Classics: Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them

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debbie smith
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Re: Classics: Why We Should Encourage Children to Read Them

Post by debbie smith »

I believe in reading and teaching the classics. As tstaf4d's teacher suggested they have a lot of the same themes that current literature does. As others here have suggested they expose children to ideas words, and situations that are outside most modern experiences. The classics show how society has changed over the course of time and, hopefully since history repeats itself, what to look to avoid to make a better future. Classics, if read in context of the time and if compared to similar more current texts bring home to students 'how far we've come' or 'how far we have lost' as a society. Classics are a snapshot bridge from the past to the present. If taught well they create readers instead of repel readers. Thankfully, I had good teachers who helped me understand them and develop a love of reading them and of reading themselves.
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Intellijock
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Post by Intellijock »

Classics are considered classics because, no matter the time period, they always force us to think about our own time.
mamelotti96
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Post by mamelotti96 »

Children in today's society are reading more and more novels about topics that bring false hope. Personally, I am quite bored of the girl meets boy next door, fall madly in love, and it's then presumed they get married and live happily ever after. Classics portray that same type of scenario, but they do it with class, grace, and a larger eloquent vocabulary. I believe that many children do not like reading classics, because the wording and the vocabulary is difficult to understand. You can't rush through a classic. It takes time. People are always rushing through things, and never taking their time to really take in the message that the book has to offer. Classics keep the proper and beautiful form our language has. We just don't see that form on a daily basis anymore.
Elizabeth Rogers 47
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Post by Elizabeth Rogers 47 »

I do believe that children should be encouraged to read the classics. Depending on their interests and aptitude for reading, perhaps the parent or teacher could nudge a reluctant young person to see the value of a book by reading a few chapters to them daily at bedtime. My father chose Tom Sawyer as the first one we read together, and he continued the practice of reading with me until I was a teenager and wanted more to read on my own.
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Post by sflaherty42 »

I absolutely agree that we should get children to read the classics. They would be participating in stories that have been around and discussed for a very long time. Let's face it, children are not going to want to read the classics on their own. That is why we have to encourage them. Classic novels hold so many valuable lessons that are still relevant today. Don't get me wrong, current publications are also full of values and should also be read. But, their messages could be outdated within a number of years and could just be a flash in the pan. There is a reason why classic novels have stood the test of time and children need to discover that.
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Post by alex_ »

Reading classics as a child, helped me develop a larger vocabulary, which was good for my grades and brain. Also helped me to develop large ideas and se the world through a different lens. When I read a book that reveals truths about lives I think about how true that is, but it wasn't until that moment that it was worded correctly.
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darkandstormyknight
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Post by darkandstormyknight »

I think that it is very important to read classics and to encourage kids to read classics, but also recent books as well. Not all recent books are bad, and there is a certain danger in reading classic books simply because they are "classics." I think reading good literature will cause the same results as reading all classics.
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terraform
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Post by terraform »

gipps wrote:I'm not sure I can quite agree, depending on how exactly the word "classic" is used. In my experience, the classics are fine and good mostly, but they aren't exactly the most diverse group of books. Women especially are under represented in the "classics," so I feel that to say the focus should be so strongly on these voices is to be missing a huge part of the experience. I think, by and large, we do have to challenge the canon and get people examining why certain voices are considered the universal voice. Not saying that there aren't a lot of old books that deserve examining, but rather that I think it's a crutch that schools especially use so that they don't have to have a horse in the race for today's literary scene. Who wants to pick modern books to teach in schools when there are already entire lesson plans devoted to the classics? So yes, I think that many classic books are important to read, I don't think "classics" alone give a proper exposure to literature as a whole.
I was thinking of commenting something extremely similar before reading your post. I agree. Moreover, there is I feel a very real danger of books that have been labelled as 'classics' being labelled so and just assumed to be great as a result. Fiction books are, thankfully, entirely subjective things, so we must ensure that we do not give children the impression that to not like a 'classic' book is to be wrong. Open discussion, as ever, is key in education. :)
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JemmaHayes
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Post by JemmaHayes »

I couldn't agree more. Doing my AS and A2 levels was difficult surrounded by other class members that have been previously introduced to the likes of Charles Dickens or Mary Shelley. I wish my parents had introduced me to more than age appropraite books. Once I felt books were too childish I moved on independently and worked hard and I am now planning on doing a degree in English Literature.
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Post by Intelligent_Cat »

I disagree with making children read the classics. Some of them are good, but others are gory and dry and seem to push people away from reading. People, young children especially, want to be in control of their actions and forcing them to read something they find boring might push them to take their resentment out on reading at all. Instead of pushing kids to read these books, I think we should let them figure out for themselves what they want. The only classics I've ended up liking (with the exception of the Scarlet Pimpernel) have been the ones I found on my own.
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Post by mui-scrimp »

Skk5122 wrote:While I definitely see a place for classics, as a high school teacher I see first hand some students' struggles with the classics if they already don't enjoy reading. I think there should be a balance between classic lit and new things that appeal to modern teenage interests.
I think it takes a certain type of child to read, understand, and enjoy a classic. I know some teenagers who are reading crime and punishment, and some who are reading diary of a wimpy kid. As a kid, I was scared away by the term "classic," but when I actually began reading them, I realized that classics aren't that difficult, and that they can be really fun! I don't think we should require kids to read classics, but definitely let them realize it is an option, and that there are a bunch of meaningful books to be explored!
There are weapons you cannot hold in your hands. You can only hold them in your mind.
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Himmelslicht
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Post by Himmelslicht »

I think classics are a great way to develop a taste for literature and also to develop a critical mind, which I think it's very important, since nowadays a lot of people like "fast-food" entertainment without really savoringwhat they're consuming.
"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world."
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Post by jules23958 »

As a secondary school teacher and parent of two now adults, I think it is vital that children are versed with as much literature as possible but I do think they should also be mixed with the contemporary classics of childhood also. I teach students for 11+ and it is really useful if a classic comes up in comprehension as students stand a good chance of at least knowing the background to the story which enables them to have a better overall comprehension of the text. That said, I also think it builds their vocabulary and helps them to understand that English is a subject that is living and breathing and as such changes over many years. Looking at the English in texts over centuries they come to realise this fact.
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Post by Acwoolet »

I agree that classics should be revisited as often as possible and introduced to children. There are timeless lessons to learn and are just as enjoyable to read as their modern day counterparts.
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Post by mratdegraff91 »

I agree that children should regularly read classical work. There are great life lessons that are not expressed in young adult and other books they might read published currently. I wish that my teachers had pushed us to read more classic books. I now have a list of classical books I want to read that my class missed out on when I was in high school. Some of the classics may have been boring but there was meaning behind the author's words and I felt it was a challenge to myself to see how disciplined I could be in completing a task.
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