Monday, January 28, 2008
Call me crazy, but...
I love classical literature. I love analyzing the social contexts of the time to see how it influenced writers and their writings. I also got a kick out of my History of the English Language class. What can I say? I'm a nerd. Anyways, I had no doubt in my mind that I would take this passion I have for literature and carry it over into my classroom. However, I have been steadily realizing that that is not at all realistic, and my students hate me already. I have also come to the realization that part of building a community in my classroom must be grounded in what I teach. As much as I love Austen, many of my readers (and writers) will have troubles relating to her and the social context of the time. Don't get me wrong, I still think that it is important for students to understand literature through history and vice versa, but that can no longer be my focus. My focus needs to be on the needs of my students. I need to use more contemporary literature from various backgrounds. I loved The House on Mango Street because it gave insight into a life and culture that is not my own. I can see using it in my classroom, and I can also see more students relating to it as opposed to Pride and Prejudice (I hope they still read it though!). I also loved how she addressed gender issues as well as class and culture issues. This book is captivating, insightful, and completely relevant to our cause.
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4 comments:
I'm realizing some of the same things as Bethany. I'm a huge fan on Brititsh Literature. In high school I took honors Language Arts and we weren't scared to dive into the classics. However, I'm realizing that my experience may have been more unique than I thought. I've been introduced to so much more contemporary young adult literature since I've been in our TELA classes than I ever was in high school. I still think there is a place in the classroom for classic literature and we'll still be able to teach pieces of it as long as we can find a way to tie it to students' lives. However, I'm learning from my time in Academic Lab and other classrooms that many students won't share my unique love for Brit. Lit. and I'll need to be able to engage them with newer literature.
Ha! I loved your entry, Bethany! I am so with you Everyone should read--and love--Austen and other Brits. But, I also appreciate your willingness to reach your students by tapping into their interests. I think a clever teacher [wink, wink] will figure out how to slyly slip in some of those great pieces of Literature [insert Tony British accent here] and get her students to actually enjoy them. I once did an English tea party for a small class of girls. It was so much fun and emphasized some of the discussions we'd had on English society and its unwritten rules.
Thanks for writing an entry that made me smile.
:-)
You're not a nerd, you're into incorporating great classics into modern classes. Every student should read Kate Chopin's The Awakening. After I read Pride & Prejudice, I had a professor have us read The Awakening, and OMG...it was amazing...weaving something new with that would be a wonderful way to show students not all cool literature is new!
First of all, Bethany, I'm sorry that your students hate you. I agree with the others who commented that the classics, British or otherwise, do belong in the classroom but the catch, as Rebecca mentioned, is to somehow tie in their interests to the literature so it becomes more meaningful for them. There is a reason they are classics; each new generation is able to connect differently with the text and relate it to their own lives, and I think if we can get our students to see this then they will come to love the literature as much as we do. It's sad that those of us who read for pleasure are becoming "nerds" but the truth is that in man people's minds newer technology is making books obsolete. (Should I spend a week reading the book or 2 hours seeing the film?) I don't have a solution to this problem other than using our influence as teachers to make reading fun again
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