Because I am currently taking an English class in high school, I feel a certain aspect of these classes could be improved. Many of the books I read in English class involve women and the story of their life and their friends in a setting where women are the lesser gender. Two books of this type that I have read are: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. With very few exceptions, I have disliked or hated all other books I have been assigned to read for my English classes. While I admit that there can be lessons learned from these books, they do not appeal to me and I miss out on many lessons out of sheer boredom with the books and the class discussions.
Many other teens my age feel the same way. The men in my class pay attention less than the women in discussions, and they don't speak nearly as much. Recently, my grade had an all male discussion about why the trend of males outperforming females in schools has been reversed. Many guys agreed with each other that the books we read are not interesting enough to get involved in.
The books that boys and male teens are interested today varies greatly with the books that they are assigned to read in English class. There are no fantasy or sci-fi books, or books about exciting adventures in English classes. Although there are many fantasy or sci-fi books that are without literary education value, there are many that are. One Example that comes to mind is the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was a very descriptive writer. He also wrote with a sophisticated diction that readers can apply to their creative writings as well as their analytical ones. His poems and songs within these books can also be studied.
I think there exists a generation gap between what teachers think students will learn from and what the students will learn from, and books like these are one of the solutions to this problem. I would suggest to balance the curriculum with a variety of books that appeal to both genders. I hope other solutions can be found for this and other classes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I know that you are bored by your English class, but do you really think that women are doing better in school because of the material and that we should change the material because of that? School curriculum should not be determined by what is most interesting to students, but rather by what needs to be learned for your future.
Post a Comment