Surrey teacher questions district's decision to remove 'To Kill a Mockingbird' from recommended resources

A Surrey high school teacher is criticizing the school district following its decision to remove novels such as Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" from its recommended resources lists.

A Surrey high school teacher is criticizing the school district following its decision to remove novels such as Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" from its recommended resources lists.

Michael Musherure, an English teacher at Earl Marriott Secondary School, said he’s disappointed in the move and plans to continue teaching the novels despite the district’s verdict.

“I don’t think in education there’s the easy way,” he said. “The right way is teaching history the way it is and these books help us with that.”

Ritinder Matthew, an associate director of communications with the district, said the district wanted to provide more comprehensive and culturally sensitive educational materials for students to address issues like racism in a relevant and responsible way. 

“I know there’s other literature that’s come since that deals with these issues in a way that will resonate with our students and better captures the current social landscape of the world today,” Matthew said.

According to Matthew, the decision to move away from Lee’s novel wasn’t an outright ban. Lee's novel and others on the list, such as John Ball's "In the Heat of the Night," will still be available for teachers to utilize and will remain in school libraries.

Despite the district allowing educators to still use the books, Musherure thinks it will have an impact.