Catch in the Rye Dropped From US School Curriculum
Letter to the editor of The Telegraph
To whom it may concern,
I think that it is a terrible idea to replace classic novels with informational texts. By removing these novels from the curriculum, students lose their chance to have any imagination. Imagination is something that is needed in an English class in my opinion, and informational texts are too straightforward. Students have to endure text books in many other classes and English class is a time for them to escape, and make a world of their own.
I know that supporters of this idea say that it will help students be able to write concisely and factually, which will help them in the long run, but factual writing is part of other classes. English class is supposed to have a little bit of leeway for the students own writing style. Another thing is that English class will help students to become more able to converse intellectually with others. By writing in their own way, students will discover ways of writing or talking that is comfortable for them, and this will allow them to feel at ease while socializing and make them enjoy interacting with others.
Altogether, there are many other instances where informational texts are extremely beneficial for students, but an English class is not one of them. English class is for imagination and creativity to run free, and that is not possible when dealing with solid facts. Classic novels should not be removed from English classes.
Yeah I agree with you. We already learn so much factual stuff in other classes like math and science. Sometimes we need a break from all that hard brain work and just let our minds go with art and literature.
ReplyDeleteI would say a good mix of both factual and creative education creates the best well-rounded individual.
Being a creative writer helps you out more than you can imagine. Not only does it allow you to communicate efficiently but It also has many job opportunities. Making textbooks the new form of literature says a lot about or shallow society. We do not want creative citizens we would rather have robotic people that are very good science and practical writing. this is not necessarily a bad thing but it does hurt when we cancel out peoples ability and opportunity to be creative.
ReplyDeleteI like how you related it to talking socially with your friends and figuring out your style of writing. I agree with how we use text books in other classes and should have some freedom and creativity when it comes to English class. To build on Felix's point above, students should have factual education but not limited to that only. There should be a balance between factual and creative education so that each person has a chance to excel in whatever they are good at.
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