Censorship, BPR Ch. 6

Censorship is always a debatable subject. For me, I believe it is good to a certain extent, but is fairly detrimental too. Of course you have to censor within context. You don't want to hand a kindergarten student a photographic depiction of the Holocaust. We, as teachers, must chose wisely - not only for the sake of our student's innocence but for their benefit as well.
Still, if we censor material out of our classrooms, are we not promoting some form of ignorance? Yes! Even though a kindergarten teacher might not go into graphic detail on the Holocaust, if the subject arises, the teacher must be prepared to answer "Yes, it did happen."
On a more age appropriate level - for me that is - issues such as sex, drugs, and online safety (i.e. chat rooms, myspace) must be addressed. My school does not promote literature in these fields, but invites guest lecturers to discuss the matters. To me, even though these presenters offer good persuasiveness, it is the shock factor that is what is delivered to the children. The shock factor works to an extent; but what happens when children are shocked too much? They shut the information out!
Allowing children (middle school students for me) to read about these pressing issues that face our youth today gives them so much more. They are allowed and promoted form their own opinions and beliefs. The most important aspect of censorship is choosing the right material to be presented, not just any piece of fiction on sale.