[lit-ideas] in-class censorship

I want to know what people here think about this.  My 4th grade daughter came 
home today and told me that her teacher is reading "Belle Teal"l, by Ann 
Martin to them.  I haven't read it, but my older daughter owns the book and has 
read it.  Elena told me that when her teacher was reading aloud today, she came 
to a place where she said "and then she called her a bad word three times".  
Elena then said, "But I know what that bad word was because I saw it in my 
friend's book cuz she had it open."  
The passage reads:  

<<Clarice looks uncertain.  So I step in.  'Only if you want to fight a 
girl,' I tell him.

Now Vernon looks uncertain.  He drops his fists, but he says, 'Okay.  
Niggerloversniggerloversniggerlovers.'

'My father --' Claric starts to say, but her face just crumples.

I am feeling all cool and calm.  'Vernon,' I say.  And then I add, 'Chas,' 
since Chas is hovering behind him.  'Clarice and me are friends with Darryl and 
you better get used to it.'

'Your *friend*,' replies Vernon, 'doesn't belong in *our* school.'>>

 Aside from the fact that language on prime time broadcast tv crossed all 
kinds of lines long ago, and my child hears every 4 letter word there is on the 
school bus, I'm a little surprised at this spontaneous censorship of the text 
on the part of the teacher.  What do you guys think?  Is it appropriate?  Is it 
something you would expect, or that is customary?  Does that particular 
phrase warrent editing out?  If a book contains words a teacher does not deem 
appropriate for an age group, should the age group be reading the book?  
Doesn't 
editing that out w/out even explaining what the epithet was or meant rob the 
text of some of the power it should have for the young readers, part of what 
one 
would hope they would learn from it and the very reason it was possibly 
chosen?  I was suprised and had an instinctively negative reaction, but need to 
think more about why.

Julie Krueger


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