School censorship experiences of teachers in southern Appalachia

Abstract

The impact of censorship experiences on 13 public school teachers in southern Appalachian communities was studied. Qualitative interviews with the teachers focused on the nature and meaning of censorship experiences and their impact on educational philosophy and curriculum practices. The 13 teacher‐participants experienced a total of 55 censorship events which spanned an array of topics, teaching methods, and materials. Only a few of the incidents became public. Most were unreported events that took place between a teacher and parent or other objector, suggesting that censorship may be more pervasive than is estimated by quantitative approaches. Conflicts between traditional values and the pressures of modernity within a culturally homogeneous region are examined.