This is why it is always worth trying mediation

I often wonder how many opportunities are missed because no one thought to bring in a mediator.

Take the recent decision of a Brampton high school to take “To Kill a Mockingbird” off the curriculum because one parent found some words in the book offensive.

The principal seems to have thought that he had only two choices; cave in to the complaining parent or allow the complaint to take its course through the formal complaints process. It seems he took the short-term path of least resistance, but his decision represents the loss of something bigger.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the lessons in this book:

“The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The narrator’s father, Atticus Finch, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. One critic explained the novel’s impact by writing, “In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its protagonist, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism.”[1]…Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage and compassion, and gender roles in the American Deep South. The book is widely taught in schools in English-speaking countries with lessons that emphasize tolerance and decry prejudice. “

In defence of the decision, the book is definitely dated: it is written by, for and about white people. And there are indeed other resources that far better portray the contemporary Canadian black experience, including the ground-breaking work of the late Allan King (EMPz 4 Life) and the underground DVD “Our Toronto”, both of which should be on every high school curriculum.

But none of this justifies taking away from students the opportunity to study such an important piece of literature.

Why, I thought, did the school not consider another option: bring in a mediator? Where was the dialogue among all affected by this important decision, including I suspect the majority of parents? Where was the exchange of ideas and information? Why is this parent so upset about the book? Can those concerns be addressed, perhaps by a teaching protocol to ensure that the book is taught within its proper context? Are there other ways the concern could be addressed short of depriving students?

And perhaps, if a proper dialogue had happened, this parent may have learned, from other equally concerned parents, that the benefits of reading this book far outweigh any harm caused by its shortfalls, and would even change his or her mind.

What a missed opportunity!