Students do not need to read The Scarlet Letter (or any other “classic” text) to become successful readers & writers. Crazy how many adults think they do. #ProjectLITchat
Just b/c it’s easier and cheaper and “safer” to run back the same books and lessons and units year after year doesn’t mean it’s right. Especially when it’s not working for a lot of our students and teachers.
And SMH at the people who are pushing for more “complex” texts while simultaneously dismissing the need for more culturally relevant texts.
Stop thinking that b/c a certain classic “worked” for you or your students, it needs to be read by ALL.
Why do we keep trying the same shit (same classic texts, same boring essays) and expecting different results? Oh yeah, b/c it’s helping to preserve the status quo. Do we really want ALL students to become lifelong readers? #justsaying
Oh yeah, please stop forcing educators to read the same texts in the same order. That’s not support. That’s not valuing student or teacher voice. That’s not how you keep people in the profession.
There’s no silver bullet out there. Building readers & writers takes time. Let’s embrace that journey. Let’s listen to our young people. To our teachers. Let’s ask them what they need.
Why do we take so much pride in making English boring? It’s not rigorous if no one reads it. Why not try to provide our students with positive literacy experiences, day in and day out, instead?
Do I have it all figured out? Shoot, of course not. My classroom is constantly evolving. (And if you’re doing cool stuff that works, especially with students of color, please share!) But, I’m tired of folks defending/accepting status quo.
And please stop with the “yeah, but...” replies as you continue to defend The Scarlet Letter. Life is short. The school year is short. So in our classroom, we’re starting with these. #ProjectLITBookClub 
This thread make you a bit uncomfortable? Imagine being a student of color and NEVER seeing yourself in the curriculum. Imagine being the only teacher of color in the English department.
If you read this thread and your first reaction is to shoot out a tweet defending the classics, you’re missing the point.
Why should educators waste time & energy “selling” kids on books that aren’t super relevant or engaging (and are often times harmful)? Shit, why not just hand them something by @JasonReynolds83 instead?
If folks defended their students the same way they defended the classics, our education system would be in better shape.
Of course we want to expose students to texts that are mirrors & windows (Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop), but why is it that in most schools, our students of color only get windows? Why are people so cool with that?
What if it was flipped? What if our curriculum only included texts written by authors of color? Only included black and brown characters? Imagine how quickly folks would freak out & demand change.
Just finished Ghost Boys on AM ✈️ Our students deserve opportunity to read this book. Our ed leaders should help make that happen. How? Buy copies for classroom libraries, or at the very least, allow (maybe even encourage) teachers to include it in their curriculum.
Appreciate all the dialogue and perspectives. And again, if you’re doing great literacy work with students, particularly students of color, please share! Let’s continue to reflect & improve our practice.
Some questions to consider: What’s it like being a student in my English class? Who’s being valued/affirmed/engaged by the texts we read? Do students have choice? Is there a better way?
What am I doing to help a child who says he doesn’t like to read? Throwing some more “complex” texts at him & getting mad when he shuts down? Telling him that he shouldn’t be reading “those” books? Humiliating him when he doesn’t love YOUR favorites?
Reminder (b/c reading is hard for some of you): I hope you care about your students as much as you care about The Scarlet Letter. Did you get into the profession for the classics or the kids? And don’t @ me with both.
True or false: The people arguing that #AllLivesMatter and that athletes should “shut up and dribble” (and definitely not kneel) are often the same ones defending the exclusive use of “classics” in our curriculum. #ProjectLITchat
