Schools are at the center of the new culture wars with teachers, in many ways, taking the brunt of it.

In the last year alone, PEN America found more than 2,500 instances of individual books being banned across the country as issues from race relations to gender politics take center stage.

But Deborah Appleman argues there are ways to teach texts that address difficult issues, and that it’s important to do.

Appleman is a professor and chair of educational studies at Minnesota's Carleton College and taught high school English for nearly a decade before going into academia. 

The Show spoke with her to learn more about the dilemma that teachers face.

Sara Rubenstein

Deborah Appleman

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