The Bronze Bow in public schools: issues and insights

The Bronze Bow in San Rafael schools: issues & insights

(materials compiled by concerned parents)

UPDATE: At its meeting on December 11^th, three out of the five members of the school board stated that The Bronze Bow should be removed from the curriculum. Although no vote was taken, the board directed the district to form a committee of parents, teachers, and clergy to make recommendations on alternatives. When those alternatives are presented, the board will act on them. This book will not be used again.

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to get to this conclusion. People from every part of the community spoke up, and they were heard. We especially want to thank the leaders of the Marin Interfaith Council. One school board member went so far as to say that this is exactly what democracy is all about. We agree.

For more information about the meeting and what led up to it, see articles from this week in the:

Marin Independent-Journal ( [Tad Whitaker I-J article] [Brad Breithaupt I-J article] ) and

Pacific Sun ( [Pacific Sun article] )

KEY [Why The Bronze Bow shouldn’t be used] [Analysis by Doug Huneke, Presbyterian minister]

DOCUMENTS

[What happened with the Curriculum Advisory Council] [FAQ and overview]

As part of their Roman history unit, the 7th grade advanced core classes at Davidson and Venetia Valley study The Bronze Bow, a novel by Elizabeth George Speare. The book tells the story of Daniel, a Jewish boy in 1st century Judea. Filled with hate for the occupying Romans, he joins a group of mountain guerilla fighters. Returning home to care for his sister, he becomes increasingly disgusted by the inaction of Jewish leaders and the elitism and pettiness of their religious "law", but his life is changed forever when he comes to know Jesus of Nazareth. In the book's final scene, he is abruptly transformed by an ecstatic religious conversion.

[Speare biographical information]

[Book pages about Jesus]

[Book pages with final scene]

Unfortunately, many passages in The Bronze Bow are based directly on the New Testament, both professing Christian doctrine and criticizing Judaism. Most alarmingly, woven tightly into the narrative is the accusation that Jews and Jewish leaders plotted to kill Jesus. This charge is the wellspring of all anti-Semitism, pogroms, and the Holocaust.

[Book pages with Christianity passages]

[Book pages criticizing Judaism]

[Book pages about killing Jesus]

We have great respect for Christian beliefs and do not want to offend anyone. Scriptures of all religions outline their tenets, and when a new denomination splits off, its holy writings often criticize its predecessor. Religion is a crucial part of history and of today's world, and we fully support teaching students about religion in public schools. But we believe that the right way to do it is to teach and discuss facts about religions thoughtfully, without favoring or deprecating any people or faith.

The author's other books are notable for their promotion of cultural and religious understanding, especially The Witch of Blackbird Pond. But in The Bronze Bow, she incorporated polemic which was so familiar to her that she did not see its harm. (In 1961, the first Supreme Court decision on school prayer was still two years away, and the Vatican had not yet repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for Jesus’ death.) On the other hand, she intentionally designed the book to teach children about Jesus, as described in the speech she gave accepting the Newbery medal for the book in 1962.

[Newbery speech]

We do not believe that Davidson or the school district has shown any religious bias in using the book. It is 45 years old, and its Newbery medal protected it from much scrutiny. It is still used in school districts all over the United States, including some in Marin County, and was on California's recommended list until quite recently.

[Detailed explanation of state “recommended lists”, state-approved books, etc.]

When the San Rafael school district adopted it in the late 1990's, they overlooked the book's problematic aspects. But since then, a number of Davidson parents have been troubled by it, and some have spoken to the school individually. Last year, a group of Davidson 7th grade parents did so systematically - first with the teachers, then the principal, and finally the school district.

We believe that using the book violates the state education code, but enforcing it would require an expensive and ugly legal battle. We have so far rejected offering a choice of books, envisioning a small group of Jewish students in each class excluded from classroom discussions. We have presented the information shown above, as well as letters of concern from local clergy and national experts on teaching religion in public schools. We have even researched other books that could be used instead.

[State regulations]

[Letters of support]

[Essay by Rabbi Stacy Friedman]

[see "Outcast" in this reading guide]

The 2005 - 2006 advanced Core teachers, having used The Bronze Bow for years, originally saw no harm in it. When we met with the principal in June 2006, he told us that he understood how we might see problems in the book but that he did not see any himself. However, at the Curriculum Advisory Council meeting in October, a Davidson vice principal stated that this incident has been an eye-opening experience for the school, generating a lot of faculty discussion, and that "the book will never be taught the same way again." This represents progress, but we think it falls far short, since the book will still be assigned reading. Unfortunately, the district superintendent, Davidson principal, and Curriculum Advisory Council are loath to reverse a prior decision or to set a precedent of removing a book from the classroom. No one is suggesting that the book be removed from the library, only that it not be required classroom reading.

[LINK to comments by Davidson principal]

The discussion is working its way towards the school board, who will eventually decide, but the debate is becoming polarized. The media is also beginning to take notice. Fortunately, there are ways to resolve this impasse amicably. If enough parents request that their children read a different book, it will become impractical to continue using it at all. If half of next year's likely 7th grade advanced core families at Davidson and Venetia Valley opt out of the book well in advance, it will send a strong message to the school and the district. Or, if enough parents ask the school board to remove the book from the curriculum entirely, they may be more receptive. And if parents of students who have already read the book and parents of elementary school students weigh in, they will be heard.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE ALSO:

The Bronze Bow - A Critical Website