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Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird

10/16/2022

41 Comments

 
Respond to this week's teaching scenario. To Kill a Mockingbird is still often taught as the (only) text that discusses race in the secondary education classroom. In your response, to this week's class, write about your experience of reading the text, and then, what you would do as a teacher of this text to problematize this novel as a story that is meant to explore race in the United States.

This week’s scenario is West Bridgewater Middle-Senior high school. West Bridgewater has an enrollment—for both middle and high school—of 606 students. It’s a small school in a small town. Also, Plymouth county is one of the most politically conservative towns in the entire state. That doesn’t necessarily mean any one thing in particular, but the parents of these students live in this county and it’s these households they were raised in.
 
There is minimal information available about WB high. Here is what I could find:
  • 506 verbal, 508 math, 496 writing 1510 total (2015–2016) If this matters at all, 500 is the cut off score in the old SAT for placement in ENGL 101. So, on the average, these students just barely place into 101.
I did find a little information about the town itself, which, again, can tell you something about who the students are who attend WB.
  • The racial makeup of the town (in the last census) was 96.40% White, 0.95% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

  • There were 2,444 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families.
  • The median income for a household in the town was $55,958, and the median income for a family was $64,815. Males had a median income of $41,863 versus $31,835 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,701. About 2.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

So, considering what we can know, what would be the joys and complexities of teaching this book?
41 Comments
Meaghan Cook
10/17/2022 03:23:12 am

When I first read To Kill A Mockingbird (in 2008), I was in 10th grade at a predominately white high school with a predominately white staff. To be honest, I think we may have patted ourselves on the back for reading a “banned” book that openly discussed race. We took pride in the conversations that were started that centered around racial injustice and the corruption of the criminal justice system. And then we moved on and read The Great Gatsby. No further conversations of race were had, nor did we truly discuss or even acknowledge the dichotomy of Gatsby’s privilege compared to the characters of TKAM. It is my sincere hope that this lesson looks a lot different in high school classrooms today.

If I were to teach TKAM to a class of students in 2022, we would open up the themes of racial injustice a lot more. We would actually acknowledge that, although Atticus Finch is often lauded as a hero, Tom Robinson is ultimately killed when trying to escape police custody. Not only is he killed, but he is shot 17 times, while running away. It is my hope that the classroom discussion could then lead into the parallels to modern day police shootings of unarmed Black men and the multitude of injustices that people of color still face today at the hands of the police.

My main issue with To Kill A Mockingbird is that it is a book about race written by and about a white woman. As Darryl Potyk and Cicely White wrote, the story is told from a perspective of white privilege. It is also told from the perspective of a child, who is largely naive to the realities of the world at large. If I were to teach a unit on To Kill A Mockingbird, I would supplement this book with novels such as The Hate U Give, If Beale Street Could Talk, and An American Marriage. Ideally, I would have my students compare and contrast these modern examples of racial injustice with To Kill A Mockingbird and ask them to explain how the same story can still be told all these years later. I would point to the parallels, as well as ask them to spot any differences.

Reply
Megan Moore
10/17/2022 05:46:32 am

Hi Meaghan, I really enjoyed reading through your ideas. Unfortunately, it seems like not much changed from when you first read this novel in high school in 2008 to when I first read it in 2016. It's very easy for teachers to approach this novel from a self-righteous position, but not much learning actually gets accomplished that way. I really love your idea of using other texts by Black authors to compliment "To Kill a Mockingbird." "If Beale Street Could Talk" is a personal favorite of mine, and I also wrote a bit about it. Reading novels by Black authors is a great way to get students looking at the text of TKAM more closely. In the case of "If Beale Street Could Talk," students could be asked something such as "these two novels cover very similar events from different perspectives, what makes them different from one another?" Students would be able to unpack these differences in a more natural way and discover for themselves why TKAM doesn't accomplish what many believe it does. Emphasizing Scout's naïve outlook and white privilege is another excellent way to show how detached the narrator is from the events of the novel. Students of any race are probably more aware of the history of racism in the US than they were even five years ago, and I think that English teachers can harness this awareness to make "To Kill a Mockingbird" a worthwhile read.

Reply
Sydney Blair
10/17/2022 12:50:13 pm

Hi Meaghan,
Like Megan M. said, unfortunately not much has changed from when you were taught this novel in school. I remember when I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, we didn't dive into the deep issues it faced, we didn't relate it to the world we live in today, and we certainly did not discuss the many injustices throughout the story. Like you said, we mostly just patted ourselves on the back because we were reading a "banned" book in hopes that we could start important conversations, but after the unit was over, so were the conversations. I think your idea of how you would present this novel is great. You are so right, being written by a white woman, and then being told the story through the eyes of a white child does not give an honest/realistic portrayal. I believe if you connect those modern day stories written and told through the eyes of a person of color it could really show to students how similar yet different these stories are and really start important conversations. Really great post!

Reply
Meaghan Cook
10/18/2022 07:30:05 am

Hi there Meaghan,

I had a similar experience as you did when reading TKAM as a high school student. Like you, we read the book, sort of talked about how white people are racist--not Atticus or Scout though. You said your school was predominantly white, mine was not and had a lot of diversity within the student body. Regardless of the student body, teaching TKAM and ignoring the problematic white saviorism and inherent stereotyping is harmful to students in today's world.

