As an aspiring young adult author, this tweet from a fellow writer caught my eye a few weeks ago:

After it was retweeted multiple times by published children’s authors, I looked into it a bit more and found that the writer had attempted to browse the young adult section of the Orlando Public Library, where she discovered only teenagers aged 13 through 18 are allowed to hang out and browse unaccompanied by a parent or librarian. The library’s policy states:

Club Central is a place on the first floor of the Main Library designed and reserved for use by teens from 13 through 18. It is a comfortable, inviting place created for teens to study, socialize, and have fun. The use of the facility and resources, including the seating, computers and AV equipment, is limited to those from 13 through 18 years of age. Other library users wanting to use Young Adult materials will be assisted in retrieving materials by staff.

Before I continue, I want to point out that many libraries have “kid zones,” which I fully support. I love the idea of a safe place in the library for teens to read or study without their parents having to worry about the pervs and weirdos that sometimes pop up in public places.

However, in this particular case, it’s not a special room for teens – it’s the teen section. Meaning that those 12 years old and younger, or 18 years old and older, must request a specific book from that section to have a librarian retrieve it. And those who simply want to browse – which personally is how I most often find books – must do so with either a parent or librarian escort.

I find the idea of presenting my ID, then being accompanied by a librarian to the young adult shelves to browse while she waits, extremely embarrassing. The title of this article is intentionally suggestive – in the attempt to keep molesters and kidnappers away from our teens, we’re all treated like potential perverts. Not to mention the fact that this is a big inconvenience for the librarians themselves, who have to leave their work to escort us adult YA readers.

Photo by marissas23

A “teens-only” room is one thing, but young adult literature is another. Adults enjoying novels with teenage protagonists is nothing new (Catcher in the Rye comes to mind), but with the success of young adult series like Harry Potter in recent years, YA is more popular with people of all ages now than ever. And most YA novels are written by adults. I find it completely ridiculous to think that a children’s book author can’t even find his own book on the library shelves without an escort.

Good intentions aside, I believe this is the start of censorship, and violates what the American Library Association stands for. The ALA website states:

“Libraries help ensure that Americans can access the information they need – regardless of age, education, ethnicity, language, income, physical limitations or geographic barriers…ALA actively advocates in defense of the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment.”

I hear a lot about banned books and protests over which books should be on school reading lists. Book censorship attempts to shield teens from what some deem to be controversial material, and denies them the opportunity to experience a lot of great literature in the process.

I know the library isn’t “banning” books. Adults can still freely check out young adult books from libraries like the one in Orlando. But limiting anyone’s ability to browse at their leisure sparks censorship, and at a library, that frightens me. The bottom line is that libraries are not required to provide teenagers with an adult-free zone, but they are required to give everyone the ability to access books and seek information, “regardless of age.”

And the solution is simple – give teens a “teen only” space that doesn’t include the entire young adult section, like a small sitting area. Many libraries already have something like this in place. I don’t believe providing any type of limited access space should come at the cost of denying people the right to browse books without having to wait for a librarian to abandon her duties and watch.

Libraries are the best place for teenagers – or anyone – to have free access to information. Therefore, restricting their access to an entire section of books once they hit their 19th birthday, in my opinion, is hypocritical and in violation of what the ALA so clearly advocates.

Community Connection

If you’re interested in more literature controversy, check out how one school banned the dictionary.

The news of the possible “ban” on the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition spread internationally and caused some outraged feedback from parents, as many felt the dictionary was not the problem. As one parent pointed out:

“That is not the worst word in the dictionary. Kids are going to be exposed to things, and it is the parents’ job to explain it to them, not the teachers’ or the school district’s (job).”

This argument is nothing new. In some places, other banned books include: Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, for its display of disrespect towards adults; Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for its use of the ‘n’ word; and even J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series for its use of witchcraft.

Those are just a few. Is it just me, or do the themes of friendship, youthful determination and overcoming oppression completely override any negative aspects of these books?

