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Perhaps they enjoy science and math and don't see the point in reading books about some boring characters from 70 years ago.
Cool, but no curriculum designer is going to please any student who has determined that he or she simply don't like reading and resents having to take the class if it's not [fill in the blank with subject of your choice]. Consequently, most systems don't sink a lot of time into catering to individual tastes and preferences, but base their selections on other criteria.
Had a long discussion with my 9th grader last night which came around to this: Why do they pick such boring books and plays for high school literature? Which made me think back to my own school years and I have to agree. It seems almost as if the literature chosen is designed to make kids hate reading.
They're in the midst of To Kill a Mockingbird, and might get to Romeo & Juliet this year. This isn't a kid who hates reading, but would like variety. He's already stated he much rather study Macbeth, Hamlet, Henry V, or Othello instead of Romeo & Juliet because they have more action and appeal to a boy.
Let's be honest: How many people would really read Mockingbird or Anne Frank if they weren't required reading in school? Is it merely social relevance and tradition that ties us to the same things when there are many books that would stir the imagination better and capture young readers for a lifetime if that's really the goal?
You might be surprised- years down the line, your student might remember a book, and decide to read it again.
Re: Anne Frank- I think it was given to us to read in the 11th grade, but I'd read it when I was 9.
I love books
To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye were two of the most boring books I've ever read. Naturally, both were forced upon me in highschool. It is definitely time to change things up a bit.
Interesting, those were two of my favorite books that I read for pleasure after high school.
Others that I also read on my own include:
1984
Brave New World
The Things They Carried
Slaughterhouse-Five
Things Fall Apart
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
On The Road
Maybe I'm a bit of an elitist, but these books and others are "classics" and are widely-chosen for school books lists for a reason. Now that's not to say that everyone will like all of them or that there are not other good books out there.
Well...social relevance over the span of generations is part of what makes it actual "literature" as opposed to simply a page turner. Social relevance is what makes a person think and consider something in a different light or from a different perspective and have something to actual discuss and debate. That is kind of the point of literature and education. Page turners can be read at one's leisure - sure they're fun but how much do they make a person actually think?
^^^This. that's why it's called an English LITERATURE course, not a reading course. The whole point is analysis, understanding literary devices etc etc. Unfortunately that means it's WORK. If taught properly it should be stimulating and engaging. If it isn't, then it's probably being taught poorly. But as we become stupider and stupider as a nation our collective will to expect kids to work in school seems to on the decline.
The idea is to spur them into reading what hasen as good brain food to get them thinking ....it is to open their minds to big ideas....many of them will never grasp more than the funny papers..most of my classmates it was a complete waste of time....then they wonder why they don't have a good job..they couldn't even create within selves the desire to explore, try make an effort...no it is all supposed to be given them.....
That's exactly it though -- the desire to explore. Being tied to the same recycled reading material year after year is the antithesis of that.
Had a long discussion with my 9th grader last night which came around to this: Why do they pick such boring books and plays for high school literature? Which made me think back to my own school years and I have to agree. It seems almost as if the literature chosen is designed to make kids hate reading.
They're in the midst of To Kill a Mockingbird, and might get to Romeo & Juliet this year. This isn't a kid who hates reading, but would like variety. He's already stated he much rather study Macbeth, Hamlet, Henry V, or Othello instead of Romeo & Juliet because they have more action and appeal to a boy.
Let's be honest: How many people would really read Mockingbird or Anne Frank if they weren't required reading in school? Is it merely social relevance and tradition that ties us to the same things when there are many books that would stir the imagination better and capture young readers for a lifetime if that's really the goal?
I read The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank) on my own when I was a teenager. I read To Kill a Mockingbird on my own a few months ago when I was 59. Both are classics and I enjoyed both of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TabulaRasa
In all honesty, the vast majority of contemporary students to whom I've taught the book have enjoyed it. The ones who haven't are the ones that resent having to read anything, period, and it's not really anything to do with the book. It's a great story with deeply engaging, well-written characters, and that strikes a chord. I did it as a read-aloud once with students with reading disabilities, and they absolutely loved it, and the discussions it provoked about justice, friendship, racism, poverty, bravery, and just being a kid...all things they could personally identify with.
They loved the film version, when we were done, as well, and getting contemporary teens to tolerate B&W is a big thing. Such a well-done film. Several of my kids said with complete honesty that they "wished Atticus was a real dude." Me, too...me, too.
There is a tremendous effort today in teaching students to read, but I believe that the average reading level is sliding downward. I've been subbing for English and social studies in several high schools and I regularly hear students say that they hate to read.
Few students actually read many of the books being taught in schools today. Teachers are partly at fault by relying on movies to teach many books. Why read the The Great Gatsby, Macbeth or Of Mice and Men when you will watch it in class over a span of a week or so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TabulaRasa
Cool, but no curriculum designer is going to please any student who has determined that he or she simply don't like reading and resents having to take the class if it's not [fill in the blank with subject of your choice]. Consequently, most systems don't sink a lot of time into catering to individual tastes and preferences, but base their selections on other criteria.