I really like your idea of connecting Tom Robinson's horrific murder to those of the police brutality and violence unarmed African Americans face in today's world. Would you do more readings? Videos? News articles? I think videos, or personal accounts would be most moving.

I'd suggest that you might want some readings or videos that help bridge this gap of understanding for students at WB middle-high.

Reply
Allison Raposo
10/19/2022 03:00:04 am

I really enjoyed hearing your perspective about reading this book in high school and how the information was presented to you. I also liked how you mentioned that you immediately read "The Great Gatsby" and that some of the key elements were also not discussed. I had a similar experience when being taught that text, I did not learn about the deeper meanings behind the significant scenes.

Reply
Megan Moore
10/17/2022 05:17:38 am

In an ideal world, "To Kill a Mockingbird" would not be the only novel I use to discuss race in my classroom and the various ways in which authors discuss anti-Black racism in particular. In a perfect world, this novel would be discussed as more of a historical text and we would be able to openly discuss the problematic ways in which it discusses race and white saviorism. However, I realize that these scenarios are oftentimes not the circumstances under which TKAM is taught. When I read this novel my freshman year of high school (2016) and again my junior year (2018), my teachers did discuss the ways in which the novel was problematic, but only briefly. We touched on this is maybe two class periods out of the entire month we spent on the novel.
If I were to teach this novel in West Bridgewater, I would begin by placing the novel within its historical context. The first class period or two would be spent learning about the Scottsboro Boys, Emmett Till, Harper Lee, and the various reasons this novel has been banned in the United States. I would also explain to the class that no one will be saying the n-word while discussing this novel even when reading aloud from the text. Not only are slurs not allowed in my classroom, a Black student should not have to suffer through hearing their non-Black classmates say a racial slur.
While reading "To Kill a Mockingbird," I would give opportunities for students to share their thoughts on the discussions of race and the themes of inequality as a whole as they are presented in the novel. What do they think is done well and what do they believe is problematic? I would also like to have students read and discuss secondary sources such as the ones we read about how this novel was problematic even when first published almost 60 years ago. It would also be worthwhile to show portions of the documentary "Thirteenth" and discuss (but not show) the film "The Birth of a Nation," and how these historical beliefs also informed TKAM. Most importantly, I would not use this novel to teach white students why racism is bad. That's just insulting and insensitive to students of color.
If there's enough time, I would love for students to read "If Beale Street Could Talk" by James Baldwin and compare it to TKAM. If that's not possible, I'd at least like to have students read a short story with similar themes by a Black author. I think that "To Kill a Mockingbird" can absolutely be taught well at the secondary school level, it's just rarely done so.

Reply
Samantha Tyrrell
10/17/2022 07:40:10 am

I think your inclusion of supplemental works is a great idea. TKAM works best if paired with more modern depictions of racial inequality, and your suggestions to include "Thirteenth" and "If Beale Street Could Talk" accomplish that. Discussions of "The Birth of a Nation" would also provide more historical context surrounding the novel regarding racism.

Reply
Megan Keller
10/17/2022 07:51:03 pm

Hi Megan,
I really enjoyed your ideas surrounding using other works to accentuate the novel and its main ideas. I really enjoyed reading about how you will make the novel cooperative for all students and how other sources will help students understand the full topic of racism.

Reply
Allison Raposo
10/19/2022 03:12:03 am

I think how you introduce this text to the students is extremely effective by giving the students a background of the time period. Due to the population of students we are dealing with many of them are unfamiliar with the definition of racism. I like how dedicated you are to teaching this text at the secondary education level, and I feel that more teachers should have this mentality.

Reply
Samantha Tyrrell
10/17/2022 07:36:29 am

To Kill a Mockingbird presents a challenge in the classroom. It is a novel that deals with complex issues, like racial inequality and the loss of innocence. TKAM is a complex novel that does some things well but is problematic in other ways, so it can easily fall short if not taught well. I first read the novel in high school around 2015, and there was not a complex discussion surrounding it in the classroom. The furthest we got was "racism is bad." While not a bad conclusion, it fell short of what the novel is capable of teaching. If I were to teach the novel, I would discuss historical context, and supplement with more modern novels and films that handle the topic of race in more balanced ways. I would ask my students in what ways was the novel progressive for its time, and in what ways was it very much of its time. I would approach TKAM as not the final word in teaching race in the classroom, but more of a beginning point.

Reply
Allie Gallahue
10/18/2022 05:17:05 am

Hi Samantha!
I really like how you ended your response by saying that this novel will just be the beginning of teaching race in the classroom. I feel as though many students, including myself, only got this one novel to teach about racism in my English classes. I do not believe that this is a practice that the next generation of teachers should be indulging in, and I'm really glad that you are going to work against this.

Reply
Maddy Ames
10/18/2022 01:20:00 pm

Samantha! I liked reading your post because I also would use TKAM as the beginning of a unit, not the only piece of literature. The diversity of perspective is so important in the classroom. I also like your mention of the complexity of TKAM. There are so many themes within Lee's novel that can take on a life of their own in a class discussion. I like how you want to take a discussion beyond the cliched "racism is bad" and instead, add depth to the story and make it applicable today.