Some teens, however, do realize the importance of reading whatever the hell you want to read.

For example, take the girl who kept a lending library of banned books inside her locker. She encouraged students to borrow from the 62 banned books inside her locker, with everything from The Perks of Being a Wallflower to Animal Farm. The makeshift library provided students with a way to read these classics without the risk of getting in trouble with parents.

Give the girl a freaking medal.

In the end, students in southern California were given the option of using an alternative dictionary to the one temporarily removed, but are still able to use the old. Next assignment: an essay on the definition of “ignorance” and how to prevent it.

Community Connection

What do you think, is it justified to ban certain books? The dictionary?

Photo by Shermeee

Technology is expanding, research is identifying more efficient teaching methods, and parents are setting higher expectations in the face of budget cuts. As a result, public schools in the United States have had to step it up to keep pace with changing times.

Classroom experiments such as The Wave and strategies to address the growing variety of students and learning needs have come and gone over the years, but even so, public school is a much different place than the one where your grandfather walked barefoot uphill both ways many years before. Here’s what’s happening in the classroom now:

Learning Theories and Classroom Strategies

Forget the droning voice of a teacher dominating the classroom. Today’s classroom experience is about the students. Several recent learning theories and classroom strategies have surfaced that recognize no two students are exactly the same, therefore different teaching theories must be employed to reach every student.

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences notes that intelligence is more than IQ. People learn and understand information through a number of avenues, and while our society places attention on highly articulate and logical people, there are others who show strength in other areas. Gardener’s list of intelligences highlights those who excel in words, numbers and reasoning, pictures, awareness of the body, music, interaction with people, self-awareness and nature.

Photo by cliff1066™

Recent theories also highlight the strengths and opportunities available when learning is put in the hands of students. In problem-based learning, students assume responsibility for acquiring knowledge while the teacher provides tools and becomes a facilitator in the learning process. Teachers provide the basic background on how to solve certain problems, and then students are given case studies, which are essentially “story problems” with missing information that require critical and logical thinking to solve.

The theory of constructivism is based on the idea that we all have a unique understanding of the world around us and that learning requires an adjustment of our way of thinking in order to grasp new experiences. Classroom learning revolves around using prior knowledge to understand new information. This opens the door for hands-on learning and open-ended classroom discussions that ask students to interpret and predict what will happen in particular situations.

Gender-Based Education

Long gone are the days of segregation … or are they? There has been a growing trend in recent years to separate students based on gender. Supporters of this type of teaching strategy argue that boys and girls learn differently and this offers a safe learning environment where students can speak freely.

This learning strategy has fired some people up, though, especially because it almost appears to move backward in time. Many also argue that it is not only gender but other factors, such as socio-economic status, that need to be considered when discussing cognitive development in students.

Nonetheless, gender-based education is moving forward. Whether it’s here to stay is another question.

Mobile Technology in the Classroom

Though many schools are banning cell phone use during classroom hours, many others are embracing the growing number of students who are intimately familiar with today’s technology trends. Apple has hopped on the bandwagon and is offering a wealth of programs through iTunes U, which has more than 200,000 educational audio and video files available for download.

Recognizing that students are versed in their technological gadgets, teachers have become more lenient in allowing the use of cell phone calculators and immediate connections to WiFi for information searches. Others are asking students to create audio and video podcasts as classroom projects.

Photo by Tostie14

Virtual High Schools

Taking technology even further, students have the opportunity to attend classes through a virtual high school. Some schools offer courses through this module while students may choose simply to complete all their coursework through an online curriculum.

The flexibility afforded by virtual high schools is a huge draw for students and schools alike. The ability to pick up Internet-based coursework anytime and anywhere means that traveling families and working students can still complete high school with a high-quality education. Virtual high schools give students who feel stifled in ordinary classrooms the opportunity to take an array of challenging and interesting courses—ranging from the history of photography to engineering principles—that might not be found in the standard American high school.

