Hello again,
While looking through Jugo's, Classics in the Classroom, I took interest in Chpt. 3 Choosing Which Books to Teach. On pg. 40 there is a list of books that are popular, if not required, canon for high school English curriculums. These texts include: Romeo and Juliet, Huckleberry Finn, Julius Caesar, Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, so-on and so-forth. And while yes, I have read all of these texts, I didn't necessarily enjoy reading all of them when I was just a young buck, back in high school. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to reread many of these texts in college and have found them to be much more enjoyable this time around. Furthermore, I've gained a lot more from them this time around. The point that I'm trying to make it that for whatever reason, I didn't gain everything that stood to be gained in these books. This may have been because I wasn't mature enough to to appreciate the text or maybe my teachers didn't do the best job teaching them; but whatever the reasoning may be- I only got a fraction of what there was to gain from these books the first time I read them.
Having this list of books that are considered to be classic canon has made me start questioning what the "classics" will be in another 25 years; and, should the classics still be what are taught in the classroom. Will they still be the same books that I read or will they be books that have been written in my lifetime? Will the canon of the futute still have the same values of "rereadability" (I don't even know if that's a real work, but it sounds good. Is Webster's hiring?) Anyway, on page 41 of Jugo's text she outlines some of the criterion for being considered a classis. This includes things like: providing a treasured experience for those who read, and re-read them, provides as much a sense of discovery as the first time it was read, a text that helps you "define yourself in relation or even in opposition to it", etc.
Even with all of these qualities for what makes a "classic", because of my experience with not really being able to appreciate these classic novels, I'm not convinced that they should continue to be taught in high schools. While they are indeed great books, I don't know that the typical high shool student is mature enough in their reading to really appreciate all the intricacies of these classic texts. The way that I feel about the issue is that students should be reading things that relate more to their lives and interests, I.E. - Young Adult Novels. While some may argue that this newer genre of books doesn't contain the depth and value of some of the classics, but as long as students are reading, does it really matter what they are reading? This is within reason, of course. I wouldn't want my students reading smut and saying, "oh, well Mr. Pearch says it's OK as long as we are reading something". Young adult literature has alot to offer in the classroom. Many of the topics are more appealing to students, and there is still a lot that can be learned about reading and writing conventions by reading young adult books.
At least that's what I think about the matter.
-Sam
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I enjoyed reading this post Sam, mainly because I feel the exact same way. I told Dr. Kist that I barely read in high school, and this reason was pretty much the key factor why. We all had these books thrown in front of us like they were God's gift to literature. Now, I don't dispute that they are all great books and have something to offer, but at the time there was no way I was going to throw myself into these texts. It is hard to teach some of these lessons to students in high school. The meaning can be entirely too in depth, and the message can even be miscued by a teacher. I find a LOT of the literature we are reading in our classrooms now in college would be PERFECT for high school students. You are right, there still is so much meaning within the books, and the content could very easily meet the standards of high school curriculum. I hope that when we all get to our future job locations that our faculty, school board, and colleagues can be as open-minded as well.
ReplyDeleteSam - this was a very interesting and thoughtful response to the chapter. You raise important points - and your response reminded me about a talk Gloria Ladson Billings gave this fall at the National Reading Conference - she spoke about how most of the "classics" were not written for an audience of 14-18 year olds - they were not meant to be read by young adults.
ReplyDeleteI also think young adult literature has a place in the classroom.