Teaching Literature...
Those who know me and those who have read this blog long enough know how much I love and enjoy reading. Reading has done me a lot of good. It has taken me to places, has made me find the best and most interesting friends, has helped me in dealing with and accepting life's blows, has taught me so much not just about the world and everything around me, but about myself. Reading is my anti-depressant and relaxant. It's the best drug for me.
One of the subjects/courses I am teaching is Literature. Needless to say, I love it! My devotion to literature can easily be compared to a pair of lovers' devotion to each other. And, I want my students to have a clear view or at least a glimpse of that special world I have loved all my life. I want my students to feel the way I feel when I read and when I am blown away by the power and beauty of literary pieces. I want them to travel around the world in 80 days with Phileas Fogg and Passepartout. I want them to join the wonderful journey of the members of the fellowship of the ring or join the great Achaian heroes as they fought the equally brave and strong Trojans. I want my students to understand how and why God sees the truth, but waits. I want them to know and realize how powerful words can be and how it is possible to impart a universal truth in just 17 syllables. Oh, there is so much more of this!
Of course, teaching literature and the reading thereof can be tough, especially with the type of students that we have nowadays. They'd rather watch the movie versions. Ask them about the great Homer, and they think of Homer Simpson. Ask them about Troy, and they'd tell you he was a character played by the hot Brad Pitt. They'd rather download lyrics of their favorite songs than download ebook editions of the classics. Yes, I can go on and on about this! Oh, but, not all of our students are like that. There are some whose eyes sparkle as you travel in the beauteous and mysterious world of literature. There are some who obviously want you to take them with you as you go deeper in the forests and oceans of different Neverlands. Eventually, the others start to get interested and want to follow. That's how it goes for my Literature classes.
I really want my students to discover and know that the world of literature is for everyone, and not just for a special group of people (the intelligent ones, they'd say). Literature mirrors life. It is written so we can ponder on the things that concern us, so that we can make sense of our lives. Literature is for all of us.
I ask my students: "Don't you wonder why, in one way or another, we can always identify with the characters in our stories and novels, as well as the personas in our poems?"
I always tell them that the answer is because literature is about all of us. The stories, the novels, the poems. They are all written to and for us. Every story, every poem is about us. Literature is about you and me.
As they nod with understanding and give me knowing smiles, I try to hold back all emotions as they might take me for a lunatic. God, they make me want to either cry or shout with glee! They make me feel like Anne of Avonlea. ;-)
Comments
Gone are the days when literature classes are boring. Gone are the days when we are just assigned to read and answer guide questions. Now, we interact, we participate, and we innovate to understand Shakespeare, Maupassant, Homer, Cervantes, Chekhov, Allan Poe, Kipling, Twain, and our own, Jose Garcia Villa.. the list is endless..
thanks for posting this..
Go on, touch lives!
batang buotan, thanks! you're right. so many strategies have come up to help us teach and become more effective teachers. nowadays, the communicative approach has become an approach for all fields, and not just for language teaching. oh, and i am a garcia villa fan, too.:)
naa mi book sa anne of avonlea ug anne of green gables pero wa jud ko kabasa. pero ganahan kos salida sa anne of green gables =)
pasencia kay hasta jud nakong bisayaa diri... ulaw nalang ko k nindot ra ba kaayo imo pagkasuwat sa post =)
--Lanee Girl
I think your literature class is very interesting. :)
kars, pwede gyud kaayo. hehehe:) salamat!:)
learning about lit in HS changed my life. dahil dun, na-inspire akong maging writer. hope you will change your students' lives, too. :)
I love you ket! (hugs.)
i love reading books. it takes me to places and experiences that i would personally never get....
tita pie, thanks. you have, in turn, introduced me to a lot of good reads, too. and, good eats! weee!:)
paul, i've heard of that book and i've been wanting to get my hands on it for a while now. thanks!:)
Sa tinuod lang wa gyud biya koy hilig basa Day. As in! Nakatuon lang ko kadtong college na, unya for compliance lang pa gyud. Hehehee. Karon ra gyud nako medyo nakabasa basa na kay naa naman koy time unya nalingaw na pud ko.heheeheh
Mwah!
Bata