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News & ArtsWednesday, September 2, 2009
Books Today in Letting Children Do Whatever They Want
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 12:25 PM
This past weekend, the New York Times profiled a teacher who is dropping the classics from her curriculum in favor of letting kids read whatever they want.
Among their choices: James Patterson‘s adrenaline-fueled “Maximum Ride” books, plenty of young-adult chick-lit novels and even the “Captain Underpants” series of comic-book-style novels.But then there were students like Jennae Arnold, a soft-spoken eighth grader who picked challenging titles like “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, of which she wrote, partly in text-message speak: “I would have N3V3R thought of or about something like that on my own.”
Kids who read whatever they want wind up doing better on standardized tests, which we all know is a sign of a great education.
I'm actually in favor of people being forced to read books they wouldn't otherwise read. I often try to read books that wouldn't normally appeal to me, and about one out of every four times, I wind up loving the book. And I read The Scarlet Letter in high school and hated it, but I have enjoyed the book more and more every time I've re-read it, and I'm glad I have the experience of 16-year-old me reading the book and hating it. It's a kind of conversation with a past self now. On the other hand, I read A Tale of Two Cities and hated it and I still hate it. And I resent being forced to read it, which, I have been told, is a character-building experience.
1
Actually, the Captain Underpants series is a literary masterpiece. The classic struggle of two boys, who act the same but are from different racial backgrounds, in rebelling against authority and causing it to change into a different form (from an ultra-strict principal to Captain Underpants) is a theme repeated in many fine works throughout the ages.
Well, except for when the space aliens replace the lunch ladies in the cafeteria - that's more of a Jules Verne approach, or War of the Worlds.
Well, except for when the space aliens replace the lunch ladies in the cafeteria - that's more of a Jules Verne approach, or War of the Worlds.
2
I had mixed feelings when reading that article, especially coming on the heels of the announcement that Reading Rainbow has ended production.
It seems that the better run models of the "read what you want" plans give the kids the chance to choose among a finite selection of books - which can include some classics.
The problem that seems to be looming with mass implementation of this 'new' approach is that some teachers may not have the time or willingness to pre-select books or recommend more complex titles.
The approaches mentioned in the article seem to be okay, and appear to be fostering a love of reading for pleasure - which is a good thing. However, I don't think that every school, let alone every teacher, will have the ability or resources to implement such a program without it becoming "lazy". That is to say, that the kids will truly be allowed to read ANY book, and that would count (which as the article mentioned the programs featured do have some limits on what the kids can pick).
While I am in favor of this approach fostering a love of reading, I agree with its critics that what is lost is the cultural touchstone of a common Cannon (including the updated multicultural Cannon that has been revised in the past few years).
It seems that the better run models of the "read what you want" plans give the kids the chance to choose among a finite selection of books - which can include some classics.
The problem that seems to be looming with mass implementation of this 'new' approach is that some teachers may not have the time or willingness to pre-select books or recommend more complex titles.
The approaches mentioned in the article seem to be okay, and appear to be fostering a love of reading for pleasure - which is a good thing. However, I don't think that every school, let alone every teacher, will have the ability or resources to implement such a program without it becoming "lazy". That is to say, that the kids will truly be allowed to read ANY book, and that would count (which as the article mentioned the programs featured do have some limits on what the kids can pick).
While I am in favor of this approach fostering a love of reading, I agree with its critics that what is lost is the cultural touchstone of a common Cannon (including the updated multicultural Cannon that has been revised in the past few years).
3
Hey let's let the kids decide what they eat for lunch too, I'm sure they will get plenty of fruits and veggies and definitely won't fill up on candy.
4
My high school would assign two required summer reading books and gave us a list of 20 books from which we could choose two to read.
I don't see why these new curriculums couldn't do something similar. Assign several challenging books throughout the year that everyone has to read and require that kids read an equal number of books of their own choosing.
I don't see why these new curriculums couldn't do something similar. Assign several challenging books throughout the year that everyone has to read and require that kids read an equal number of books of their own choosing.