Technical Academies

What do you want to be when you grow up? Now students can decide at the ripe old age of 14 when they have the opportunity to attend a technical academy in lieu of high school.

Technical academies offer students a fast track into their chosen field of study (which ranges from media and technology to bioscience and early education). With strict entry requirements, they require students be serious about their classroom work. In addition to the standard math / English / science regimen that most high school students sit through, students attend courses that introduce them to and immerse them in a particular field. When they graduate, students at these academies often walk away with technical diplomas, which give them an opportunity to jump into the working world or get a head start on higher education studies.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you think these techniques are effective for helping people learn? Would you change anything? Discuss in the comments.

Photo: Joe Shlabotnik

This year, over half-a-million students will flock from all over the world to attend the most expensive colleges on earth. But why?

It doesn’t matter to foreigners that the cost of our colleges is outrageous or that the quality of education in the United States is, and has long been, questionable. Regardless of the diploma, an American education carries worldwide prestige. Saying that you studied in America is like saying you winter in Hawaii or that you drive a Bentley.

Photo: joebeone

To start with, the level of education in American high schools is generally considered lower compared to many other countries. The skills needed to pass the BAC, a national exam required to graduate from French high school, are equivalent to two years of college in the United States. For many foreign students, our colleges are easy because they’ve studied the stuff in high school already! Maybe that is part of the appeal.

American college is a product being sold to consumers. It is marketed aggressively and internationally. American colleges have more money to spend on marketing than any other country– and they should for what they charge in tuition! But that doesn’t mean they are better. It just means they can offer fancier amenities and accommodations.

In France, they have Club Med. In America, we have “Club Ed.”

As a former international college recruiter, I passed out plenty of colorful glossy brochures to starry-eyed Europeans. Here is what I would tell American and foreign students today who are interested in attending an American college:

1. Generally speaking, it’s very easy to get accepted into American colleges. You just need money and decent grades.

2. It is fairly easy to get good grades in college due to the “dumbing down” of classes and grade inflation.

3. Do not be fooled by college rankings. One of the criteria used by US News & World Report to rank colleges is the total amount of money a college spends. This could include anything from a president’s salary to a new stadium or campus entertainment. Colleges are also rated based on how much money they receive from alumni.

4. Know what kind of degree you are after and figure out if your degree will actually translate into a job (something many American students do not do).

5. Consider going to college in a country outside the U.S. and maybe visit during Spring Break.

If you’re an American who loves to travel, why not get your degree abroad? One major benefit to enrolling in an offshore college is that you can get a quality education that may be dirt cheap or perhaps even free. Whenever you can get a quality education without going into debt, you win! Because of rising tuition costs and a lagging economy, many savvy Americans have opted to study overseas.

For Americans, there are other advantages to studying abroad. First, you can check off becoming well-rounded from your to-do list. That begins the minute you get your passport stamped! If you are in a country where you will be learning and speaking a second language that’s a huge bonus.

Secondly, you may finish your program or field of study sooner. In England, for example, you begin studying your major during your first year.

Book cover image courtesy of the author

Finally, if you want an international career, studying overseas will allow you to make contacts with students from all over the world. Americans should be aware that admission into a foreign university can be tougher than getting into an American school. But if you manage to get accepted to a college overseas, it would be foolish not to pursue it.

College in the United States has become one of the most over-exploited and over-priced products in the world.

The American university is being marketed to the world as a glitzy luxury product complete with first class accommodations that rival Disney World or Vegas.

When you peel back the brand names, the perfectly manicured lawns, and learn about the quality of education, you may find that American colleges are not worthy of all the hype.

Community Connection:

If you’re persuaded by April Norhanian’s argument that pursuing a college degree abroad is smarter than studying for one in the US, Matador Abroad contributing editor Sarah Menkedick offers advice about 7 Countries Where Graduate School Is a Fraction of US Costs.

Wondering whether you need a degree to become a professional writer? The Traveler’s Notebook contributing editor Teresa Ponikvar ponders the question in this article.