At the Schoolhouse Gate: Lessons in Intellectual Freedom [Paperback]

Gloria Pipkin (Author), ReLeah Cossett Lent (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0325003955 | ISBN-13: 978-0325003955 | Publication Date: January 11, 2002

Click here to read the NCTE Council Chronicle review of At the Schoolhouse Gate: Lessons in Intellectual Freedom!

"It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." With this pronouncement in 1969, Justice Abe Fortas laid down the law. But this has by no means meant that intellectual freedom reigns supreme. Far from it-American public schools can be the worst offenders, as Gloria Pipkin and ReLeah Cossett Lent make clear in this extraordinary account of courage, commitment, and caring for the teaching profession.

Over the last two decades Pipkin and Lent have worked together to build a tradition of intellectual freedom within public schools. Their book describes their struggles as cultural workers, the pedagogical and legal strategies they employed, the resistance they encountered, the lessons they learned, and the impact that they've seen on the lives of the students they serve. Their story brings vividly to life some of the most important questions in public education today:

• Do First Amendment protections apply to teachers and students in K-12?
• Who controls what we can read and write in schools?
• Is inquiry or indoctrination at the heart of schooling?
• Can critical literacy survive the machinations of shortsighted bureaucrats and board members?

Through two intertwined stories spanning nearly two decades, the authors address these questions. They also provide specific strategies for teachers trapped in similar circumstances. Emotionally intense, yet practical, At the Schoolhouse Gate provides for every teacher what every good teacher wants for his or her students: inspiration and elevation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Two English teachers share their courageous personal battle to support students' intellectual rights in the Bay County School District in Florida in the 1980s when censorship cases were looming in schools throughout the nation. Their story is certainly relevant today. As middle school teachers, Pipkin and Lent developed a curriculum in which "active learners grew into lifelong readers because they were given real choices, time to read, and supportive feedback." The first section of the book is devoted to this program, and the hurdles these teachers faced as they used books that some parents and school officials found offensive. The second section focuses on free expression in student publications. Finally, the third section takes a broader and long-term view of issues related to selection policies and what they mean to teachers and school boards and the ramification of stepping out of bounds for the sake of students and their right to free expression. An "Intellectual Freedom Manifesto" includes "The Right to Read," "The Right to Write," "The Right to Create," "The Right to Teach and Learn," and "The Right to Communicate in the Digital Age." Another section includes "What Can a Teacher Do?" and "Resources about the First Amendment." This book is one of inspiration, and teachers, librarians, and school administrators may find it encouraging as they face similar battles.
Pat Scales, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Ever wonder why some of our best and most talented teachers arent in the classroom anymore? This brave, sometimes heartbreakingly honest story of two teachersGloria Pipkin and ReLeah Lentwho put themselves and their careers on the line to defend the rights of their students, should be required reading for everyone working with young people or considering a career in education.”–Judy Blume, Bestselling, awardwinning author

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (January 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325003955
• ISBN-13: 978-0325003955
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,486,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute must read for all who care about students, May 7, 2002

By 

Linda Kleback (Lynn Haven, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the Schoolhouse Gate: Lessons in Intellectual Freedom (Paperback)

My daughter was one of the students at Mowat during the time of the first incident discussed in this book. She, her father, and I attended the described meetings, sent the mentioned flowers of support, contributed to CHOICE, and watched in horror as the ludicrous events accurately herein described came to pass. We could not believe that an area we had moved to for employment and beautiful weather could have such ugly events happening. Now after twenty plus years in Bay County, we know it wasn't a fluke but also know that other towns and counties face similar problems. Encouragement of excellence, of careful and critical thought, and of the sheer joy of books was attacked here in Bay County, and anyone who cares about these issues in our schools should read this book. It will both scare and inspire you. My daughter went on to college honors, a master's degree, and is now head librarian at a girls' school where she is developing a superb collection including something new there -- a YA collection to be read for plesure. Thank you, Gloria and Releah.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At the Schoolhouse Gate:Lessons in Intellectual Freedom, May 30, 2007

By 

A. Brown (Panama City, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the Schoolhouse Gate: Lessons in Intellectual Freedom (Paperback)

Wow things come around in time. I was a student in Bay County when the events of this book took place. Now I am an educator in Bay County and this book has become my inspiration. I had ReLeah as an instructor last summer and if I had read her book prior to that course, she would have ranked up there with a famous movie star or a professional baseball player with me. That is just how touched I was by this book. I just bless these two women for the fight they put up for what they believe in. When the children's educational freedom, creativity and needs are thrown out the window, and the judgement and integrity of a teacher is questioned by people that don't have the qualifications to question anyone--we have a huge problem in education. I would recommend this book to every educator who has a passion for learning and a passion for teaching--you won't be able to put it down until you are finished- and then you will yearn for more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "At the Schoolhouse Gates": Proof positive that teaching is about more than just helping children learn their ABC's, September 17, 2009

By 

Joseph Ganakos (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the Schoolhouse Gate: Lessons in Intellectual Freedom (Paperback)

Gloria Pipkin and Releah Lent were two champions of intellectual freedom in a very small battle in a larger war. Having been a student of both of these amazing women, I can vouch for the trials and tribulations faced not only by the authors and their peers but by the the students of the Bay County School System. This era, the mid-1980's, in this beachside Northwest Florida community was a time where the hypocrisy and fear of a handful of individuals nearly ended an award-winning educational process at Mowat Jr. High School and sought to place horrific restrictions on all other schools in the area. Whether William Shakespeare or George Orwell, whether Robert Cormier or Judy Blume, all literature aimed at nurturing a broad worldview and independent thought in students was under attack. Mrs. Pipkin, Mrs. Hawks and other teachers, parents, and students were forced to fight an uphill battle against those who would not only suppress free speech but free thought as well.

Now, nearly 25 years later, their struggles are still relevant in the modern world. The students who were privileged enough to read these banned books in the classroom libraries of Mowat Jr. High School have become college professors, doctors, attorneys, lawmakers, and a whole host of other professions where the concepts, both practical and esoteric, learned from these books have helped make the world a better place. This book is a chronicle of the quiet struggle for freedom that is fought each and every day in school districts through the United States; to see what these women endured, and the passion with which they defended the rights of their students, is proof positive of the lifelong impact that teachers have on the lives of their students.