5
geez....I had almost forsaken reading completely after finishing The Scarlet Letter in middle school....luckily, i happened to discover Issac Asimov just in time....TGIA
6
I'm fine with it. The dumb kids will read the simple books and the smart ones will aim higher. But everyone will be reading. I don't expect our future gas station attendants to read the works of Shakepeare, do you?
Also, I agree with the last paragraph if you replace the Dickens with Turgnev's Fathers & Sons. Worst book they ever made me read in high school.
Also, I agree with the last paragraph if you replace the Dickens with Turgnev's Fathers & Sons. Worst book they ever made me read in high school.
7
In my AP 9th grade, we had a 2 page, 3 columns each page, 10pt list of books we could choose from as reading material. I chose some of my still-favorites from it, including Catch-22, and A Catcher in the Rye.
10th grade was the same, but I picked shittier books (The Turn of the Screw?!
The benefit of this was that the list was generally challenging or layered. And, I didn't have to slog through some of the others' preferred reading "You want us to read MORE Chaz Dickens?"
The detriment was that I didn't get assisted reading which would help me find the layers, which was what I kind of liked in school. As in, "Ohhhh, I missed that they were passing a fence in that one scene by Benjy of The Sound and the Fury."
...
We had a summer reading where we had to choose two books to read. I chose Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies. Then they wanted us to write a report about both of them. THAT was near impossible.
10th grade was the same, but I picked shittier books (The Turn of the Screw?!
The benefit of this was that the list was generally challenging or layered. And, I didn't have to slog through some of the others' preferred reading "You want us to read MORE Chaz Dickens?"
The detriment was that I didn't get assisted reading which would help me find the layers, which was what I kind of liked in school. As in, "Ohhhh, I missed that they were passing a fence in that one scene by Benjy of The Sound and the Fury."
...
We had a summer reading where we had to choose two books to read. I chose Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies. Then they wanted us to write a report about both of them. THAT was near impossible.
10
of course the problem is, the smart/thoughtful/arty kids will pick GOOD stuff to read and the bland majority will pick crap but I guess if it gets them to read ANYTHING it's better than reading nothing.
it's also a good way to rack up brownie points with your teacher...if you read "smart" books and books THEY like. My freshman (high school) teacher fell in love with me because I chose to read My Antonia and - yes, it's true, Paul- A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.
Even then, I thought Great Expectations was better...
it's also a good way to rack up brownie points with your teacher...if you read "smart" books and books THEY like. My freshman (high school) teacher fell in love with me because I chose to read My Antonia and - yes, it's true, Paul- A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.
Even then, I thought Great Expectations was better...
11
God, A Tale of Two Cities is utter tripe. I resented every page. Dickens seems to get about a .300 batting average overall.
12
@6 I think Shakespeare benefits from assisted reading in modern times. It isn't THAT easy to get it the first time or two. And, it makes the plays better.
Of course, it would help if they didn't assign Julius Fucking Caesar in 9th grade. That was so dry that I almost never read another Shakespeare play throughout my high school career. How about Hamlet? Othello? Or, even, Titus Andronicus? Luckily, we were allowed to watch Shakespeare movies and write reports on them for extra credit in 11th grade. Branaugh's Richard III brought it back to entertainment.
Of course, it would help if they didn't assign Julius Fucking Caesar in 9th grade. That was so dry that I almost never read another Shakespeare play throughout my high school career. How about Hamlet? Othello? Or, even, Titus Andronicus? Luckily, we were allowed to watch Shakespeare movies and write reports on them for extra credit in 11th grade. Branaugh's Richard III brought it back to entertainment.
13
This is great news. The "classics" that are required in most schools are racist, sexist garbage that focuses on the history and experiences of - guess who? - rich, white European Christian men. Fuck the traditional cannon - that is what social conservatives are pushing on all of society.
I was one of millions of kids who was required to read the Bible ("as literature") as part of mandatory public school classics. I found it less offensive than most of the other "classics" I was required to read.
