Classics in the Classroom-Chapter Three

"The most important decision English teachers make in terms of curriculum is choosing which books to teach."

When I think about what curriculum I will choose for my classroom my mind runs through the list of usual suspects; a list conveniently given on page 40 of Classics in the Classroom

• "Romeo and Juliet" (Check)
  
• Macbeth (Check)
  
• Huckleberry Finn (Check..and maybe Tom Sawyer too?)
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Check)
  
• "Julius Caesar" (Didn't think of this one, probably because I've never read it. Note to self: Things to do before I become a teacher, read Julius Caesar)
  
• The Pearl (Didn't immediately think of this, but it's only because Of Mice and Men had taken the Steinbeck slot)
  
• The Scarlet Letter (Check)
  
• Of Mice and Men (See above)
  
• Lord of the Flies (I hate this book...do I still have to teach it?)
  
• Diary of a Young Girl (Check)
  
• "Hamlet" (Check)
  
• The Great Gatsby (Check)

So, I've got the general ones down, but I only chose them because that's what I read in high school and I also know that they are wonderful titles and absolutely must be read at some point in my students lives. Jago gives a criteria on how to choose other titles besides the tried and true.

Three that stood out to me were:

• explore universal themes that combine different periods and cultures;
• challenge readers to reexamine their beliefs; and
• tell a good story with places for laughing and places for crying.

Classics are considered classics for several reasons, but one of the most important is that they contain themes that never go out of style and are always applicable to the lives of our students. For example, Ayn Rand's short novel Anthem explores the theme of the extreme importance of individualism. This theme will never become pointless or useless, it will always hold a universal truth that my students will need to learn from, explore, and apply to their lives. Another reason classics stick around is that they challenge students. Seems pretty logical that a book, especially one assigned in school, should challenge a student. But so many books simply entertain, which isn't a bad thing, but all of us, teachers and students alike, need to read books that challenge our minds to think, our hearts to feel, our assumptions questioned, and our beliefs to be challenged. And last, these books contain great stories! These stories make us cry, they make us laugh, they make us turn from one page to the next until that story has become a part of our lives, effecting us one way or another.

One of the the bullet points of the criteria on how to choose a book I did not understand at first was the first one: are written in language that is perfectly suited to the author's purpose. I marked the section and moved on planning to come back to it later, but alas later on in the reading it was all explained and I, the future teacher, was taught something. (Which goes to show, we never really stop being students...we can and should always be learning). Jago explained that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein is a Gothic novel and the language chosen by the author is meant to be mysterious, horrifying, and supernatural and Shelley artfully chooses her words to fit perfect with her purpose.

"The huge investment of time required to teach a new novel..." this sentence, especially the "huge investment of time" part voices another of my fears: how will I find the time to be prepared to teach the best lesson I possibly can? When I'm a teacher I'll also be married, starting a family, taking care of that husband and family, just to name a few of the demands on my life. So, how can ensure that I make time for reading and adequately preparing for each lesson? I know I'll have to carefully plan and manage my time wisely in order to do all the things necessary in my life. I'll have to prioritize (No, I can not watch an hour of CSI: New York tonight) and I'll have to make this preparation something that's really important. Jago explains that she is only human and doesn't always get all the reading done, but when she does she can see a difference in her lessons. This, I'm sure like many of my fears, will be worked out as I start teaching and become familiar with how to actually be a teacher, but until then, does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

I'll close with this quote: "Selecting literature for you class isn't a matter of finding books that students like. It's about teaching stories that make them think." -- I'm really excited to choose my literature for my classroom and start the journey through the classics with my students. A journey that will change their lives as well as mine.