is part of their sub-curriculum. The majority of these sub-curriculums involve sheltering the students from mature topics instead of teaching the students about them in a mature manner that will help them develop a clear view of the world. Although considering the decline in teenage maturity over the years its not hard to see why censorship might be the easiest option, although it isn't the best option.