Reply
Sydney Blair
10/17/2022 10:20:25 am

Although a controversial text, To Kill a Mockingbird is such an important text, especially in today’s world. Because of its controversy it is important that this novel is presented in an appropriate way. As I read this for the first time since high school, I found myself having a whole new perspective on this story. What I thought was once a story about finding justice, I have now realized how it really puts a spotlight on how naïve, unfair, and judgmental we can be as a society. This novel exploits the injustices, segregation, and the flaws the judicial system was/is as well as pointing out the issue of systemic racism. I think that these topics are extremely prevalent in todays society, and this story allows us to create conversations by letting us connect aspects of this story to modern day. As I read the text, I found myself comparing it a lot to what is going on in the world today, especially in the past 5 years. As a teacher, I would present this story in a way that would relate this story to the world we are living in today. I would first present the book and acknowledge the fact that there are false narratives and problems presented throughout the text. After the text has been read as a class, I would create a discussion to see what the class sees wrong within the text. This could create very heavy and maybe controversial conversations, so I would have to facilitate it to make sure it stays respectful and appropriate. I would want my students to understand why this text is so problematic and how that it is important that we learn from the mistakes made in history and in this book and connect it to events that are happening in modern day. This creates a sense of connection to what was once just a book to now an understanding that not much has changed in the world today. I would want my students to understand that this book is controversial because it brings to light some heavy topics, but it is up to us to not let these books become banned, because if they become unread, how will we learn from them?

Reply
Meaghan Cook
10/17/2022 01:35:34 pm

Hi Sydney,

I agree that it is important to read books that have been banned or otherwise challenged by the popular narrative. I think it’s important for everyone to read outside of their own experience, and in the case of TKAM, teaching it to a school that is predominantly white and middle class is important. It offers perspectives that the students would not otherwise be exposed to. I appreciate your willingness to open up the class to difficult conversations, and those are typically the ones most worth having. I think the mistake in teaching TKAM would be to let the conversation end there, and I would encourage students to continue to seek out stories told outside of their own perspectives.

Reply
Adam Fernandes
10/17/2022 12:23:22 pm

If I were to teach the novel, I would find primary sources (diaries, autobiographies) of abolitionists, and others who strove to end racial inequality, and teach about the laws that have passed that made things more equal. Additionally, I would have the class read and analyze newspaper articles about race and racism from the 1920s and 30s and compare them to today. By doing so, I would hope the class would start seeing racism as something that isn't "over" but is something that is slowly improving.

Reply
Alexa Delling
10/17/2022 02:19:44 pm

A text such as To Kill a Mockingbird has often been read lightly in high school classrooms and the most I can remember is my white male teaching reading the “n” word every time it came up in the story and me cringing in my seat as that haunting word should never be spoken, even if it is apart of a book. I found myself a bit angry when dissecting this text primarily because the predominantly white town I came from did not emphasize enough on the racist and inconsiderate remarks within this text towards the black community. As I read this book a long time ago, I do remember learning about other historic events around the time of this reading like the horrifying events of Emmett Till. But, overall, I would go to English class, my teacher would read some chapters while repeating the n word repeatedly and then I would go on for the day with a pit in my stomach. How could this happen? Why did this happen? This was all very confusing and overwhelming as a 10th grade student. Was this story supposed to add “diversity” into a largely white community? I mention my experience because overall, this is the exact opposite of what I would do. One of the major changes I would make when discussing this text would be to add in discussions of articles like the one read for today “Why To Kill a Mockingbird Is a Fraud” by Frances W. Kaye. This article explicitly states the racist stereotypes of the black community and how as young readers in the past we may have been misconstrued from the true meaning and goals of this novel. I would explicitly discuss the racist intent of the characters as well as the author. As my class would know, history is very dark in many periods of time, and I would want to teach this text in a raw but also comforting way. Within the past couple years, the media and news involving the black community has struck chords across the nation and sadly, we can see parallels from Lee’s story in the world we live in today. By teaching this text, my hopes would be that these tragic and unjust events would open my student’s eyes to a life they have never had to live and to truly put themselves in someone else’s shoes. It is never easy to teach impressionable students about tragic events in the past and in the present, but it is something that must be done.

Reply
Mary Viera
10/30/2022 04:22:00 pm

Hi Alexa! You make a really strong point that it’s important we teach this text with all it’s rawness. I like the questions you raise, and how you use those questions as a foundation for lesson planning. I agree that reading Kaye’s article is crucial to teaching TKAM. It changed my reading of TKAM, and I wonder if you would introduce this before or after the students read the novel? I also like how you draw connections between the text and what’s going on in the world today. Literature is a powerful tool to be able to help students make these connections and look for them on their own.

Reply
Megan Keller
10/17/2022 07:44:36 pm

When looking at how I would personally teach To Kill A Mockingbird in the classroom I have been given, I would definitely focus on the more recent discussions involving racial tensions in America. It is clear that racial inequality is yet again at an all-time high in America and in order to discuss the novel, we need to also talk about recent times. Once there is a brief discussion on the more recent racial tensions, I feel it is also important to discuss the time in which TKAM was written to familiarize my students with the work and the events that inspired the novel. This can include primary sources to fully acclimate and allow my students to immerse themselves into just how real these racial inequalities were. As I was told, most of the class is white and I feel it is important for my classes to have that sense of background before reading. Once the students read, I feel that discussing race and relations to today's racism is needed. The students will compare and contrast the novel's racism to today's racism. I feel this will be beneficial for the students to see how their own experiences and today’s news can relate to the novel that is so important to read in its entirety.

