Stop Teaching the Classics (or If Confronted with a Challenge, Give Up…)
By Kristen on Feb 5, 2008 in Classic Literature, Literary News
Photo by Artwerk
Sorry for the nasty headline, but a commentary I just read in The Dallas News really has me steamed. I’m trying to be balanced and compassionate because I have intimate knowledge of just how complex and frustrating teaching can be. However, the piece seems to represent an indefensible position that I desperately hope does not reflect more than one misguided teacher’s opinion.
Here are a couple of quotes:
“Of course, it is my responsibility as a teacher to engage students in these classics so they can understand, analyze and appreciate the writings of our greatest thinkers. But I cannot. I have tried strategy after strategy, sought advice upon advice, and still, I am unable to spark sustainable interest in the vast majority of my students…Why should we continue to mandate the teaching of British literature (for instance) if teachers such as I are unable to provoke such little student thought, reflection or learning in the classroom?”
He continues by stating Of Mice and Men was the “The only assigned book I liked in high school” (a novel usually taught in middle school because it is so accessible). He may have been a victim to uninspiring teachers himself, but why in the world did he think he would be able to engage and inspire students to love works that he himself could not?
Certainly some classics are easier to teach than others (although the classic he sites as difficult is The Great Gatsby — a short, readable romp whose themes regarding the pitfalls of unrequited love and why money doesn’t buy happiness usually engages students; plus, imagine not reading what most consider to be “The Great American Novel” because your teacher didn’t feel like it…). I’ll admit, I have resorted to tantalizing teasers to get my students curious — playing up why many of the classics have been banned in the past, etc. — and I always read the first chapter aloud to highlight exactly why the work is considered great, but then I am usually able to step aside and let Twain, Dickens, Faulkner, Hemingway work their magic.
How can this teacher’s answer be to discard some of the best writing every published? Imagine if a math teacher struggled to teach long division and decided it just wasn’t fun enough and therefore his students didn’t need it?!
One last disturbing quote: “For most students in my class, the months dedicated to the canons of Western literature are a dreadful waste of time.” After reading his commentary, I can see why.
Fortunately, I, like many of my contemporaries, were so turned on by the classics by our high school teachers that we dedicated our lives to turning others on to them, too. I wonder why this teacher’s answer isn’t to continue to work on his methods, attend classes, find a mentor, choose another subject, etc.? Instead he places the blame of his failure on past masterpieces, and not on himself. At least he isn’t blaming his students, I guess…
After reading this, is it any wonder our adolescents struggle to engage with the classics? For better or for worse, students follow the lead of their teachers — imagine what they are learning about confronting challenges in this classroom…
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