‘Of Mice And Men’ Targeted
Restrictions could be placed on the use of a popular piece of American literature in Coeur d'Alene School District classrooms. The school board heard a recommendation Monday that John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" should be pulled from the list of books ninth-grade teachers can select as required reading for students. An ad-hoc curriculum committee tasked with reviewing literature on school district reading lists made the recommendation, which instead allows use of Steinbeck's 1937 novella for voluntary small group classroom study only. "Too much profanity. Negative," state the minutes of the April 22 committee meeting when the recommendation was formed. Trustee Tom Hamilton said he was disappointed to see the proposal. He said his daughter read "Of Mice and Men" in seventh grade, prompting interesting, valuable family conversations. Lake City High School teacher Kirsten Pomerantz told the board that the novella about displaced migrant ranch hands during the Great Depression is one that keeps her students engaged. "It's relevant," Pomerantz said/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
