Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 21, 1992 TAG: 9203210362
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER SOUTHWEST BUREAU
DATELINE: HILLSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
They plan to picket Carroll County High School Friday and are rallying supporters for the dismissal of the teacher, Marion Goldwasser, and whoever else was involved in approving the book for classroom use.
J.B. Lineberry, the evangelist, said a parent showed him a copy of "The Floatplane Notebooks" by North Carolina novelist Clyde Edgerton about two weeks ago. The book was supplemental reading in an English class attended by the man's son.
Lineberry, 59, a sixth-grade dropout from Hillsville who admits leading a less-than-admirable life before he found religion, said he read the book until 2:30 the following morning "and the only thing I found out about it was that it was wishy-washy . . ., and then it started bringing out things that could warp a child's mind."
The 265-page novel alternates first-person narrators among members of a North Carolina family from 1956 to 1971. The parts to which Lineberry and his supporters object most strongly are near the end, when one of the characters loses an arm and leg in Vietnam and worries vividly about the effect on his sex life. They also object to the four-letter words used during this part of the story.
Goldwasser, who has taught English for 20 years, said the novel is appropriate for the age, maturity and ability of the two classes that used it.
She read the classes excerpts from three books and they chose this one to read, she said. She had used it last year with an honors English class and "they said it was their favorite book."
Members of the two 11th-grade classes using it this year bought their own copies, at a discount.
"And the nice thing that came out of that was they said, `When can we read another book?' " Goldwasser said. "There were some good, sound educational reasons for doing this book."
She said the words used in that one section prompted a class lesson on appropriate language, why someone might talk that way in a particular situation and why it was not generally appropriate to do so.
When the controversy arose, the students were given a chance to return the books and get their money back. She said none of them chose to do so.
"The teacher had talked to the kids about there was some vulgar language in it," Principal Harold Golding said. "We recognize that the book does have some words in it, and it'll not be read again."
Golding said he had gotten complaints from only two parents. As for himself, he said, "I find that the language is offensive, and there's some strong language in a few pages, and I understand it would be offensive to some people."
Carroll Education Association President Lisa Driscoll said there is a process through which teachers, administrators and the community can examine and discuss the instructional materials used in the schools. "We are a reasonable and forward community," Driscoll said.
"Any attempt by anyone to portray educators as against the community on this issue is taking this issue out of context," Driscoll said.
Lineberry is making the matter public through his twice-a-week radio broadcasts over Hillsville station WHHV, and by distributing copies of the six pages he finds most offensive to churches and others.
He said a seventh-grade teacher was chastised for trying to bring Bible class materials into the school system "and they have garbage like that . . . . This thing has went too far."
Randy Mason, a Liberty University graduate who has lived here for six years, said a Hillsville Intermediate School student staying temporarily with him and his wife had in-school suspension for three days and was kicked off the volleyball team for using a four-letter word in school.
"They did what they should have done," said Mason, who is one of Lineberry's major supporters in this matter. "I want the same standards that they held up to [the student] held up to the faculty. . . . We won't be satisfied with anything less than the dismissal of the individuals who were responsible for putting this material before the young people," he said.
"There's absolutely no reason why a book like that has to be used. There's no value in it," Mason said. "If I went to my employer and used the kind of language that's in that book, I would be fired."
Goldwasser was named the county's top teacher this school year by a committee representing the superintendent's office, the School Board and the Carroll Education Association, based on interviews, teaching philosophy and other criteria.
"I really care about the children. I care about the community," Goldwasser said Friday. "And I hate to be perceived as a mean person. It makes me feel bad."
by CNB