I was one of millions of kids who was required to read the Bible ("as literature") as part of mandatory public school classics. I found it less offensive than most of the other "classics" I was required to read.
14
@11 It wasn't UTTER tripe. There was that scene of great comedy with the gun shooting everybody and a lot of people dying in one chapter. It was hilarious. Other students were kind of mortified.
That said 3 pages out of the whole damn book means it isn't good.
That said 3 pages out of the whole damn book means it isn't good.
15
Tempest in a teapot.
1) I seem to remember Kurt Vonnegut Jr saying he didn't care so much about what people read; as long as they read at all. I think he was right.
2) If someone isn't all that fond of reading, having them read mostly what they'll enjoy (note the article mentioned Seattle students picking "most" of their books) seems a decent strategy.
3) It seems to me this is more a question of when more than anything (when do we insist on reading what books). 7th/8th grade for something like "To Kill a Mockingbird"? 9th?
4) Some places are trying this, some are going MORE traditional. There is hope we might find out what works best for which children.
1) I seem to remember Kurt Vonnegut Jr saying he didn't care so much about what people read; as long as they read at all. I think he was right.
2) If someone isn't all that fond of reading, having them read mostly what they'll enjoy (note the article mentioned Seattle students picking "most" of their books) seems a decent strategy.
3) It seems to me this is more a question of when more than anything (when do we insist on reading what books). 7th/8th grade for something like "To Kill a Mockingbird"? 9th?
4) Some places are trying this, some are going MORE traditional. There is hope we might find out what works best for which children.
16
I don't see why there can't be a combination approach where there are some books read by the whole class (after all, being able to discuss books with lots of people who have read the same thing is an important part of the learning process too), as well as letting kids choose their own books for other assignments. This is how it was when I was in high school, and I thought it worked well.
17
I think that's a good idea when kids are younger and you're just trying to get them to enjoy reading, and get good at it. Let them write reports about the backs of cereal boxes, if that's what interests them.
High school is for learning the shit you need to know in order to be an informed citizen, like it or not. I hate studying history, but I'm glad I know something about it. I don't necessarily think people have to read specific "classics", but I think they need to have a guided experience of different sorts of literature. There are different levels of "learning to read", beyond just language comprehension. Reading isn't just for entertainment.
High school is for learning the shit you need to know in order to be an informed citizen, like it or not. I hate studying history, but I'm glad I know something about it. I don't necessarily think people have to read specific "classics", but I think they need to have a guided experience of different sorts of literature. There are different levels of "learning to read", beyond just language comprehension. Reading isn't just for entertainment.
18
Some of the "classics" need to be dropped in favor of more recent books that tell the same story.
It's hard enough to digest the point the author was trying to make when it's also impossible to relate to the context.
It's hard enough to digest the point the author was trying to make when it's also impossible to relate to the context.
19
Every year I took junior high and high school English we had to do a book report each quarter (written or oral) on a book of our choosing (4 a year), in addition to any assigned reading from class. One year, I had a teacher that gave out a list of 100 books that people had wished that they had read before they went to college - just as an FYI.
I plowed through that list like it was a matter of life & death before I graduated... but I didn't use them as my book report books. I mostly used the John Irving and whatever else my parents had around the house for those.
All in addition to the assigned readings of "A Separate Peace," "The Great Gatsby," "The Scarlett Letter," and whatever else they had us read.
No one really complained. I think getting to pick your poison really helped some kids learn to like (or tolerate) reading - it at least got them in the library one day a quarter, so they knew how to find books if they should ever find themselves needing to do that again.
I don't think there can be a wrong way to get people reading... and I think letting kids choose their own books can make for more adventurous readers later.
I plowed through that list like it was a matter of life & death before I graduated... but I didn't use them as my book report books. I mostly used the John Irving and whatever else my parents had around the house for those.
All in addition to the assigned readings of "A Separate Peace," "The Great Gatsby," "The Scarlett Letter," and whatever else they had us read.
