One thing that I really liked about chapter three is the discussion about what makes a book good for a high school classroom. It seemed that the books that should be very thought provoking. This is demonstrated by the criteria that Jago lists for picking a book. Some of these are:
- expose readers to complex human dilemmas
- explore universal themes that combine different periods and cultures
- challenge readers to reexamine their beliefs (47)
These three points show the importance of books that will make the students think. Good classic pieces of literature do this. Jago backs this up by saying, "Great literature deepens our experience, heightens our sensibilities, and matures our judgement" (47). If this is true, I believe that students will also gain critical thinking skills from dissecting the classics and relating them to their culture today.
Another thing that I learned from this chapter was how much effort Jago asks her students and herself to put into her classes. The list of literature that she has her classes read is staggering. Her sophmores alone read twenty books! This seems like a lot to me. Jago is upfront with her students about the effort that it will require. She says, "I am forthright with my students about the fact that they are going to have to give up some of their TV and telephone time in order to complete their reading. Students have the time for longer books. They just need to be persuaded to reallocate minutes from other pleasures" (48).
She also expects a lot from herself when it comes to reading these pieces of literature. Jago spends twenty-four or more hours on a book before presenting it to her class for the first time. She says, "It is not simply a matter of generating new handouts or creating a day-to-day plan [...] but, rather, a deep knowledge of the book itself that I needed to acquire" (50). Twenty-four hours is a lot! She stresses how important it is to have a solid knowledge of the literature that we teach, which is so true. We also need to develop a strong love for the books that we teach in our classrooms. How can we expect the students to even use their free time to read the books if we do not show an excitement for them ourselves?
While I do think we need to need to appreciate the books we teach, I'm not so sure we have to love them, although we can't show our "apathy" to our students. We should be excited to teach these books that can change lives. I can definitely appreciate novels like The Scarlet Letter, The Grapes of Wrath, and so on. I recognize the importance of them, not only for the impact of the published time period, but also now. I wouldn't say I love them, but I do appreciate them and I feel like, after preparing for them anyway, I would be able to teach these books that I might not love, but appreciate. My high school English teacher said he didn't care if we hated the book that we read or not. What was more important to him was that we could support our opinion. It wasn't enough for him if we liked it or didn't; he wanted to know exactly why. I think this is good relationship to have books: Can you identify why you like or hate the book?
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with how Jago says that if you watch a little less television, you can read more. Students really do have the time. I know that I have been working since I was 14, and many students do I am sure, but by law they can only work so many hours, so we KNOW they have the time. Often, I find, that once I get into a good book I cannot put it down. It's usually just starting the text that they probably find difficult to do.
ReplyDeleteI feel like teachers almost need the summer to prepare for the next school year. I know that's all I'm going to be doing right before my first year teaching. I'm going to have to familiarize myself with everything I DIDN'T learn. I am going to require a lot from my students as well. I think that's the only way to illicit a respectful response. I feel like the teachers that fail at getting the students to learn are the ones who have low expectations and move at a snail's pace. I also want to speed the process up by incorporating grammar and multi-modal pieces into my lessons so there is variety and we aren't stuck on just one form of literacy.
ReplyDeleteSo many good points! I remember hating Great Expectations in high school, but when I taught the book I knew the characters, plot, etc... so well and so in-depth that I ended up loving the book. I shared with my students that it wasn't my favorite in high school, but the characters/themes etc... I ended up loving about the book.
ReplyDeleteTeaching is HARD WORK! It requires us to be knowledgeable about our content material and to know our students and their learning styles. Teaching requires dedication!