I'd LOVE it if we could teach those.
But, here's the thing, what are we going to give up in order to teach these books? What won't we teach? And what do we do about the kids who simply don't have the vocabulary, language skills, or reading ability to keep up? Do we shuffle them off into a class of their own and hand them something easier? Most schools are moving away from streaming, these days.
Ready Player One! AWESOME book. Completely kid-appropriate, with lots of interesting themes.
So, I just googled, "Are Iranians white?"
And got this as my top result...
https://ajammc.com/2013/12/03/are-iranians-people-of-color/
The article basically sums up to, "It's complicated."
Even if it's not in the curriculum or the school library students can get it a public library or buy it for their kindle. Not reading it in school doesn't ban it from anyone.
Perhaps not "ban" but definitely "make it much more difficult to access". Many children and young adults don't have access to their public library (parent doesn't take them, too far to walk, parent doesn't want to have to deal with lost items/fines, etc, etc) and many also don't have electronic devices and/or do not use them to access books(whether by choice or due to financial circumstances). A school library provides easy access to a collection of materials that are accessible to all students in that building.
(Stepping down off my soapbox....)
Terri
I wish they would state what book they are adding as a replacement. Hope it's not Shakespeare or Ethan Frome. Ugh, I hate Ethan Frome! I'm trying to get our school district to change some of the books our HS students read. Too much Shakespeare (4 plays, all tragedies), too much white guy angst.
I'd LOVE it if we could teach those.
But, here's the thing, what are we going to give up in order to teach these books? What won't we teach? And what do we do about the kids who simply don't have the vocabulary, language skills, or reading ability to keep up? Do we shuffle them off into a class of their own and hand them something easier? Most schools are moving away from streaming, these days.
As for modern definitely-ought-to-be-classics (if they're not already)...
A bit of modern history - Persepolis, a graphic novel tackling the author's experiences growing up during the Iranian revolution.
Ready Player One! AWESOME book. Completely kid-appropriate, with lots of interesting themes.
Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey. A strange, hilarious book about a society where people are socially stratified based on what colours they can see.
The Ancillary Trilogy - all about identity and what makes us human, set in a sprawling culturally rich galactic empire. I would LOVE to teach this one to high schoolers!
And that's just off the top of my head. But, just ask any librarian or book seller and they can tell you that there are some brilliant books being written today.
I agree. My teenage son and daughter both read it in 8th grade and really enjoyed it. I can't say the same about some of the other books they had to read. My daughter is now reading Pygmalion and she absolutely hates it.To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic and perhaps the best novel ever written. It was always enjoyable and relatable when we read it in school (and that was more than once). This idea that it is an "older book" is astounding, as kids should be reading much older works than that as well. Yes, the book has some uncomfortable depicitons, but it's not like the author is espousing such as a positive. This should not be controversial for kids who are of an age to understand the ideas presented.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic and perhaps the best novel ever written. It was always enjoyable and relatable when we read it in school (and that was more than once). This idea that it is an "older book" is astounding, as kids should be reading much older works than that as well. Yes, the book has some uncomfortable depicitons, but it's not like the author is espousing such as a positive. This should not be controversial for kids who are of an age to understand the ideas presented.
To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic and perhaps the best novel ever written. It was always enjoyable and relatable when we read it in school (and that was more than once). This idea that it is an "older book" is astounding, as kids should be reading much older works than that as well. Yes, the book has some uncomfortable depicitons, but it's not like the author is espousing such as a positive. This should not be controversial for kids who are of an age to understand the ideas presented.
My daughter hated it, but that's not why I replied. You were required to read this more than once???
I can't imagine with all the books available to us that it would be necessary for any student to be assigned the same book twice for any reason from K-12 (assuming they spent K-12 all in the same district). That's just poor planning, IMO. That lack of planning is why I got stuck studying the Renaissance Period for all of 4th-6th grades.
My daughter hated it, but that's not why I replied. You were required to read this more than once???
I can't imagine with all the books available to us that it would be necessary for any student to be assigned the same book twice for any reason from K-12 (assuming they spent K-12 all in the same district). That's just poor planning, IMO. That lack of planning is why I got stuck studying the Renaissance Period for all of 4th-6th grades.
I wish they would state what book they are adding as a replacement. Hope it's not Shakespeare or Ethan Frome. Ugh, I hate Ethan Frome! I'm trying to get our school district to change some of the books our HS students read. Too much Shakespeare (4 plays, all tragedies), too much white guy angst.