A Novel Idea
I am an avid reader. No, that does not mean that I read a book a day and belong to Oprah's Book Club, but I always have a book partially read somewhere around me. My interest in subject matter is basically simple: English please! As long as the book is in English, without major typesetting and grammatical errors, and is at some level interesting, I will read it. Sure, I have read a lot of "junk", but I have also read many great stories in my life.
So why is it that teachers insist on ruining a good story by trying to "teach" it? I absolutely hated sitting in a literature class and "having" to read For Whom The Bell Tolls so I could try to explain why Robert Jordan died rather than run off into the Spanish hillside with Maria. Worse yet was knowing if I didn't somehow deduce (or flat out repeat) what my teacher thought the reason was I was likely to fail regardless of how cleverly I developed my arguments.
This is not to say I do not like the idea of teaching how to write. I love that idea. Teach the grammar, the structure, how to develop suspension of disbelief, how to change the rhythm of your words so you build momentum for your readers while leading up to a climactic scene. These are things that can be, and should be taught.
But on the other hand, if you want adults reading, and parents reading (which will get the kids reading) then for all that is good in the world stop making the idea of picking up a book evil by attaching a grade to it! Stories like For Whom The Bell Tolls, The Canterbury Tales, David Copperfield, 1984, The Great Gatsby and others that make up the standard reading fare of literature courses are great stories in and of themselves. They are entertainment, they are excitement! They are not a homework assignment to be reviled! These are some of the finest works in English literature, and should be enjoyed by the reader. They do exactly what they were written to do: they move the reader and make the person think. All putting a grade on something afterward does is prove that what the student "thought" wasn't good enough.
So why is it that teachers insist on ruining a good story by trying to "teach" it? I absolutely hated sitting in a literature class and "having" to read For Whom The Bell Tolls so I could try to explain why Robert Jordan died rather than run off into the Spanish hillside with Maria. Worse yet was knowing if I didn't somehow deduce (or flat out repeat) what my teacher thought the reason was I was likely to fail regardless of how cleverly I developed my arguments.
This is not to say I do not like the idea of teaching how to write. I love that idea. Teach the grammar, the structure, how to develop suspension of disbelief, how to change the rhythm of your words so you build momentum for your readers while leading up to a climactic scene. These are things that can be, and should be taught.
But on the other hand, if you want adults reading, and parents reading (which will get the kids reading) then for all that is good in the world stop making the idea of picking up a book evil by attaching a grade to it! Stories like For Whom The Bell Tolls, The Canterbury Tales, David Copperfield, 1984, The Great Gatsby and others that make up the standard reading fare of literature courses are great stories in and of themselves. They are entertainment, they are excitement! They are not a homework assignment to be reviled! These are some of the finest works in English literature, and should be enjoyed by the reader. They do exactly what they were written to do: they move the reader and make the person think. All putting a grade on something afterward does is prove that what the student "thought" wasn't good enough.
posted by Aaron Peavy | 8:08 AM
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