Stop by the baseball field some afternoon, and you’re likely to hear me say, “Use two hands!” Since time immemorial, baseball coaches have implored their players to use two hands when catching fly balls. If you played baseball (or softball) when you were younger, you probably heard it as well. You may have even said it to your children when first teaching them how to play catch. More recently, though, I’ve begun to recognize the relevance of this phrase to my work as a history teacher. Allow me to explain.

On Wednesday, Oct. 11, Hurricane Michael slammed ashore as the strongest storm to ever strike the Florida panhandle.

As we near the mid-semester mark, you’ve probably had one of those nights already. Those nights where your student, maybe despite their effort, was not quite aware of the fact that the quiz or the test was--gulp--the next day! Students have different reactions to the stress that comes with, “I messed up.” Some shut down and give up entirely. Some take it in stride and do what they can to be prepared. Some study all night, or turn into what Mr. Plummer, our Head of School, has called “a pile of goo” in his talks with 9th grade parents.  This is what the teenage brain does. It misreads time. It procrastinates. It overestimates. It underestimates. It freaks out.

Banned Books Week is an annual event that is usually held in the last week of September.  It was first started in 1982 in response to books being challenged for their content in schools, bookstores and libraries.  The American Library Association, the American Booksellers Associators and several other groups sponsor this event each year.

What does it mean for a book to be banned?
In general, book banning occurs when someone (parent, student, community member, etc) asks for a school, library, bookstore or class to remove a certain book, or not assign it as required or suggested reading.  Most public libraries and schools have challenged book procedures in place that requires a committee to examine the book, but not everyone follows these rules. The consequences vary from a book being removed from libraries, returned to them, or restricted in some way.  Conversely, a book getting challenged often leads more people to want to read it.