Pytash: Classics in the Classroom Ch. 1

Seven Guilding Principles for Literature Teachers:

When I first began reading this chapter, I thought the first point Jago mentioned, Students must read was quite vague. Once I went further into the chapter, I understood the purpose of pointing out such a minisucle fact. As a future educator, this chapter gets back to the basics. I can remember a time when I was in high school, and I thought I could not relate to the classical literature that was assigned for reading. I could never understand how reading books like The Scarlet Letter, Huckleberry Finn, The Odyssey, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc. related to the world that I was living in. Jago does an amazing job is discussing how as a teacher, we are supposed to construct our lessons in meaningful ways; even when it comes to reading classic literature.

The structure of this chapter is closely related to the some of topics we have been discussing in Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools; the focus is placed on the teacher. It is up to a teacher to structure the lesson in a way that students are able to apply classic literature to their life. The Scarlet Letter has great significance, it teaches students moral lessons while having encounters withe sin, guilt, repentence and laws. Huckleberry Finn focuses on ethically issues concerning race relations and slavery. The Odyssey revolves around life's journey and the self-growth. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book of racial heroism and deals with tramatic events that occur in life. All of these classic pieces of literature can be transferred in meaningful ways, but it is the teacher's job to do such. One of the ways a teacher can focus more on the relatability and meaning of texts is to reframe from always using traditional methods of testing comprehension, and start integrating classroom discussions to find the true meaning of texts. Through social interactions, students are able to make more sense of reading and perhaps even enjoy it.

Jago did an amazing job on addressing what a teacher needs to do in order to teach classic literature, but I was in a way disturbed by the way she discouraged pleasure reading. While I do believe it is important to put an emphasis on classic literature, I also recognize the need for students to be able to have encounters with young adult literature. Young adult literature is a gateway for students to enjoy reading and want to pick up a bookm rather than watch a movie or play video games. By limiting pleasure reading, it can become determential to a student's growth in variety of texts. I believe a healthy balance between both classic literature and young adult literature will lead to a well-rounded student.