Balancing Act With Books

This article discussed the decline in reading for pleasure among high school students. Teachers are having a hard time getting students to relate to the literature they are using in the classroom. There is too much of a time gap between the students and the characters in the books. The teacher in the article, Jason Baker, says that he would like to get his students interested in great American authors like Hawthorne and Hemingway, but he says teachers need to rethink their reading lists. The teachers in this article are not saying to get rid of classics like "Macbeth" and "The Great Gatsby," but they are saying teachers are going to have to bring in more contemporary works if they want to get students interested. The themes and characters in modern works are more easily related to by today's students.

Teachers have made many suggestions for how to reverse the decline we are seeing. Some teachers suggested pairing the classics with a modern song. By bringing in the modern art, they are relating the text to something they are familiar with. Another suggestion was to let students choose some of the texts they would be studying during the year. Teachers could fill in the "gaps" with some of the classics. Kids may want to read, but in school, they cannot always read what they want. Teachers say they cannot help students learn to appreciate the books they are reading if they cannot get them interested enough to open the book in the first place.

As educators, I believe it is important for us to "change with the times." As technology is advancing, we quickly bring it in to the classroom and use it to our advantage. Why wouldn't we bring in more contemporary works as they change with the times? Our students are part of the modern world, and that is what interests them for the most part. I think it is important for students to learn some of the classics, but tying them with modern literature is a good idea. They may relate to it on a more personal level and realize that they can gain something from reading.