I am, and
have always been, a bit of a classicist. I enjoy things delivered in their pure
form, or at least the pure form that was bestowed upon me. The problem with my
traditionalist ways is that I am also fascinated with technology and the
advancements that world has made in the past few decades. This causes a world
of chaos for me that no one can possibly understand. I fought off getting an
iPod for several year because I enjoyed having a physical CD and cover art. The
same with cell phones, gaming systems, blu rays, and other advancements in the
technological world. I don’t know why, but I fight and fight until I conform.
And then I fall in love. Out go all of the CD’s because they are useless. The
cover art? Who needs it? I convert into this monster that must cleanse himself
of outdated possessions. Ever see the “Obsolete Man” episode of Twilight Zone? Well for a brief time I
become the dictator in charge of purging society of all things obsolete.
There are
two internal struggles that I am currently facing, and both relate to my job in
the classroom. The first is again a battle with technology. I enjoy my eReader
(something that I just now am conforming to), but I am not ready to give up on paperbacks.
There is something special about turning a page. The smell of a book when you
first buy it. The feeling you get when you finish it. The other feeling you get
when you lend it to someone and understand that you will never see it again. On
the other hand, I can fit a thousand books on a small device that fits in my
pocket. I can read it on the go, and then pick up where I left off on another
synced device. I can mark the text without ruining the page. I can annotate and
save interesting bits of writing. I think I know who will eventually win this
war, but then what will I do with the multitude of bookshelves in my office?
The second war that is waging in my
mind is one that I have shifted views on throughout the years. Is the canon of
literature really needed to get students to learn and value language arts? As
you can guess, I used to think that all literature taught in the classroom
should be under the heading “Classic.” If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But
then I started reflected on what I was doing with my students. Why regurgitate
what I did in high school? The world is a different place now. One of the
greatest feelings I get as a teacher is sharing a classic piece of literature
that I love, and having a classroom full of kids say it was great. The reality
though is that students struggle with archaic language. Classrooms full of
English Language Learners are expected to understand the nuances of Miller’s The Crucible as it pertains to the fear
of communism in the United States (fun fact: all of my students ended up loving
this play because they hated Abigail). What really got me thinking was a moment
I had this year when I started teaching A
Scarlet Letter to my juniors. I had forgotten how boring that novel was. I
love Hawthorne, but man that book can be brutal for a teenager. Sometimes these
classics actually hinder the progress I set to meet in terms of students’
academic goals. When literature is hard to understand, students tend to turn
their back on it. What’s worse, many of them abandon reading completely.
Now I am not sure if I can get my
students to learn all that they need to know about literary criticism by
reading The Hunger Games. Also, there
are some benefits to reading classics in that they are classics. These authors
have done magical things with words that not many others have done (or at least
done well). Newer literature sparks interest in young readers, but can often
lack depth. Like all things in life, perhaps the solution is a sort of balance.
Using classics and contemporary literature to meet academic goals. Some
teachers do book reports and think they are accomplishing this balance. That is
a false sense of pride. All you are really doing is making reading a chore. We
cannot abandon the canon, but we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect
better results. Einstein called that insanity.
In “The Obsolete Man” episode,
Romney Wordsworth (great name) is a librarian who is deemed obsolete by the
dark 1984ish society in which he
lives. He argues that books he is willing to die for are the foundation of
society. They are fundamental needs that all people should have. Wordsworth’s
idea is that words themselves have worth. As an English teacher, it is my duty
and pleasure to deliver this same message to my students. So, in this battle I
feel that there is no winner. Canon? Contemporary literature? Whatever. As long
as people are reading.
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