No one really complained. I think getting to pick your poison really helped some kids learn to like (or tolerate) reading - it at least got them in the library one day a quarter, so they knew how to find books if they should ever find themselves needing to do that again.
I don't think there can be a wrong way to get people reading... and I think letting kids choose their own books can make for more adventurous readers later.
20
A lot of books you read talk about things like "putting quill to paper" or "grinding ink" or "using a typewriter".
What's up with that? Didn't they have computers? Or were they using some old eBook?
What's up with that? Didn't they have computers? Or were they using some old eBook?
21
We have a tendency to force kids in school to read books grown-ups would like. I think I would have hated Moby Dick if I read it in high school, but I read it after college and loved it. I wish I had read "Catcher in the Rye" in 10th grade because when I read it as a grownup I found it horribly sophomoric.
22
those 'Maximum Ride' books make me embarrassed to have eyeballs and also embarrassed to use those eyeballs to read with.
23
I still hate "The Lord of the Flies" and "All Quiet on the Western Front". But yeah I'm glad that I've read them.
24
Captain Underpants is great material: a reviewer can sound sociohistorically savvy by noting the ancient comedy references Pilkey uses: Hal Roach's Our Gang ([Stymie] Beard and [Wheezer] Hutchins) and Three Stooges (the school is named for Jerome Horwitz, whose stage/screen name was Curly Howard). To be cute, I'd throw in some McLuhanesque comparisons on the addition of the 'flip-it' pages where the reader controls the action. Chances are, however, a US school teacher would not be familiar with Marshall McLuhan.
25
Everything has to be one or the other! Kids pick all the books! No, adults pick all the books! No, kids pick all the books! Wait!
It seems like having kids pick some and adults pick some is the way reading has always worked best. I'm not sure why we have to sway all pendulum-like from one extreme to the other on issues like this.
It seems like having kids pick some and adults pick some is the way reading has always worked best. I'm not sure why we have to sway all pendulum-like from one extreme to the other on issues like this.
26
I think this whole thing is a variant on the "perfect is the enemy of good" theme.
I guess what I think is that 1: people should be encouraged to read for pleasure, and 2: Often it's good to be forced to read something you wouldn't otherwise read.
Yes, 1 and 2 are sometimes (often?) contradictory, but that's life for you. If the answer were simple, we wouldn't have to talk about it.
I guess what I think is that 1: people should be encouraged to read for pleasure, and 2: Often it's good to be forced to read something you wouldn't otherwise read.
Yes, 1 and 2 are sometimes (often?) contradictory, but that's life for you. If the answer were simple, we wouldn't have to talk about it.
27
It doesn't have to be one or the other. A good curriculum has some books chosen entirely by the teacher, some books chosen by the student within a limited reading list, and even some chosen by the student. It's been more than 20 years since I was in high school but I had classes with all three options and I read good and bad books with each method. If I had to choose one it would be student option from an approved list, because it's the best mix of teacher expertise with student interest, but I don't see why you would only use one method.
28
My two kids both had summer reading lists. Each had to read two books. The first book was decided for them, the second they chose from the approved list. I think our 11 year old rolled his eyes through "The Wizard of Oz" the required book, but seemed to enjoy "Call of the Wild", "White Fang", and "A Journey to the Center of the Earth." So, the experience wasn't a total wash for him. Our eldest seemed to enjoy all the books on her list.
29
@28 - two books? I used to read 8 to 10 a day in the summer.
I think Ian's going through about 40 he got from the library last week.
I think Ian's going through about 40 he got from the library last week.
31
29: Yes, they were required to read two books from the school provided list. They finished their school lists and then some, but I won't bore you with the details.
I'm glad to hear both you and Ian enjoy reading. It's a lovely way to spend one's time.
I'm glad to hear both you and Ian enjoy reading. It's a lovely way to spend one's time.
33
I still hate and despise pretty much every word Dickens committed to paper, and I'm not sure I'm a better person for having read any of his novels.
Oh, and if I never see a copy of "Moby Dick," "The Rise of Silas Laphham (the single most boring book ever called an American Classic)," or "Ethan Frome" again, I will rejoice.