Reply
Allie Gallahue
10/18/2022 05:11:51 am

Hi Megan!
I did not think to compare this novel with race issues that we are seeing today. I think that using current events with this class would be really beneficial, given that it will be difficult for them to understand/relate to the content since they are not Black themselves. Although they still will not be able to relate, they will be able to make conections between the novel and what they see happening today, either in front of them or on the news, that will help them better comprehend the race issues they're reading about.

Reply
Allie Gallahue
10/18/2022 05:07:33 am

When I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in 2017 as a freshman in high school, I was told by my white teacher, while sitting in a class of 32 white students, that talking about the “race issue” in this novel was “uncomfortable.” This has always bothered me, and I knew that I would never teach this text the way that she did; this novel can not be read or discussed if people ignore the issues with race that Lee wrote about. I think that before starting the novel I would give context of the time the novel was written. For example, I would heavily inform my students about the Jim Crow Laws. I would also teach them about the impact that the Great Depression had on people, specifically members of the Black community. Throughout the novel, I would remind my students about how the speaker comes from a privileged, white household, as touched upon in “Another Lesson from the Mockingbird: Institutional Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.” Not only do we not get this story about race from someone who is not Black, but we also do not get this story from the perspective of an adult who understands what is going on around her to the full extent in which it is happening. This school struggles with a lack of diversity, but it is still so important that everyone is taught about the history of Black people.

Reply
Katie Rodrigues
10/18/2022 11:51:40 am

Hi Allie,

I think it is interesting how as future teachers we learn how not to teach by the example of previous teachers we have had, such as you mentioned when you said that you would not teach this book like your freshman year teacher. I can relate to that, as I am sure many other people could as well.

I like that you would teach your students about the Jim Crow Laws so that they would have some background information as to what was going on in this time period. I also agree with you that it is important to note that the narrator is from the point of view of a privileged child.

Reply
Jenivieve D'Andrea
10/18/2022 07:09:10 am

Knowing West Bridgewater very well, since my cousin grew up there, its evident that teaching TKAM here would pose especially great challenges. I think in many ways, the close knit neighborhood of Maycomb county is similar to the small-town of West Bridgewater. Students understand the importance of who you know, and what you know about them--just as Scout shows through her vivid descriptions of her neighbors throughout the novel. When I read TKAMB in 2014 my teachers never mentioned that there is a problematic nature to this seemingly lovely story about valuing the content of individuals instead of their skin. However, since this is clearly not the case, a town like West Bridgewater that lacks diversity can definitely benefit from this lesson.

To start, I would begin by giving students historical context before reading TKAM. Brief lessons on topics such as Brown v. Board of Education, Harper Lee, Emmett Till, and integration. By doing so, students will develop an understanding of the conditions in the south that Lee's story takes place.

While reading Lee's novel, doing research on her support of segregationists, I would ask students to question Lee's intentions. Why does Lee portray Atticus as the hero? Who else, besides Tom Robinson, is portrayed as helpless? What is problematic about her descriptions of African Americans? Why is it problematic that a black jury is impossible? Why is it problematic that only 4 black people in Maycomb can read?

It's important to address these questions because the majority white student body needs to understand the issue with white complacency, and saviorism mentality. To teach this novel in a dynamic way, I would support the primary text with supplementary texts by African American authors. I would also include a Moth Story by Juliette Holmes called "Colored Water" about her experiences grocery shopping in the deep segregated south. I would also have them read the article "I've got this vision of justice': Why To Kill a Mockingbird Is a Fraud" after completing the novel to support the discussions that are had while reading.

This text will pose challenges because of the slurs, and racial implications. For one, students will not be allowed to read those slurs aloud in class. Another aspect is the lack of diversity in this district, and low performing students might find the content complex, and unrelatable or support the saviorism notion.

Reply
Chloe Tavernier
10/18/2022 08:44:53 am

Hi Jenivieve,
I really liked how you intend to bring these impactful questions that further illustrate the discriminatory landscape that these characters find themselves in. These significant questions, such as “Why is it problematic that a black jury is impossible” or “Why is it problematic that only four black people in Maycomb can read” are often ignored and not given proper acknowledgement. I’m glad that you are bringing these pressing and significant details to the forefront for students, as this will assuredly help them comprehend the sheer magnitude of the horrifying effects of racism.

