Students Need Exposure To Classics, Old Or New
The newest batch of standardized test scores has prompted yet another great fuss in the educational world.
As students’ English competency has declined, required reading has become the focus of heated debate.
What books should students be assigned to study? Would it be beneficial to abandon the classics - especially those with absolutely anything anyone might consider offensive - in favor of works students might actually be able to relate to?
In many cases, books have been dropped from reading lists on the assumption that, because they were written 50 years ago, they are outdated. Although stories like “Tom Sawyer” have elements considered by today’s politically correct public to be racist, one needs to realize that it is not propaganda promoting the stupidity of the African American community, but rather gives a historical awareness of the fact that most newly freed slaves were not as educated as the average Caucasian. By understanding the prevalent attitudes during Mark Twain’s time through a firsthand source, students learn much more than if they memorize the date on which the Civil War ended. The same principle applies to books considered too old, too offensive or even too new to be worthwhile.
The other fact that must be taken into consideration is the setting in which the literature is being discussed. When an incredible work is read “just because it needs to be done,” without a chance for analytical discussion and research, much of its worth has been forsaken. It is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that students take as much as possible from a book, old or new, making lessons which at first seem outdated or irrelevant worth more to the reader than another 20 points in the grade book.
While many students would gladly trade in a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” for the latest John Grisham or V.C. Adams novel, there is certainly some benefit to the works being passed over in favor of more modern selections. Think about it: your parents wouldn’t have made you eat your vegetables if they weren’t good for you, would they?
This situation doesn’t seem to be all that different; by reading a variety of literature, not all of which may be terribly intriguing, the students can learn more than they ever realize.
Julie Kanago is a junior at Central Valley High School.
ABOUT TEEN VIEWS The Spokesman-Review’s Our Generation Advisory Board meets monthly, debating a topic of interest to teens. One member then writes a commentary on the topic, which appears on the Opinion page.