In hindsight, though, and after another read as an adult, I do have a new appreciation for "O, Pioneers" and "Pride and Prejudice" though.
Oh, and if I never see a copy of "Moby Dick," "The Rise of Silas Laphham (the single most boring book ever called an American Classic)," or "Ethan Frome" again, I will rejoice.
In hindsight, though, and after another read as an adult, I do have a new appreciation for "O, Pioneers" and "Pride and Prejudice" though.
34
I think children will love to read if they grow up around adults who read avidly. Then, if those kids have access to all kinds of books, they will read all kinds of books . (I think those books in a school library should include gay and bisexual fiction and lots of art books.) I'm assuming my experience is universal, though. I was the youngest (by quite a bit) of a large and argumentative family who read all the time . I could hardly wait to go to school becausae they were going to teach me how do do the coolest, most grown up thing: the teachers where going to show me how to read. I still think reading is the coolest past-time ......
35
I cannot even fathom what could have possessed you, Mr. Constant, to pick up The Scarlet Letter for a second read. I slogged through it in college - at the ripe age of 26 - and remember distinctly thanking my lucky stars I didn't have to suffer it in high school. I probably would have chosen suicide if I'd been forced to read that dreadful book more than once. I didn't even feel right about passing that on to the thrift store, knowing there was a high likelihood of subjecting some other poor sap to that book.
Also, 21: you're my hero for that use of "sophomoric."
Also, 21: you're my hero for that use of "sophomoric."
37
I still hate The Scarlet Letter, and The Grapes of Wrath. Both seemed too melodramatic for my cynical teenage sensibilities.
Dickens is boring.
I found Jane Austin and F. Scott Fitzgerald on my own.
But I am forever thankful for Crime and Punishment, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
Dickens is boring.
I found Jane Austin and F. Scott Fitzgerald on my own.
But I am forever thankful for Crime and Punishment, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
38
Err... they're always free to read any book they want to...
Fund libraries? I mean, libraries full of books, not more computer terminals. I swear, kids today,
(let me adjust my Sans-A-Belt slacks right around here)
they rush to the public library after school and watch online videos of rap songs, motorcycles doing burnouts, and somebody else's successes in a first-person shooter game! We're doomed!
You kids get off my lawn! (shake fist)
Fund libraries? I mean, libraries full of books, not more computer terminals. I swear, kids today,
(let me adjust my Sans-A-Belt slacks right around here)
they rush to the public library after school and watch online videos of rap songs, motorcycles doing burnouts, and somebody else's successes in a first-person shooter game! We're doomed!
You kids get off my lawn! (shake fist)
39
Thank you thank you thank you Paul! it makes me so happy to finally read that someone so well-read hates 'A Tale of Two Cities', I've never been able to get anyone to admit it. I've been a voracious reader my entire life and it was the first book, and one of only two (the other being 'Fast Sofa' for totally different reasons), that made me angry for having wasted precious, unreturnable time and brain space for having read it.
I find book burning abhorrent but I would love to feel the glowing warmth of a Dickens fueled bonfire.
Fuck you Dick(ens)! And give me my time back, I will someday literally dance on your grave.
Anyone know where that cockscomb is buried?
I find book burning abhorrent but I would love to feel the glowing warmth of a Dickens fueled bonfire.
Fuck you Dick(ens)! And give me my time back, I will someday literally dance on your grave.
Anyone know where that cockscomb is buried?
40
IMO "A Tale of Two Cities" and "The Scarlet Letter" are two of the greatest novels ever written. I have read each of them at least three times and expect to read them again. I love discussing them with people.
Dickens was the master of plot. He left no threads hanging. His characters are unforgettable for a reason. I feel SO sorry for people who don't appreciate him.
In "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne explored, as few American authors have more successfully, the role of gender and religion in society, and the inner and outward battles of each of the characters in dealing with these conflicts. I consider it an awesomely feminist novel. Hester Prynne is almost a superheroine. It's clearly over the head of pinbrains like Lizzie @ 13.
