4 ms·
At least have them read better books. Why do high school kids need to be afflicted with Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man? Is that going to make them want
by AnimalMuppet 2y ago
At least have them read better books.
Why do high school kids need to be afflicted with Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man? Is that going to make them want to read more? Or is it going to make them think that even the "best" books are pretentious drivel?
Does "great literature" have to be boring? Can't they find non-boring examples and read those?
- quacked 2y agoI agree with you. I think also that kids today, and possibly for the past 50 years, don't have enough of a real grasp of history, culture, and civilization to really appreciate the classic novels they're currently exposed to as part of the curriculum. As an example, I didn't realize Pride and Prejudice was hilarious until I was 26 and thinking of getting married. At 16 I refused to engage with it or any novels like it. Given the current disaster brewing in terms of general literacy, I see no issue with bolstering the current curriculum with less-prestigious books that students actually find interesting. If that means kids are reading The Shining as part of high school, so be it.
- gs17 2y agoIt's more about having choice IMO. You could see the downward trend of my interest in reading as it went from elementary school's "read whatever you want, as long as it has chapters" to high school's "read what we give you and repeat the themes we tell you". Some kids like the classics. I wanted something that entertained me.
- quacked 2y agoRight. I guess a more concise way to phrase the pro-book-choice side of the argument is "it's better for an adult to have a strong reading habit and a weak analysis habit than it is for them to have a weak reading habit and no analysis habit."