Sunday, October 14, 2007
Literature and Lives Ch. 6
This is a very controversial chapter, since even today we have to deal with race issues in the classroom. This also ties into chapter two, about controversial works of literature, and weather to teach them in th classroom. As controversial as this book may be, i think that Huckleberry Finn should still be taught in the classroom. I believe that in order to get rid of these issues they have to be addressed, and especially in the classroom. I also think though that if you talk about an issue too much you make it a bigger problem than it truly may be. So, as a teacher you have to find a happy medium between the two, and i think that Webb did this by talking about the book, and it's controversial issues before they even start reading the book. Since i have yet to actually be in the classroom and have to deal with issues with parents, i can't fully say that this will solve all the problems. Depending on the make up of the classroom, these issues could still be largely at hand. I also think that if your classroom only has a few minority students, that can also make it difficult for that one student because they will feel obligated to have an opinion, and will feel singled out. I am not sure how to go about solving this problem, and i am sure the answer will only come with experience.
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2 comments:
I have to agree with you on the issue of having minorities in the classroom. It didn't dawn on me that this might be an issue throughout a text like Huckleberry Finn. Although, I think there could be ways to avoid alienating and pressuring those minorities in the classroom. But like you said, we are not in the classroom yet,and do not have a taste of how to deal with parents, and students who may feel uncomfortable reading these type of themes in literature. However, this story is a classic that I still feel should be taught to young adolescents.
As a white teacher, I would have to say I would feel more comfortable having African American students in the classroom if I was teaching this book than if I was teaching a class of white kids only.
I also realize this position may be a little hypocritical since I advocate teaching students to put themselves in the shoes of others. If I believe this works and students can be genuine in the task, then it shouldn't matter what racial makeup the student population is.
However, Webb has given us direct research that shows the racial makeup of a class does indeed affect how this text is received.
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