I also like Tom Wolfe, James Baldwin, Charles Bukowski, Iceberg Slim, Jorge Amado, William Gibson, Graciliano Ramos, Zora Neale Hurston, Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Durrell, James Joyce, Rebecca West, Jorge Luis Borges, Edna Buchanan, Neal Stephenson, Henry Miller, Carl Hiaasen, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Louis L'Amour, Bruce Sterling, and Alice Walker.
The more you read, and the earlier you read, the more you want to read. Fewer books and fewer authors are daunting.
I have my dislikes just as everyone else does. I dislike F. Scott Fitzgerald intensely, and I never have understood why anyone finds Ursula K. LeGuin even remotely interesting. But the more, and the more widely, you read, the fewer and farther between those are.
Dickens was the master of plot. He left no threads hanging. His characters are unforgettable for a reason. I feel SO sorry for people who don't appreciate him.
In "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne explored, as few American authors have more successfully, the role of gender and religion in society, and the inner and outward battles of each of the characters in dealing with these conflicts. I consider it an awesomely feminist novel. Hester Prynne is almost a superheroine. It's clearly over the head of pinbrains like Lizzie @ 13.
I also like Tom Wolfe, James Baldwin, Charles Bukowski, Iceberg Slim, Jorge Amado, William Gibson, Graciliano Ramos, Zora Neale Hurston, Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Durrell, James Joyce, Rebecca West, Jorge Luis Borges, Edna Buchanan, Neal Stephenson, Henry Miller, Carl Hiaasen, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Louis L'Amour, Bruce Sterling, and Alice Walker.
The more you read, and the earlier you read, the more you want to read. Fewer books and fewer authors are daunting.
I have my dislikes just as everyone else does. I dislike F. Scott Fitzgerald intensely, and I never have understood why anyone finds Ursula K. LeGuin even remotely interesting. But the more, and the more widely, you read, the fewer and farther between those are.
41
Paul, once again with your "Tale"-bashing you have unleashed a wave of invective against classic literature. Congratulations.
Look folks, if you hate reading Shakespeare, Dickens, and Austen so much, then you hate to read.
One thing we could do is drop "English Lit" from high school entirely, and return to the good old days when the only literature that was taught were the Greek classics--and before you read the Iliad you had to learn Greek! Yes, in the 19th century, that was expected of all high school students.
Once folks have slogged through antique verb conjugations, they will turn to the English masters to fill their free hours, and they will deeply appreciate the descriptive genius of Charles Dickens.
For a few centuries, there was a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare in the Yale library which was chained to a lectern--Shakespeare was not taught at Yale, but the idea was that when students needed a break from real study, they could indulge in some gratuitous bloodshed (Richard III and MacBeth being his best-loved plays in America.)
You know, for fun.
Look folks, if you hate reading Shakespeare, Dickens, and Austen so much, then you hate to read.
One thing we could do is drop "English Lit" from high school entirely, and return to the good old days when the only literature that was taught were the Greek classics--and before you read the Iliad you had to learn Greek! Yes, in the 19th century, that was expected of all high school students.
Once folks have slogged through antique verb conjugations, they will turn to the English masters to fill their free hours, and they will deeply appreciate the descriptive genius of Charles Dickens.
For a few centuries, there was a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare in the Yale library which was chained to a lectern--Shakespeare was not taught at Yale, but the idea was that when students needed a break from real study, they could indulge in some gratuitous bloodshed (Richard III and MacBeth being his best-loved plays in America.)
You know, for fun.
42
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate that I read Jude the Obscure. I hate that worthless, overblown, crappy-ass book. I finally cheated and cliff notes my way through my AP class till we were done with it.
In fourth grade I'd already read the assigned book (Maniac McGee) the year before on my own, so the teacher had me read Moby Dick instead.
In fourth grade I'd already read the assigned book (Maniac McGee) the year before on my own, so the teacher had me read Moby Dick instead.
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