I Teach in Ron DeSantis' Florida—Parents Don't Read the Books They Ban

I am a public school teacher in Ron DeSantis' Florida, a title that is not worth very much in my state these days.

Like most in my profession, I am passionate about my work, and as an English teacher, I enjoy reading with students and helping them hone their writing skills, especially on the creative side.

It can be challenging to accomplish this when constant use of technology, a strong disdain towards reading, and apathy towards writing cause students to zone out in a mostly unmonitored space of their own.

That is a recurring battle teachers like me deal with. Day in and day out, we work wonders to get students on board with what needs to be taught.

But as a teacher in DeSantis' Florida, the cards—and the law—are stacked against me. The Governor of Florida has decided to make the teaching profession a political issue, and books are the forever victim of his anti-woke agenda.

During another time of political upheaval, author Ray Bradbury imagined a future society where books were made illegal, thinking differently was considered "anti-social," and meaningful debate was suppressed by a government that wanted its citizens to be happy and free from anything that created any discomfort.

In his novel—Fahrenheit 451—teachers like me no longer exist; they wore out their welcome because of what they taught and the voice they wanted their students to have. In Florida, we are supposedly teaching—or, in DeSantis' words, "indoctrinating"—our youth to be woke instead of showing what he would call "true American values."

Bradbury's novel—a story about book banning—was once challenged, censored, and, yes, banned from schools and libraries around the United States. Today, it serves as a stark reminder that for as much as one side of the political aisle loves to complain about too much government interference, they—like DeSantis—are doing much worse.

At the beginning of the school year, a parent approached me during our Open House event and asked if what I was planning to teach was available for parents to see. The parent favored the governor's agenda of parental involvement regarding what their children were receiving while in school.

I have no problem with this; I welcome parents to know what their children are doing while away from home, the same way I hope those same parents were equally interested in learning what their children do on their phones, social media, or even with their friends.

Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. A teacher can tell when a student is doing whatever they want while on their phone, but you won't see someone like me censoring them or the sites and places they visit.

The parent's inquiry about what I would be teaching students was fair, but banning books from being offered or read at school is not the way to solve the issue some may have about perceived "wokeness."

In many cases, challenges and book bans happen because parents don't even bother to read or learn for themselves; they go with the political flow but fail to see how the times, they are changing.

Meanwhile, politicians like DeSantis are all too willing to oblige and whip up their base, just so long as you remember to vote for them in the upcoming elections.

In the long run, the future of this nation will suffer from DeSantis' agenda in Florida. This agenda is spreading to other states and has become difficult for educators to teach around.

From libraries purging books, flipping them around, or covering entire shelves up so students cannot have access to certain titles to teachers being harassed and investigated over what they show or say in class— this is where we are at.

In Fahrenheit 451, the character of Captain Beatty—the fire chief and Ron DeSantis of the story—explains to the main character that society demanded that books be made illegal.

One of the reasons was that books offended people, made them uncomfortable, and that the state—who wanted to keep everyone happy— ultimately followed suit. There was no real agenda other than the desire to weed out the "anti-socials" or "the woke crowd" in today's lingo.

But Shakespeare is still in the curriculum. Plays like Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet are being read, analyzed, and debated in classrooms around the state.

Is the governor not clear as to the themes that flow throughout each one of these plays? Does he not remember that Romeo and Juliet is a story about teenage love, angst, and sex and that both main characters commit suicide because their parents refuse to wake up themselves?

Or what about Macbeth, a play that revolves around the theme of blinding ambition and the lengths one will go to get what one most desires? Does DeSantis not remember how much blood is spilled throughout the story?

And what of Hamlet, a story I have taught yearly? The themes in this play are very much prevalent today—revenge, mental health issues, suicide.

And yet, none of Shakespeare's works have been challenged, censored, or banned due to DeSantis' new law that aims to remove certain types of literature from school and public libraries.

Short of burning books, as is done in Bradbury's novel, removing these books —because the governor dares not call it a "ban"—is a surefire way to ensure that the "woke" agenda does not spread throughout Florida.

This school year, I decided to try something different to motivate my students to get more involved with enhancing their writing skills. I tasked them with creating a retelling of Hamlet, giving them a chance to use their imagination and incorporate the themes discussed.

The result was overwhelmingly positive, as I received and read almost 125 original stories. I enticed my students even more by telling them I would select 21 stories and assemble them in a book. My job would be to sit down with each student-author and help edit and improve their piece. They were excited to participate in this project and enthusiastic to see how it progressed.

But then, I submitted the final version of the book to the school principal and explained its context. I had a bad feeling that this student-authored book would fall victim to DeSantis' "anti-woke" law, that my students would be silenced because someone could be angered, offended, or even worried about what their child is writing about in school as if these same students aren't living through the same themes that are prevalent in a Shakespearian play.

I feared that the book would not be allowed to see the light, that my students would suffer disappointment, and that DeSantis' law would have affected and censored those he sought to protect.

Luckily, things turned out fine, and the project was not challenged or silenced.

I imagine what it will be like when someone walks into my classroom, looking to inventory my small but interestingly curated library. I have gotten students off their devices and on board with reading by incorporating more appealing versions of classic literature.

Today's generation loves manga, graphic novels, and modern retellings, and I have seen their interest peak—even those who abhor reading. The student-authored book we published is there as well. Will it be pulled as well?

Another character in Fahrenheit 451, Professor Faber explains that books give us three things. Texture: The feeling we get when we hold a book, even smell it; they take us to places of leisure, an escape of sorts from the world we live in; and they also give us food for thought, allowing readers to decide for themselves whether they coincide with what they just read or not.

This is being lost because one side deems it "indoctrination" to give way to open debate or "inappropriate" for our youth to learn about specific topics that can easily be found online.

So, burn the books—not literally, but if they could—not the technology. DeSantis is not interested in the technology.

In Bradbury's novel, teachers were no longer helpful, schools became a shell of their former selves, and students no longer learned the "why," only the "how." No more reading, no more writers, no more books.

Society became dystopian, submissive to their technology, and dumbed down to "paste pudding" while— concerning politics: "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet... give him none."

Is this where we are heading in Ron DeSantis' Florida? A state where the teaching profession and books are constantly threatened. Will The Courage to be Free be the only book allowed to be read in schools? Because at the rate we are going...

Guillermo Stephens, a pseudonym, is a high school English teacher in the state of Florida. He is passionate about promoting a love for reading, writing, and critical thinking.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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