What do we do with films?

Many teachers show films to introduce concepts and topics in science, history and other subject areas, but as many librarians know, visual media present even more problems than print in arousing parental objections. Even a film as clearly educational as An Inconvenient Truth has caused objections in some school districts. Often school districts simply ban the film from classrooms, but students would benefit if they adopted the stance of public libraries and decided that a parent could only prohibit his or her own child from seeing a particular film--not the entire class. The prejudices of a small group should not inhibit most students from learning in as many formats as possible. As more films, both old and new, become available for download, it is easier than ever for young people view them whether adults want them to or not. Raising objections to films may cause more interest and more viewing than would otherwise occur. This was the lesson of book banning and it is likely to be repeated with films. It's probably lucky for educators that so many censorship attempts backfire.