Take Aways & "George"

 The novel, George, offered tells the story of a young 'man' who felt that he did not fit into who he was; he saw himself as a young lady. While reading this novel, I noticed that this was the first piece of literature I have EVER read that even touched on this subject. To me, George is a story about compassion, bravery, and accepting yourself & others-- all critical and key ideas in Middle and High School literature. However, this novel is continuously banned--which makes me wonder, 'how would you feel as a child who felt they had gender dysphoria or identified as non-binary or cis-gender and your school was fighting to ban a book like George'. Or, imagine if George (the character) learned his school was trying to ban a book like this? In George, the readers can see a clear change in the character once he sees that his principal is a supporter of transgender--but imagine if your school principal/administrator was trying to ban a book like George. Not only is the material in George so very important, but banning George sends a very hurtful message to so many students.

As I have shared several times throughout this semester, I am an English and Secondary Education major, and next year I will be teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English at a Middle School in Baltimore. This course and these novels have caused me to rethink, reconsider and reevaluate what novels I should teach. I truly want to teach The Hate U Give and George-- two novels I had never heard of until this semester. However, and this is the unfortunate side of teaching, I worry about what will my principal, parents, and administration say? Will this look bad as a first-year teacher? I can't stand that I have to question these novels, but as an educator, especially a first-year teacher, there is an element of fear over uproar and politics. 

Throughout the semester, I have wondered, How Do We Fix This? How do we stop Banning Books? How do we stop Banning Black authors and LGBTQ+ authors? Or how do we stop limiting stories about Black joy and homosexual relationships? And, I don't have an answer for this. I don't know if parents and principals will grow concerned when I teach The Hate U Give in my 8th Grade ELA Class. But I do know that it is my responsibility to continue to fight for these novels and to embrace and teach Black, female, and  LGBTQ+ authors. 

One of my favorite quotes is from Martin Luther, and it states, "If you want to change the world, then pick up a pen and writer" this quote embodies what Alex Gino, Nikki Grimes, Lauren Myracle, Raina Telgemeier, Angie Thomas, and Alice Walker are doing. 

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