Burke County Teachers speak up against book banning at Burke County School Board meeting

Two veteran Freedom High School teachers took center stage at Monday night’s meeting of the Burke County Board of Education as they defended their profession and spoke of the need to inspire independent, creative thinking in their students.

The teachers’ remarks were prompted, in part, by an ongoing effort on the part of some area churches and their spokespeople to have certain books banned from the media centers in the county’s high schools.

Monday night’s meeting saw more than a dozen speakers argue that certain books should be entirely removed from the schools.

Roger Trevorrow, who has been a social studies teacher at Freedom High School for nearly a quarter of a century, spoke of the professionalism of his colleagues, noting that they are highly trained and highly motivated individuals.

“I’m up here to talk about my colleagues who are the professional educators,” Trevorrow said.

He went on to note that the faculty of Freedom High School has a total of 86 bachelor's degrees, 34 master's degrees, two Phds, and eight National Board-certified teachers for a total of 414 years of training and education and a combined 1,396 years of experience.

“We’re concerned about making sure that your children have the best education possible,” he pointed out.

Before concluding his remarks, Trevorrow also reiterated a point that others have made before – that outside speakers with no ties to Burke County should not be allowed to address the school before.

Such an action would keep “non-stakeholders from stirring up the pot,” Trevorrow said.

Tim Fossett, who has taught English at Freedom for 24 years, spoke to the board about the critical role the reading of challenging books can play in developing a student’s empathy, critical thinking and identity.

“As a school district,” he said, “one of the best ways that we can help young people to do these very things is to provide them access to books that will offer them situations from which they can develop their ideas, their opinions, a sense of empathy, and perhaps even their own identity.” 

He said that these books may contain uncomfortable subjects, but they serve to expose young readers to the various issues at hand. He believes most students can handle these topics, but the system can include a case-by-case format to protect students who are not ready. 

He said hard topics can inspire students to become productive members of society. 

“We claim we want to ignite learning and all that goes with it. We cannot do this if we restrict what students are allowed to read,” concluded Fossett. 

Another  Freedom teacher also spoke to the board on a different topic.

Social studies teacher David Gercken thanked the board for the long-awaited increase in teacher supplements. He suggested that the board could split the amount of taxes taken out of the November supplement in half between the November and June supplements. 

RECOGNITIONS

Superintendent Mike Swan recognized the following four elementary school students for their submitted artwork for the annual BCPS Christmas card:

• Robert Villanueva Diego and Bianca Velasquez Ramirez from Mountain View Elementary School

• Adalyn Thomas and Samuel Walker from Valdese Elementary School

Andrea Gladden, a faculty member at East Burke Middle School, was recognized for being a finalist for the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year award. 

Career Development Coordinator Day was held on Nov. 15. The board highlighted the following coordinators for their work with their schools:

• TR Robinson from East Burke High School

• Natasha Williams from Draughn High and Hallyburton

• Karlyn McCoy from Patton High School

• Crystal McKinney from Freedom High School

• Scott Huffman from BCPS Middle schools 

Saydie Bean is a general assignment reporter for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595 or via email at saydie@thepaper.media.