Reply
Chloe Tavernier
10/18/2022 08:19:45 am

I’m certain, just like my peers, my first experience with reading, How to Kill Mockingbird was in highschool as it was a required reading assignment. It is certainly illuminating how many of the messages, characters, and especially its thematic symbols continue to prove relevant even after six decades since its publication. It's both astonishing and discomforting how many parallels and connections can be made with the occurrences and the events that transpired in the novel, to the racial tensions that are continually discussed in the present era. How the emotions it stirs still strongly resonates and continues to be attributable to modern day racial and social inequities, injustice, and prejudice. If I was an instructor, I would approach my lesson involving TKAM, I would first provide my students with a summary of how systematic racism was exhibited in the past. I would also provide historical elements, such as the case of Emmett Till or the Scottsboro Boys, that help put into perspective how prominent the dogmas of stereotypes, discriminatory judgement and flagrant injustice were. Following a brief discussion, I would then ask my students to identify in what ways was TKAM problematic, especially when considering the false narratives. I would intend to use TKAM as an introduction point of sorts to begin delving into the ever-persistent topic of racism, inequality, and inequity, but I wouldn't solely linger on TKAM as the only means to this end. I also supplement my lesson students by allowing students to become familiar with Black authors of more recently published works that tackle similarly relevant and pressing multicultural and or racial issues in America such as Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and Dear Martin by Nic Stone.

Reply
katie rodrigues
10/18/2022 11:45:40 am


To Kill a Mockingbird is a controversial book that has been banned in schools across America due to the taboo language and topics that it depicts. Therefore, this book must be approached in an appropriate manner and engage students in meaningful conversations.
If I were to teach this book, I would make sure that there would be an in depth discussion about the racial injustice that is seen in this book and parallels that we see in today’s society. There are clear links that can be seen throughout this book and the injustice system today and I would make sure that that is talked about in the classroom when reading.
Another thing we would discuss in class is how this book could be problematic. This book is supposedly about the injustice that an African American man faces, but it is centered around the white character’s in the book, who clearly are privileged. Scout’s dad, Atticus, is also praised for doing this work, even though it should be a normal thing to do, had the town not been racist. Atticus takes on the “white savior” complex due to his actions of defending Tom Robinson publicly. We are reading a book about social injustice from the perspective of someone who grew up privileged in this time period. I believe that this could lead to some good classroom discussions. I would like to talk about how the students think the book would have been different had it been from a different character’s point of view, such as Tom Robinson’s and how that would have made it a completely different book entirely.
When I would teach this book I would also have students do a writing exercise of their own pertaining to the book. I would want to do some pre-reading exercises with the students before we actually got into reading. I would have them write down times in their lives where as they grew up, maybe they changed their opinion about something. It could be something miniscule or something vast, just to get them writing.

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Allison Raposo
10/18/2022 12:00:20 pm

I had not previously read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in high school like many of my peers have. Upon reading the comments of my current peers in this class I have noticed that they were not taught about the book's true meaning, and the symbolism behind it.
As a future educator in this school system of West Bridgewater being primarily white they are most likely unfamiliar with the ideas of racism. I will connect the ideas and themes of the text to the current events in our society where racism has ruined the lives of so many people. I will give a background of the time period "To Kill a Mockingbird", depicting the struggles that these students would never have to encounter in their lives. I will then show an example of a currently event of racism within the past two years and ask them to write down some of the similarities. I will then ask them to define racism in their own words after learning about these topics. After I will have them work together to read each others definitions to understand the perspectives of their peers.

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Maddy Ames
10/18/2022 01:06:18 pm

I echo the same sentiment as my classmates: when I first encountered TKAM, I was taught that it was a book of liberation; however, as I revisited it and gave it more thought, I feel the way I was taught to view it is not necessarily correct. If I were to teach it myself, I would preface it with a discussion on critical race theory and asking the students why they think books get banned. Then, I would try to connect both CRT and our discussion on banned books to TKAM. Throughout the book, I would implement smaller lessons on the evolution of the American judicial system (pros and cons), and segregation in the South during the time the book was written/published. Then, after we finished TKAM, I would ask my students to discuss what they thought about TKAM in relation to our series of mini-lessons and discussions. After we finished our book, I would introduce poetry by Maya Angelou and books like The Hate U Give to turn it into a unit. My hope would be to showcase powerful black authors and literature instead of only using literature where they are oppressed. I understand as a white, middle-class female, my perspective has extreme limitations, so I would do my best to use as many voices other than my own as possible.

I think that pairing TKAM with more current literature could bridge the gap well and offer a place for students to discuss openly with each other what they know, and what they don't.

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Patricia Diaz
10/18/2022 01:20:05 pm

Hi Maddy,
Thank you for sharing your thought with all of us! Something that caught my attention about your post is how you were introducing the idea of bringing powerful black authors to the conversation. I think doing this can help close the racial gap that we can find in this book. It will help your students to see this topic and similar issues through a different lens different from Scout’s. In addition, something that you could do in your classroom as you are bringing these text sets by diverse authors is maybe spoken words or podcasts. I have found on YouTube good spoken word videos where young people talk about their own experience with systemic racism. This can help your students to see that although they might not experience perhaps racism, there is someone out there who probably is around their same age facing these issues.

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Patricia Diaz
10/18/2022 01:12:49 pm

When I first read this book, I read it a year ago as part of my summer list of books. I never had the chance to read it in High School, but I wanted to give it a try and read it because I felt tired of not knowing what the book was about when people would reference it. I liked the book; I think the themes are vivid and it’s beautifully written, but regarding the racial aspects, I felt that it didn’t portray the whole story. I felt like it left a few gaps that needed to be closed with more knowledge.
If I was teaching this book, I would start by modernizing it. Obviously, this book was written a long time ago, but there are current events that can help my students understand racism, such as police brutality, and inequality in Health care, school, and other systems. This way they understand that racism hasn’t stopped even after all these years. In addition, I would tell my students to stay away from using the “n” word. While it is in the book and some educators use that excuse to say it in the classroom, I will want to provide my students with some historical knowledge about the word. Why it was used against black people and why it is still used today, so they can reflect on it and refrain from saying it.
I would also introduce the concept of the ‘white savior” and how Atticus Finch represents that as an alternate interpretation of the reading. I would also have my students watch the movie “Freedom Writers” and have them compare and contrast Atticus Finch with Miss. G so they can explore more this concept. In addition, I would bring short stories from diverse authors about race and racism so we can talk about the gaps found in the book, and also what the book teaches us about the topic.

