Have you hugged your teacher today?
As you may know, I feel strongly about giving ourselves permission to read for pleasure, at what ever age, and whatever books might be the ones that we love. When I was in high school and college, because the only books assigned in English classes were the classics, I came to believe that they were the only books in existence that were good for me, and for many years I ceased to read for pleasure. This was my fault, not my English teachers'. They never told me I shouldn't read anything else (though I did hear one teacher mock the popular novels). However, I've maintained that English teachers are in a very powerful position to encourage teens to be lifelong readers. By recommending and even assigning a variety of literature along with the classics, I believe their students are more likely to fall in love with reading.
An example. I spoke recently with a man who had a very difficult time in high school. His reading skills/interest was low. He struggled in his basic English class. Then the teacher assigned them the book The Princess Bride. He ate it up. He read the classics too, but it was that one book that really stood out. Because it was assigned by his teacher, it was as though he was given official permission to read for pleasure. And as an adult, he still does. His favorite reads now aren't funny or fantastic like The Princess Bride--he prefers poetry and literary short stories. But that act by that teacher allowed him to keep reading after high school until he found the kind of literature that he loved.
My point, dear reader--even one silly book, one fun book, one different book among the Hemingways and Steinbecks and Melvilles, made a huge difference for this reader. So many teachers are already doing this. Thank you. Some aren't, and it's to these teachers that I appeal.
Because this is an issue I feel so passionately about, I speak about it with strong words and have unfortunately led some people to believe two erroneous things about me: that I hate all classics and that I blame the English teachers. This is not true! Again, I do NOT think the classics are bad and should be banned. Far from. I only think that there should be some variety in the curriculm, even just one assigned book with some humor or adventure or with a protagonist that a teen can relate to, written in the vernacular. And I most certainly do NOT think that English teachers are bad or are to blame for the problems. My goodness no. I've been pretty heartbroken that my words made anyone think this way. English teachers have a tough, nigh impossible job of monumental importance and the last thing they need is to some writer making them feel underappreciated.
So let's do something positive, shall we? Let's spend some time this week thanking our English teachers or librarians or people who have sparked in us a love of reading. Write that former teacher a letter. Go thank that current teacher for all she/he does. Share a story here of a particularly powerful teacher. I'll start.
For 9th and 11th grade English, I had two of the greatest teachers of all time. We all knew that they truly cared about us and wanted to instill in us a love of words and the ability to think. My 9th grade teacher asked us to find vocabulary words from the books we read that we didn't understand. She posted them around the room and we learned those new words all year. I still remember them. Both teachers were so patient with me and allowed me to fulfill assignments in a creative (and perhaps ridiculous) way. I remember doing a presentation on Edgar Allen Poe as if it were a funeral, with lights out and candles lit. I remember doing a reading of a poem with drums and mock-interpretive dance. They not only put up with me but encouraged me to be creative. They not only helped me survive high school, but they gave me a class that I loved. I owe them much credit for anything that I've accomplished since. Thank you Ms. Fowler and Ms. Romney!