The Wall Street Journal ran an article about classic literature in school curriculum. The article commented on a recent study from the National Council of Teachers of English that showed little change in assigned reading in Middle and High Schools. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Generations before us learned the classics. Let us follow that example by continuing to read classic works of literature.
Quoted in the WSJ article is Emily Kirkpatrick, executive director of the National Council of Teachers of English, who said, “We’re all shocked that what’s being taught has shifted so little from 30 years prior.” Why is that shocking? I’d say that is appropriate. The classics should be taught as a foundation on which to build an understanding for today’s works.
Our Founding Fathers read the Greek and Roman classics in Greek and Latin. We’re not asking our kids to do that today. We don’t have to learn another language to enjoy those works as they are widely translated.
Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I have given up newspapers in exchange for Tacitus and Thucydides, for Newton and Euclid; and I find myself much the happier.”
The calls for change in which books are assigned in public schools are often about diversity. This is not the place for new and improved diversity to squeeze out what has worked well in the past. Diversity is too often misstated anyways. The top five books assigned today, listed below, are diverse. They have different storylines, in different time periods, in different settings. But those characteristics don’t add up to diversity in today’s foolish concept of the word.
The five most assigned classic works based on the study are:
1. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
4. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The five most assigned in 1989 were:
1. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
2. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
3. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
4. Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Three out of five Shakespeare is too much Shakespeare. That list definitely needed more diversity. The question is which new book takes an old spot.
The WSJ article gives an example of an English teacher who wanted to replace George Orwell’s classic “Animal Farm” with comedian Trevor Noah’s autobiography. That would be an inappropriate change. Never mind the foul language in Noah’s book, any autobiography needs to be thoroughly vetted. That teacher can recommend that work and others for her students to read on their own, but it doesn’t belong in a classroom. The school system didn’t allow it and so the teacher picked “Julius Ceaser,” which is a big win for education.
There are valid concerns for wanting to limit children’s exposure to certain materials that they may not be ready to handle. Sexually explicit books have no place in schools, especially elementary schools. Some books from the Alphabet Soup community engage in more recruitment than storytelling and have no place in any school system. Saying that is enough for liberals to fly a false flag about book banning. The worst parent in America can find any book that is not available in an elementary school library, they can buy it from any major retailer and have the book delivered through the US mail system. None of that describes a ban. Harry Potter books are banned not carried in a bookstore in San Fransico, and the free market allows readers to go elsewhere, so c’est la vie.
A popular comedian today has plenty of chances to get their book in someone’s hands, but a school is the only practical place for a kid to be forced to read a classic work like “Julius Caesar” or “Robinson Crusoe.” That’s ok. That doesn’t need to change. Adults today can join too through their local library or favorite bookstore. Read more classics.