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Maddy Ames
10/18/2022 01:27:41 pm

Patricia,
I like how you would discuss language with your students. I think rather than turning a blind eye to it, hitting it head on could be a good thing. I got to sit in on a teacher introducing TKAM to his class of tenth graders during my observation hours last year and he approached the language of TKAM immediately with his students and talked about systemic racism and the discrimination black people continue to face. I was amazed at how engaged and receptive his students were.

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celeste barbosa
10/18/2022 03:25:00 pm

Hi Patricia!

I love your ideas when it comes to teaching such a controversial book! Giving students a more modernized look on an older book will allow them to understand the issues at hand a little better. I think a great text for this is "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas! I don't know if you've ever read it, but it is a great example of young adult advocacy in the environment of police brutality and racism, I highly recommend it. I also really like your mention of not using the "n" word despite some teachers still engaging the language. It is very important to have students feel comfortable in the classroom, and just because it was written years ago and is considered "literature" does not mean we should use it or engage in hate speech. Great response and great ideas!

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celeste barbosa
10/18/2022 03:16:04 pm

I never read To Kill a Mockingbird and I made the mistake of reading the criticism before I started reading the book so when I first started the book, I already had some bias when reading it and I paid more attention to the suppression of the characters interwoven in the book. Since I believe that multicultural literature is such an important factor in an English classroom, I think this book should still be taught, but in a different way. Of course, To Kill a Mockingbird should be looked at for Harper Lee’s use of characterization and symbols and themes, but it can also be used to open up the conversation of racism. I don’t think it should be praised for the “white lawyer trying to save the innocent black man” but it should be praised for the ability to open a conversation that addresses such interwoven issues. Also, I feel allowing students to understand that any emotions they have while reading this book is valid and they have the environment to talk about it if necessary. Talking to students about the different ways advocacy took plan in this setting compared to the 21st century, and how there are better ways to approach advocacy. This novel is very clearly somewhat problematic in society for valid reasons, so addressing this from the very beginning of the unit will allow students to understand that we are reading this for literary reasons and as a sort of lesson to understanding the issues that have been built in society.

I feel like after teaching the entire novel with the literary aspects of it, it is important to follow up this novel with another piece of literature that is coming from the voice of a person of color to show students that there are novels that exemplify a different perspective in a positive light. I really enjoyed Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs because it explains her fight and her success. I also enjoyed and feel like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas shows students that no matter their age, advocacy can make a big difference. Following up To Kill a Mockingbird with a more positive perspective with regards to advocacy and racism will allow students generate thought provoking conversations on topics that are still very relevant today.

Looking at the demographic for this scenario, it is clear that because the majority demographic is white with a conservative undertone, this approach may be somewhat controversial, but I feel like it is still necessary. Educating students on the history of America, and how it can impact literature is something that must be taught. I think while reading To Kill a Mockingbird the discussion on racism and what is wrong in this novel, may receive a lot of backlash, but the best way to approach this is through sparking students interest. Possibly showing them a TedTalk by Lily Gardner that discusses youth advocacy. It is important to discuss the embedded racism in the novel but is also important for students to understand that just because Atticus wasn’t the best example, doesn’t mean they can be an amazing advocator.

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Catie Mullen
10/18/2022 03:51:47 pm

Hi Celeste! I love how the main theme of your lesson is advocacy and that you want to follow up this book with another book that has a positive touch. Amazing ideas! The two books you mentioned would also be great young adult literature pieces to teach in a high school classroom, so this approach is great. Adding another book, as we learned last week, is another great way for a conversation starter and to deepen critical thinking. These books can spark important conversations that need to happen and are prevalent in today's society, especially if these students aren't being exposed to this information by their parents at home. Plus, advocacy is a great topic that everyone should be exposed to in order to support others and benefit themselves.

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Nicole Shepard
10/18/2022 05:00:55 pm

Hi Celeste!

One of the first sentences of your response that stood out to me was how TKAM shouldn’t be praised for the “white lawyer trying to save the innocent black man.” You are correct in saying it should be praised for its ability to open a conversation that addresses such issues. TKAM, if taught correctly, gives teachers the opportunity to teach about racism and the white savior complex. However, this can be hard if students are in a predominately white classroom and school system. I think that your idea of introducing other pieces of literature with TKAM would have a positive influence in your classroom. The Hate U Give is such an amazing novel and I feel that students in the high school grades would be able to understand and relate to the novel more easily.

