Pytash: Literature, and the High School Graduate

I loved that we ended the semester reading Chapter 7: Literature, and the High School Graduate. This chapter served as a nice motivation for all teachers and future teachers. Many times we put a lot of emphasis on our lesson plans and meeting state requirements for curriculum, and we forget, as a teacher, we are also training students to become functional contributors to our society. We are supplying them with the tools they need to move on to the next level, whatever that level may be. Jago dedicated this chapter of her book to shed light on the profound impact teachers can have on students.

One of my favorite parts of this chapter was the part dedicated to assessment. I completely agree with Jago, too many teachers test students on literature in common ways. Making tests that include multiple choice, matching and true/false questions does not encourage higher levels of thinking. Students are easily able to access study guide materials, such as sparknotes or enotes, to find out the important characters of the story and the main plot events. I loved the way this chapter reflected the last couple of Teaching Literature in Secondary Schools classes. Jago believes using character analysis, application and/or evaluation as a closing of the text. I completely agree, all of these activities demand critical thinking of literature from students and no student could just get by from not being actively engaged in the text. Lastly, the section on assessment is truly important for all teachers. It makes students take a more active role in their education and I believe classes will be more enjoyable because students are not just reading to take a test. Instead, teachers are tapping into their ability to critically think and consequently students are actually learning.