Reading offensive racist term out loud in class because a character uses it in the book - Of Mice and Men

@MrsHamlet, thanks for your insight. That’s really interesting. She’s super bright and motivated and loving it despite leaning much more towards maths and science Alevels at this stage. She’s always done well in English but never enjoyed it before. I think she’s really lucked out with her teacher this year. It always amazes me what a difference a great teacher can make to a pupil’s enjoyment and therefore their attainment.

I always read it - kids were v uncomfortable saying it and many chose not to. I totally respected this and we used it to discuss representation and treatment of black Americans.

This is going back a few years but there was more range of choice in texts and tasks so you could really push the most able well beyond gcse, but also challenge really weak kids to do really well. I loved it.

Because they can and because they're not forced just to study dead white men... 😂. I used to mark igcse and gcse, and the igcse was much more interesting and challenging!!

@MrsHamlet, yes, sorry, you’re correct. She’s doing iGCSE. School apparently had the choice between this, Of Mice and Men or two others.
I always forget she’s doing iGCSEs. I wonder why her school do those. I clearly missed that bit of communication.

We play an audio book version with Gary Sinise reading it. Takes away discomfort from the student/teacher. Never triggered anyone that I ever taught in 20 years. We discuss the word in its context.

[quote NellyJames]@MrsHamlet, my DD is doing it for GCSE at the moment.[/quote]
Interesting - she must be doing an igcse. She's lucky!!

I read it out when I'm reading the story out, but refrain from saying it if I'm discussing the text and quoting on the grounds they can all read, we know what the 'n word' is.

I try to ensure I'm reading those bits but I always give students a choice to miss it out if they're reading.

I've never had any issues.

@MrsHamlet, my DD is doing it for GCSE at the moment.

Mockingbird is an incredibly powerful book. I've never taught it and not had students be affected by the issues it raises. When it came off the syllabus, it was a sad day.

@SimpleComforts, yes, I’m astounded that it triggers wider use. It seemed to me as though DD had an almost visceral reaction to saying it. All the teens I know, even the more difficult ones would be the same.

My DD is doing To Kill a Mockingbird for GCSE. The book is littered with the word so it’s just not practical for the teacher to read the entire text. We had extensive communication from School at the start of the course. They explained that they discussed it extensively with the students beforehand putting it in context. It is not glorified in the book even though Scout herself uses it; Atticus tell her off. School allow any child who feels uncomfortable reading it aloud to skip over it. They also said to us that they use the fact that it’s used not just by the nasty characters but by ‘good’ characters too leads on to important discussions about casual racism. Of course the word would not come under a casual racism label today, it would in the 1930s. They set a hw asking how they think Scout would feel if she knew she’d said something ugly, nasty and hurtful.

I think DD’s school deal with it extremely well and I know too that a lot of the non white parents at school are very glad to see it handled so well. A few of DD’s friends skipped the word but DD decided to try and say it. It came up twice for her and she managed the first time but said it made her feel queasy so skipped the second time.
I’d be very disappointed to see such a classic book and important teaching aid taken off the syllabus.

This is interesting. I work with troubled teens, we hear lots of appalling language but never that, except when the black boys use it among themselves.

I'm really surprised it "triggers" use of it in GCSE age students in mainstream schools.

I'll have to ask our English dept what they do.

And obviously it is a character using the word. Likewise plenty of mysogonistic language too. Again discussed within the context. Otherwise we'd have little left to teach . Including Toni Morrison.

I'm glad it's only that it's up for discussion. Thank you for correcting me!

We watch Roots in History where the word is used a lot by slave owners. It leads to a lot of explanation and discussion about why the word is so offensive. Muhammad Ali’s speech about Vietnam is another example but used in a different context.

@WiserOlder no not banned but up for discussion due to top parental complaints.
I'm an English teacher and if reading aloud always read the words. Of course. They are a significant aspect of the social and historical aspects of the novel and are studied within that framework. Alongside lessons on this context.Ive never had a complaint or any issue with this in 20 years.

I can also agree with teacher reading out those passages.

Dropping books that use sensitive words also means you are dropping books that cover important sensitive topics. That won't help anyone.

I've just read earlier today that Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird have been removed from Junior Cert syllabus (Ireland) for the word you say. Not sure that the 15 year olds couldn't understand the context. But........... that's what they have decided.

Disappointing. I remember doing To Kill a Mocking Bird at 14 - everyone loved it and found the injustice completely shocking and tragic. Fiction is a great way of humanising real issues.

I always read that bit myself. And we discuss why Steinbeck chose to include it, and what we can learn about the society of the time from its inclusion. And how it is being reclaimed not as a pejorative term but as an affirmation by some groups in the black community.
Refusing to say it will not change the fact that it's there, just as saying it will not make students use it elsewhere. If some students are unable to understand that context is important, then they need to be dealt with firmly. Racist incidents must be reported.

No but equally I wouldn’t want my (Jewish heritage) child to be expected to read out an anti Semitic passage

Absolutely fair enough. On reflection, having seen your post, I agreed that it should be a teacher that reads it.

We can't just shy away from uncomfortable topics, but they need to be dealt with sensitively.

I've just read earlier today that Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird have been removed from Junior Cert syllabus (Ireland) for the word you say. Not sure that the 15 year olds couldn't understand the context. But........... that's what they have decided.

We talk about it, but don't say the word.