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Lucienne Quirk
10/18/2022 03:26:52 pm

Revisiting this text as someone who grew up in Plymouth County in a school very similar to West Bridgewater Middle-High, I feel like my eyes have been opened. In highschool I went to see the play version of the novel in New York, which was promised to be “less problematic” than its original– and I didn’t understand that before. How was it problematic? Wasn’t it a story about learning that African Americans are equal? And yet, after revisiting the text and reading the scholarly articles, the glaring sentiments Harper Lee encourages are all too clear. This text is not to uplift the African American, but rather to laud the archetype of the white savior– and use black lives as a “learning tool” for secluded white students.
The biggest problem in terms of discussing race with the West Bridgewater student demographic is the very likely possibility that it will incite defensiveness and opposition. The “bad prejudiced people” in Scout’s town match the majority of the student population: white, middle to lower class people with conservative values. The likeness they share with these characters may prompt them to think: why am I the “bad guy”? How come it’s people like me who make all the wrong choices in this novel? Another scenario is that they let their defenses down only to accept a watered down message of equality. Students may praise Harper Lee’s problematic message and say to themselves, “See? We have no color– we are all the exact same.” Both outcomes create challenges for teachers trying to imbue students with the ability to think in complicated terms about race relations in the United States.
To address both of these challenges, the key is to problematize– or point out issues– in Harper Lee’s work. The first is to note that it seems to assert that there are “racist people” and “non-racist people”, rather than racist and non-racist actions. As a result, students can never possibly see themselves or even imagine themselves as the “bad people”, because they are one dimensional. If we were to clarify that racism is an action– rather than a static state of being– students may feel less blame, and more receptive to the notions that white people have committed racist actions against people of color. The second step is to debunk the false dichotomy between equality and sameness. To acknowledge someone as your equal does not mean that you “don’t see their skin color” anymore– we are different racially, and experience life differently because of our race, and this does not negate our equal humanity. Combined, both approaches in the classroom will hopefully open up students to talking about race.

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Catie Mullen
10/18/2022 03:45:32 pm

This was my first time ever reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I wish I was exposed to this book in middle or high school because I now find myself wanting to read it over again, focusing on specific themes such as racial injustice and inequality. This book adds to the conversation about the unfair justice system, prejudice, socioeconomic priviledges, and so much more. I heard things about this book before I read it. While reading this book, I could only think about how messed up so many things were, especially how the Tom Robinson case was handled by the jury after Atticus's long speech to them and the facts that were presented to the examinations with the witnesses.



In order to teach this text and problematize this story as it is meant to explore race in the United States, I would first have the class do some background research on what life was like during the early 1900's in Alabama. I can also tie this text in historical content that my students may be learning in U.S. History. This lesson also goes hand in hand with political history because I can have students research how a trial runs. We would come together as a class and share what we found. After that, the class would read the story over the course of a few weeks. They will be keeping in mind literary tropes, themes, and imagery just as we had to do in this class. We would have class discussions regarding different themes that were noticed and controversial topics that were read about. Each class they would turn in reflection journals (about one page) to discuss what they found after reading the few chapters they were assigned that night. Once they finished the book, I would have the class get into literacy circle groups and reread chapter 20 in To Kill a Mockingbird, out loud together. This chapter focuses on the Atticus's conversation with jury post trial. Then, these groups would discuss what they found. For homework, they would go home and research the unfair justice/law system in the country, focusing in on how racism plays a big part in this conversation. Students aren't being exposed enough to this information outside of the classroom, so research at home would be a prime supporter for this lesson. For the next class, we would have an open discussion on the controversial topics about our unfair justice system in the United States today and how what we read about in To Kill a Mockingbird is still prevalent today. As I would do every week, I would also share the class outcomes/goals for that week on the classroom website for parents to also view if they would like.

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Nicole Shepard
10/18/2022 04:54:30 pm

The first, and up until now, only time I read To Kill a Mockingbird was in my high school freshman year English class made up of all white students. The school was comprised of a majority white students with almost the entire staff and faulty also being white. To Kill a Mockingbird was my teacher’s favorite book, so she was excited to teach it to my class. I had high expectations because I valued my teacher’s thoughts and opinions and really thought this book was going to be a hit. It wasn’t until I read it for the second time this week that I realized how little we actually discussed important topics from this novel in my high school English class. From what I can remember, we spent more time discussing the basic plot than topics such as racism, gender, and economic disparities. Other than the time we spent discussing the novel right after we read it, we never talked about it again.

If I were to teach this novel in 2022 to students attending West Bridgewater Middle-Senior High School, I would do it a lot differently than my English teacher did. First of all, I would begin by explaining to my students that the racial slurs written in this book aren’t acceptable to say in the classroom. Thought, I hope that all my students would already know this. In terms of how I would actually teach this novel, I would compare what happens to Tom Robinson in TKAM to what has happened/is happening to Black men and women in today’s world due to police brutality. In class I would want to highlight how Tom’s killing in prison is similar to how people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are brutally mistreated. Even though it is a tough subject, talking about the racial injustice in our society is important in being able to prevent it from happening going forward. In order to effectively teach this novel, I would also need to give a background on the time period that TKAM took place. Without an understanding of when this novel took place, the class could be very confused about why certain things were acceptable in the story even though they aren’t now. Even though this book is problematic in many areas, it is still an important text if taught correctly.

