"State of the Classroom" public address

I'm not a nice teacher when I think students are being lazy.  I am neither sympathetic nor compassionate to a student who will raise his or her hand and claim "I don't get it," and then answer "no" when I ask if they read the directions.  None the less, every day I hear at least one moan that I am "too hard."  FYI: my classwork is not difficult.

Here is where the majority have claimed that I am too hard: because I require my regular 10th grade students to read twenty novels a year.  I count the novels we read in class that are district-required (4 total), but for the most part, their twenty is comprised of novels they choose.  I even keep charts in the back room with sticky stars on it to keep track of how many each student has read.  Yes, fat novels count as more than one.

With parent-teacher conferences imminent on the horizon, I am mentally preparing myself for the barrage of parents whose lovely children have told them that I am unreasonable and too demanding.

Here is my rebuttal: I stand behind my decision 100%.  With very little homework other than to read 30 minutes a night, I expect my students to make the effort to explore my classroom library, the school library and the public library in order to find genres and authors that they love.  There are a list of new favorites compiled by the students on my wall.

"The rate of decline in literary reading is steepest among teenagers and twenty-somethings, who are most likely to be distracted by computers, text messaging and video games."

I have had night sweats several times this year that I am setting my students up for failure.  But then I wake up and realize this is not case.  My students who did not read their three books this past semester, had "F's" prior to my inputting the novel grades, (100 pts each).  More students raised failing grades because of the novel grades. 

"A national poll conducted in August found the average American claimed to have read four books in the past year. One in four adults admitted to reading no books at all."

I think it is frightening that people don't read for fun anymore - and it makes my entire day when a student comes up to me and tells me they have found a book that they LOVE.  Some of these include the Twilight series by Stephanie Myer, The Pond by Robert Murphy, sports books by Mike Lupica, and the Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac.  I had one girl take on Great Expectations and a boy tackle Les Mis.  I am so proud of them.

So... am I too difficult?  I don't think so, but none the less the anxiety that some students manage to instill in me over their "I don't get its" and "I don't reads - I'm too busy's" still puts me both on the edge and on the defensive.  Either way, I'm not changing my policy.  Too busy?  Put down the game cube and read thirty minutes before falling asleep.

And no, you may not "switch teachers" because you don't want to read.  SUCK IT UP.

See, mean.

"Nowadays we're in this sort of 'snippet society,' where we don't read entire works anymore - we read excerpts," says Tony Weller of Sam Weller's bookstore in downtown Salt Lake City. "It worries me a lot. The reduction of reading in our culture does have real social and political implications. We will be stupider."

Quotes from: Written Off? -- article from Salt Lake City Tribune

Comments

[Ashley]

I'm not sure what grade you teach, but I believe that you do seem too tough on your students. English class is probably not the only class your students have, which means they will have other assignments from other teachers. I can tell you have a love of reading, but you should understand that you can't force your love onto someone who doesn't love reading. It makes it into a chore for them to read. I think 20 novels is very excessive and you assume it would only take them 30 minutes a night to read and stay caught up. Some people read a lot slower than you may believe. I remember a teacher that I had in junior high school. She would assign way too much homework every day. If I was to sit down every night and really try to do it right it would take me around an hour or so. Then I had my other assignments and not to mention my life. I was a good student, but I found myself becoming apathetic towards her class. I ultimately rebelled against the homework she assigned and did not do it. Trust me, that was very unlike me. I'm all for homework when it's needed, but to just assign busy work, that just makes students mad. Anyway, I would just say that you should put yourself in your students place. They live hectic lives, just like some adults. An over demanding, inconsiderate teacher will only draw hostility from students. Realize that their lives do not revolve around your English class. Too much pressure and homework will push even your best student into animosity toward you and the English class. I do agree that people need to read more often, but trust me, you can't make them do it. The love of reading is developed at a young age. So, give homework if it's needed, but in moderation and be considerate of their lives outside your classroom.