Ninth grade students in Stephanie Hurt’s English class at Brodhead High School have participated in the National Writing Project’s College, Career, and Community-Ready Writer’s Program (C3WP) all year. Students learned to consider multiple perspectives around an issue and to write evidence-based arguments asking for change. For their final argument, students chose an issue they care about, researched the conversation surrounding the issue, and wrote an evidence-based letter to a real audience, such as these letters to the editor. 

From Lindsey Waagen

Brodhead High School

To the editor: 

Growing up in a world full of technology, you can’t protect your kids from everything. You can, however, monitor and set rules for what your kids watch or listen to.

It’s not the producers’ jobs to protect your kids. Artists write their music based on real experiences that your kids will most likely face themselves or see others encounter. “If censorship is made into law, it prevents artists from expressing themselves and conveying what message they want…” says Crystal Ayres. Artists should be able to tell whatever story they want without being censored. By censoring music, they are taking away their right to freedom of speech. This country was founded on the idea that we should be able to say, read, or publish anything we want. By censoring music, we are not respecting the artists’ rights to express whatever they desire. Ayres continues to say “...if there will be censorship in any form, be it music or poetry, these kids will not be able to learn self-expression since it is presented as something that needs to be censored’’. By censoring, you’re letting kids think they will get punished for expressing themselves.

We are keeping the younger generation from a harsh reality. According to Crystal Ayres “By regulation the songs which are being played on the airways, people especially teens, will not be exposed to lyrics that have profanities and violence overtones”. But not allowing teens to hear about real life problems will keep them from knowing the truth. The next generation will not be able to fix certain issues in our society if you are keeping them from knowing the truth. Children will be learning about sex, violence and drugs from other means and at certain points of their life. So why keep it from them at young age? Teaching kids about debatable situations will help them to truly understand life itself and how they can change their future. 

Don’t keep kids locked up. They need to explore topics because if they don’t, nothing will ever change.