I want to dedicate this page to YA literature. Why? Because I feel as if this might be a point of contention, and if nothing else, I wish to be proactive rather than reactive.
If you looked at the class syllabus, you might have noticed the reading list of the books we will be exploring this year. While there are some books on that list that we in the English community like to call "canonical" (which is a big, fancy word that basically means: "Classic books that you, your parents, your parents, parents and their parents, parents read in middle/high school), there are also books that many of you may not have ever heard from. You may have even noticed that one of those books is a graphic novel, "American-Born Chinese."
Because a lot of parents at times feel uneasy when these types of books are used in class, I thought I would take the time to explain why we in the English department are using them in our classroom. I believe that once everything is on the table, many of you who have concerns will be put more at ease. As always, I welcome your questions and concerns, please shoot me and email or call me after school, and I will be happy to speak with you.
Ok. As some of you know, teachers across the United States build our curriculum based on standards that are created by the best and brightest in this field in collaboration with policy makers that we've elected. You'll notice that many of these standards are skills-based rather than knowledge-based. While that in and of itself is often in contention, the fact remains that teachers are evaluated and held accountable for their ability to teach your students all of these standards that we've deemed necessary for future success. The idea is that if a student graduates from high school in Detroit, we can know with a relative certainty that he is equally as prepared for college as a student graduating in Tulsa, OK. We use standards to build equity and makes sure every student gets a fair shake in terms of their education. While standards direct us in WHAT teachers must teach, they give the classroom teacher total freedom in HOW (what strategies) we teach that curriculum. The purpose of this directive is that it allows classroom teachers to use what they are good at to be the most effective.
One issue that has arisen in English classes across the nation is that students with lower reading levels struggle with some of these canonical texts. This presents two glaring issues: 1) The student doesn't end up reading the book with the class and 2) because of that, the matter is made much worse because then students can't learn the concepts that I am teaching through that novel. Many of us have read Shakespeare, we know that the texts are not necessarily accessible to all readers. Especially for younger readers, I am of the opinion that just because they have a lower reading level, does not mean that they should fall behind in terms of concepts. While reading levels can improve, that process takes much longer than we have during a class unit or even a school year. In the meantime, I will not allow students to not learn the skills they need to succeed once their reading level catches up with the rest of their peers. Reading level is very much like physical fitness, the only way to improve is consistent practice. I would rather students have book maybe less inspired than the works of the great Shakespeare and actually read it, then just be exposed to Shakespeare and not fully grasp the concepts they need to function at the next level. I was not able to obtain a degree in English because I read Shakespeare in high school, but rather because my teachers were able to get across the necessary skills I needed to be able to read effectively. We don't teach preschool children to ride a Harley-Davidson. We teach them to ride a tricycle or bike with training wheels, where they learn the balance to eventually be able to handle the awesomeness of a Harley. Also, if you've had multiple children, you know they learn things at different stages. For example, 1 might have been able to learn to walk really quickly while another might have learned several months after the other. Does that mean that the first is a better walker? Of course not! In the same way, reading levels will eventually improve, and students can become skilled readers even if they are not right away, but that can't happen if don't gain skills and practice reading simply because the texts they use aren't accessible.
That being said, I always welcome options in education. If a student finds a book is not challenging for them, by all means they can read something else! Remember it's not what they're reading, but they skills they are learning, so I am happy to make accommodations for advanced students. Likewise, if a student is struggling, the last thing I want is for them to continue to use a medium that is not accessible to them. Teachers can teach theme with any book. We can teach students to read between the lines with just about anything, so why not let them use a book that they can actually understand? The books I have selected to teach are based on the Lexile level (basically reading level) that your students have shown via standardized testing. I also know that these tests aren't perfect, so there is certainly some wiggle room.
I also have chosen books that I believe will interest you students. I have read everyone of these books, and they are all absolutely fantastic! I want to get students excited about reading because if I can do that that is truly going encourage them to keep practicing, and keep improving.
Now, I might be pegged as one of those new wave, anti-canon, 21st century lit nuts, but I promise you I still believe in the canon. They have survived because these works are timeless. They are well-written, and they have plenty to teach us about life. I love Shakespeare. I love Dickenson, Browning, Swift, Milton, Sidney, Marlowe, Melville, Hemmingway, Ellison, and Poe. I love these works so much that when my students get to the point that they are reading them, I want them to be able to appreciate them as much as I do know.
Here's what I mean. When I was in 9th grade, my English class took on Lord of the Flies. I suppose I liked the book, but I did not take away much meaning other than the plot of the novel. I re-read the book as a college senior, and I was amazed at everything I had missed. That book has so much to tell us about humanity, and I did not even have a chance of picking that up. Lord of the Flies had not been accessible to me at the time. Now, luckily I made it along just fine, but that might not be the case for everyone. I want to be a better teacher than what I was blessed with, and so to fix this issue, I have decided to dedicate part of my reading list to YA literature. My class will be a balancing act of exposing students to great works as well as making sure they have all the skills they need to read at the highest level. That is my goal and I will always strive for that.
Hopefully that helps. If you still have concerns, like I said please feel free to email me. I will do whatever I can to accommodate and address your concerns. The thing is, I can't do anything about the things I don't know about. I desire to work together with students/parents to be the best teacher I can be! Let's make it work!
Just in case you wanted a good scholarly read about using YA lit in the classroom: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v33n3/gibbons.pdf
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