I've been exposed to the literature taught in numerous schools from 4th grade through 12th grade. Schools today do a much better job of exposing kids to both older classic literature and more modern books. Many of the books they are reading have been published in the past 15 years and are not all the dusty old classics that some have mentioned. Students are reading books such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John boyne, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Night by Elie Wiesel, The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Chbosky, The Time Traveler's Wife by Niffenegger, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Book Thief by Zusak, Holes by Louis Sachar, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The City of Ember by DuPrau, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, Atonement by Ian McEwan, The Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver, The Looking Glass Wars by Beddor, Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
I'll admit that I don't like all classic literature. I don't care for most mythology, Greek and Roman Classical Periods, Old English, Middle English, etc. I think all students should read at least a couple plays by Shakespeare. They should read something each by Steinbeck and Hemingway. I recommend To Kill a Mockingbird, A Farewell to Arms, All Quiet on the Western Front and Of Mice and Men. I do not recommend The Great Gatsby or The Catcher in the Rye.
Beyond that, I don't have strong opinions, but I do agree (or disagree with the OP) that high school literature classes should expose you to books you wouldn't otherwise read. Over my lifetime I have gotten into this rut where I tend to read similar types of books. I have read virtually all of John Grisham's novels for example, and I had read many of Tom Clancy's books. Literature classes should expose you to new literature even if it is out of your comfort zone.
To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye were two of the most boring books I've ever read. Naturally, both were forced upon me in highschool. It is definitely time to change things up a bit.
There is a reason why it is called literature and not pop fiction. To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye and certainly Shakespeare are taught because they are classical examples of the highest expression of writing as an art form. If you given examples of superb writing, perhaps children will learn that writing is about more than, typing OMG, LOL and U as a personal pronoun.
And people wonder why Americans are so gawd awful stupid, and inarticulate.
Many of the books they are reading have been published in the past 15 years and are not all the dusty old classics that some have mentioned. Students are reading books such as ...Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...
The trouble is that dusty old classics can be better than new stuff that gets made into movies.
As an old sci-fi reader I read the books and watched the first movie to see what the big deal was. I cannot say the big deal is justified. I haven't bothered with the last two movies. A dusty "classic" that almost no one has heard of would be far better:
I do not see any important ideas presented in The Hunger Games. It just looks like young revolutionary hero that happens to be female against the usual Evil Oppressive Government story.
Rite of Passage raises the question of who owns knowledge and has the right to control its distribution. That is probably an eternal issue that is not even addressed by our oppressive government. All this talk about education but they have never discussed making 700 year old double-entry accounting mandatory in the schools even though students are bombarded with propaganda about "jobs, JOBS, JOBS!"
If accounting had been mandatory in our schools for the last 50 years what would the economy be like today?
Ask an economist and see what nonsense you get.
Our problem is the selection of books. How is this done? You have to read a hell of a lot to stumble across good stuff that never gets mentioned by whoever runs the schools.
Perhaps they enjoy science and math and don't see the point in reading books about some boring characters from 70 years ago.
In my 30 years of software engineering I found my secret advantage was my ability to read and write. I have seen a lot of writing from college graduates in my field that are at 6th grade level. It is sad and it is embarrassing to hand over such documents to the customer of the product. Technical writers are supposed to do the writing but in the industry I work, our technical writer does not do that. The worst writing I ever saw was from a very good (otherwise) engineer about 15 years younger than me who has the old fashioned common sense approach to engineering of those with much more experience.
I started out in college as a business major, then tried engineering, then tried literature and poetry (I wanted to be a poet) and I read books like crazy. I enjoyed the analysis of classics. But I decided I could not make much money in that and was good at math so I majored in Mathematics.
Bottom line: A traditional 4 year college education is ideal. The first two years you take "general education," which makes you a well-rounded individual. It's not the content of what you read, but the analysis you learn, the critical thinking. One class of mine was a literature class with a professor who was so obsessed with Freud, that in order to get an A in the class your analysis had to coincide with his. I took it in stride, with the viewpoint that I was not really doing critique, but I was doing the critique as my professor would have wanted. I still learned critical thinking that way, even though I, and most of the people in that class rejected Freud. This was about 33 years ago!
The junior colleges are perfect for general ed. The tuition is inexpensive. Then go to a state university to finish up the other 2 years.
The trouble is that dusty old classics can be better than new stuff that gets made into movies.
As an old sci-fi reader I read the books and watched the first movie to see what the big deal was. I cannot say the big deal is justified. I haven't bothered with the last two movies. A dusty "classic" that almost no one has heard of would be far better:
I do not see any important ideas presented in The Hunger Games. It just looks like young revolutionary hero that happens to be female against the usual Evil Oppressive Government story.
Rite of Passage raises the question of who owns knowledge and has the right to control its distribution. That is probably an eternal issue that is not even addressed by our oppressive government. All this talk about education but they have never discussed making 700 year old double-entry accounting mandatory in the schools even though students are bombarded with propaganda about "jobs, JOBS, JOBS!"
If accounting had been mandatory in our schools for the last 50 years what would the economy be like today?
Ask an economist and see what nonsense you get.
Our problem is the selection of books. How is this done? You have to read a hell of a lot to stumble across good stuff that never gets mentioned by whoever runs the schools.
I love Rite of Passage. I think about it often when I fantasize about culling my students.
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