To begin, I couldn’t help but relate the critical approach to teaching an English or Language Arts class to my past experiences during middle and secondary schooling. I was often too embarrassed to raise my hand in class, because the conclusion I came to after reading an assignment was different from that of the teachers. Being both in the position of a student and an aspiring teacher, I can understand how this feeling was not an uncommon one among other students in English classes. After reading “You Gotta BE the Book,” it became more obvious to me that simply the way reading is taught to young children may turn them away from becoming an avid and understand reader in the future. As young educators, it is our duty to help change this cycle to reach out to students and teach them that reading can be interesting, intense, and a way to attain more information.
As stated by Wilhelm, students like Marvin are found in every school. Those who are unwilling to read and find it lame, for a lack of a better word, and it’s sad to think that our society is becoming more and more reliant on websites like Sparknotes and Pinkmonkey to offer all the answers rather than reading the assignment ourselves. When students aren’t reading the assignment, they cannot learn to analyze and understand the reading from their own knowledge, and these websites are enabling them from having their own opinions. As stated in the book, the way reading is introduced to young pupils may be an affect to why reading does not appeal to them. The “bottom up” theory of learning to read only offers a mechanical way of looking at words, rather than putting them together and trying to understand their meaning. After having a negative attitude towards reading at such an early age, it’s hard to change the opinions of students as they reach their middle and high school level courses. On page 25, Frank Smith states, “learning to read [as] a matter of application to all manner of exercises and drills which can only distract and perhaps even discourage a child from the business of learning to read.” Smith summarizes that without change, students may be unenthusiastic to read because of the dull exposure they have had to it in the past. I believe that if a new method of teaching students how to read that offers a more related connection between words and their meanings, students may have a more positive attitude towards literacy.
In addition, literature does not always have a “correct answer.” A piece of literature can and is interpreted in many ways depending on the reader and his or her past experiences. Because this is true, teachers should be more willing to accept an array of answers as long as they valid to the reading. As stated, a valid reader is one who follows two rules; as long as their opinion of the literature does not contradict other parts of the passage or the opinion isn’t based on a bias it is considered valid. As long as this holds true, educators should be more willing to encourage students to give their point of view. Even those students who would consider themselves a “reader” are not always fully developed in their skills and need to be challenged. This is why educators need to understand and meet the needs of every individual student, and this is constantly changing from year to year. Wilhelm states that getting to know his students makes it easier to assess to their needs as students of language arts.
Another important aspect that educators need to understand that sometimes students don’t understand the purpose for studying or learning about a particular piece of literature, for example The Scarlet Letter. The author’s daughter was confused about the purpose for this specific novel and it challenges the teacher to make it clear to the students. If the piece of literature is outdated, and a connection can’t be made between the student and the point that is to be assessed by the student after reading, then a “good” teacher should look for alternatives to get this specific point across. Also, opening up students to an array of genres, allows them to better understand and appreciate the different types of literature available. As an educator, we must meet the needs of our students and one way to approach this is by personal research from the students in our own classrooms. As stated in a recent study (1990), teachers spend more time getting their degree rather than being evaluated after being in the classroom. Also, the United States alone is suffering among the other education facilities worldwide. For example, a study shows that the entire country lacks problem solving skills and literacy skills, and instead is teaching mediocre math and reading skills. This is appalling! The world is competitive and giving students any advantage in the world comes from a solid early education.
In order to give a solid education, we must find a way to introduce new ways of thinking in our English department.
