Many people underestimate the importance of literature in education, instead opting to question the reason behind English classes if most already speak it. However, what most people don’t recognize is that English classes cover the fundamentals of analysis and reading comprehension, two skills crucial not just in education but also in everyday life.
Despite these crucial skills, it’s becoming increasingly debated whether or not some classic books are still relevant in the modern day. These questions are usually raised in relation to older books penned by those such as William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and other writers. Critics of classic literature claim that these authors no longer have relevance, and the themes and messages taught in their works are also just as easily taught in more modern pieces of literature. However, others argue that it is rare for books truly worthy of being a part of school curriculums to become outdated.
“It’s hard to give up what we know has worked for so long in preparing students with their critical and analytical skills,” North Penn’s English Department Chair, Elizabeth Weizer stated.
Many people also bring into question certain biases in these books, pointing out that the vast majority of the English curriculum was written by white, usually English-speaking, European men hundreds of years ago. This results in a loss of literature analysis on other cultures, which, if brought into the curriculum, would no doubt expand the boundaries of what students are taught.
“I do recognize we lean heavily on that white Euro-centric literature, but I don’t think that we should devalue it…it is so central to American literature,” Weizer said. “But I do think there has been a detriment that we don’t look outside of it because there have been so many good things written by women and people of color.”
Literature selections have become even more slim, with literacy rates seen in students decreasing in recent years. The literacy crisis is the result of many speculated causes, but its effects on not just what books kids want to read, but can read. However, this does not mean that kids don’t have the skills that past generations did, they just aren’t given the tools to hone them in the same way.
“When you get to the high school it’s a little trickier because you want to have that rigor, that difficulty level, so finding things that fall into those categories is a bit difficult,” Weizer said. “I think we do a disservice to our kids if we don’t challenge them.”
The process of selecting literature is long and tedious, often requiring the input of many qualified individuals who assess which books are appropriate for which reading levels. North Penn School District’s curriculum reviews its anthologies in-depth every 10 years, but every year in April there is an opportunity to bring in new textbooks and novels for the following year. While most of these books tend to be familiar classics, this review cycle also presents a chance to introduce new, more modern books into the curriculum. The most important part of developing an English curriculum is ensuring that the students can connect with and understand the books they are reading. Just because a book is enjoyable to read does not mean it is suited for being analyzed at a high school level.
“[A book] has to have literary value to talk about it in the classroom,” Weizer said. “There is a difference between loving a book and being able to teach it.”
It can often feel like students are stuck reading in the past, with older books consuming the curriculum, only leaving what seems like scraps for modern books. Between managing the appropriate reading and analysis, as well as ensuring that books are enjoyable for its readers, it can often feel like having modern books in its curriculum is out of the question for most school districts. However, despite many of the conflicting requirements, balancing the two is by no means impossible, and, as time goes on, there will undoubtedly be more recent books added to curriculums.