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Linnea Fawkes
10/19/2022 01:35:41 pm


This was my second time reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, as I read this the first time during my sophomore year of high school. I was in an honors English class and I vividly remember reading this novel and writing multiple essays on various themes that stood out to me while reading this for the first time. I could tell my teacher liked the novel and we probably spent a little over a month reading and discussing this novel. I remember doing group work after reading numerous chapters for homework and discussing different types of symbolism and the significance of certain scenes. Looking back five years later, I feel as if my teacher should have spent more time talking about how more could have been done to prove that Tom Robinsion was not guilty. My teacher’s favorite character was Atticus and I remember her referring to Atticus as a hero and a wonderful male figure in the novel, as well as an inspirational father to Scout. After reading the articles assigned for this week and with everything going on in the media regarding racism, my teacher should have talked more about the disjustice that Atticus did towards Tom. For my teaching scenario, I would definitely change the way my teacher taught certain things and spend more time talking about justice for Tom. If possible, I would have my students read this book during Black History month and have many classroom lessons that would involve learning about racism in the past, and how it is still so prevalent now. I would assign more articles regarding major historical events and protests that shaped our country and apply these to the time period of this novel. I would incorporate current movements going on in our society like the Black Lives Matter movement and all of the black men and women that have been murdered and justice has still not been given to them (George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, etc.). I think it’s important for my students to be aware of these major events and tragedies that have happened and that are continuing to happen. I assign my students a project where they would need to pick any historical or present event that showcases instances of racism, prejudice, or segregation. I would ask them to relate this event to Tom Robinson’s case. This could be done by any creative method they choose (paper, slideshow, poster, art piece, video, etc.). I would have loved it if my teacher had done a project like this when I was reading it for the first time as a sophomore in high school.

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Linnea Fawkes
10/19/2022 01:56:44 pm

Hi Nicole,

I really enjoyed reading your response and teaching scenario, our's touched on many of the same things. I share the same experience of my school's staff members being completely white, as my school was not that diverse. We had very few staff members of color. My teacher also spent most of the time talking about the plot and symbolism rather than race and gender. I like how you would plan to teach your students about various protests that have happened recently in our society, as I had a similar scenario to that.

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Christina Lynne Carter
10/19/2022 05:19:30 pm

It is true that To Kill A Mockingbird still is one of, if not the, only texts regarding race at least explicitly. In my experience reading and being taught the text a few things stand out. The first being teachers often lack hesitation, or provide justification for, using the slurs written in the book. I have heard many stories, and experienced it with my own teachers, of how they neglect to omit these slurs. Some preface the reading with how saying these slurs outside of the context is wrong, and how much power these words have but it still does not remove the uncomfortable feeling that crawls under my skin when they choose to say them. Second, they focused mostly on race and not the intersecting identities, and how those intersecting identities also played a role in characters’ lives. In reading the text in school, I did feel like it was easier for me to understand the time period and what it must have been like for both black and white people. I appreciated the text for its themes and literary significance.
I think one of the first things I would do with this text as a teacher is to let students know how it can be lacking as a resource for truth about race in America in the 1930s. Additionally, I would avoid the mistakes that my teachers made which I mentioned above. I would refuse to ever use or read the slurs in the text, and would not allow my students to do so either. Some say this would sacrifice historical accuracy (this is how many teachers justified their use and allowance) but in my opinion, we all have an understanding of these slurs and they do not add to our learning experience in such a way that not using them out loud would harm the lesson. Additionally, I would make sure to include some sort of assignment regarding intersectionality, and ask my students to consider what intersecting identities the characters of the story have and how they interact with one another to affect the characters’ lives. The joys of teaching this text would be a chance for the students of WB, who have mostly grown up under presumed conservative roofs, to perhaps get a new perspective on the views of race, racism and prejudice overall. It may also be a chance for the classroom to have an open discussion about their experiences and views in a town that is similar to Maycomb county in some ways. The complexities may be the maturity of the class. I know when I was learning this text some students thought the use of slurs in the text was funny. Trying to quell this may be difficult. Additionally, the comfort of my POC students would be a priority as discussions of the text and even reading of the text may be difficult for them.

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Mary Viera
10/26/2022 08:50:24 am

My first reading of this text was in 8th grade (2014) and I remember that there was a lot of excitement and sense of importance around it. I remember not really fully understanding it but still feeling inspired and “empowered” in a way. This was my second time reading it, and while I started to question some aspects I still had that “feel good” feeling talked about in “‘I’ve got this vision of justice’: Why To Kill a Mockingbird is a fraud”. Unfortunately, I feel like I’m only just now starting to question and argue with texts. In the future I would like to start this process earlier with my students. I want them to question choices made in the book, and ask for a student perspective. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great one to practice this because of its age and also because of it’s multiple discussions it brings up. Some difficulties in doing this, however, would be that the majority of these students have difficulty with reading and writing. Students must be able to read the text with understanding in order to be able to do the kind of analysis I would be asking them to do. It might be important then to group students up so that they can work together. I would invite an open discussion asking them what their thoughts were after each big plot point. I would use the discussion to further plod them to begin questioning the text and it’s decisions encouraging them to argue with it. The students are growing up in a predominantly working class, small town that I think would allow them to connect with the main characters more and imagine themselves within the text. This is important in being able to critique the text as well. I might ask the students to draw connections across time periods, and look at how much attitudes have changed.

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