During my long career teaching English at Newton South, I had a reputation for assigning lots of reading and writing. No accident: it always seemed to me that whatever else I might do, students should read lots of books and write lots of papers. What better publicity could a school hope for than for parents to watch their children poring over a classic or revising a composition or story?
Still, the challenges to this approach were many. Even before the arrival of the millennium, too many students read only books assigned in class. Social media and entertainment drew their attention instead. Predictably, many students had trouble reading standard texts because their vocabulary was poor from that lack of reading. To compensate, some turned first to Monarch Notes and Cliff Notes and later to Spark Notes and who knows what else online…rather than read the book itself. The Web provided sample essays on almost any text, often for free. Online tutors even offered to write the students’ papers for a fee. My trust in the authenticity of students’ work declined.
Eventually, I adjusted to this reality. First of all, to ensure that students actually read books, I gave spot quizzes frequently and unpredictably. The quizzes consisted largely of passages drawn from the book, not details of the plot easily grasped by reviewing online plot summaries. My goal: to get students to lay their eyes on the page and to read carefully. Some students conceded that they had never read any book more than cursorily before my class. Not surprisingly, most felt that they soon understood texts much better, and each subsequent reading seemed more rich with meaning. Instead of just a few students participating in class discussion, most students now had something to say. These discussions, needless to say, made everyone in class even better prepared for the next reading assignment. Suddenly, a classic now seemed less daunting to read and much easier to love. Most years, for example, my juniors voted Crime and Punishment, a dense, complex novel, as their favorite book of the course! Credit not only the genius of Dostoevsky but also my students’ patient, skillful reading.
The problems in my students’ writing also sprang in part from their limited experience with books. When you don’t read texts, especially those of quality, then your vocabulary remains rather limited. Reading also teaches us subliminally how to write; we grasp how to formulate sentences and phrases by seeing others do it. In my view, students also hadn’t written often enough when younger. For example, text messages are no substitute for thoughtful letters to friends and family, a traditional way for anyone to develop a literary voice.
Clearly, my students required explicit instruction on the mechanics and techniques of writing, and they needed to write more often. Here is what I did. First, my writing assignments included not only commentaries on books but also personal essays, short fiction, and even opinion pieces. Writing formulaic, five-paragraph essays hardly inspires students to love writing. I also employed The Lively Art of Writing,The Elements of Style, and Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition to teach the rules and expand students’ sense of style.
Commentaries on literature mostly began as open-book classroom assignments, the topic unannounced, during a long block. Consequently, I could read my students’ actual thoughts, not those transcribed from the Web. Usually, this first draft got one grade, after which students took their pieces home to revise and then submit for a second grade. Both grades counted equally. In the margin of these revised pieces, I placed a check every time I encountered a mechanical error on that line: usage, spelling, and punctuation. Students first tried to identify and correct problems on their own before scheduling a writer’s conference with me. In this way I could focus on each student’s particular stylistic challenges in addition to discussing their viewpoints in person. My colleagues were amazed at the number of hours I spent outside of class in conference with my students. Though tiring, this collaboration was probably the most important work I did as a teacher.
Sadly, I must concede that no matter how masterful the teacher, it would be challenging if not impossible to run an online English class in this manner…at least for a person my age! I thrived on the face-to-face interaction, the lively discussion, all the elements rendered more difficult in the era of the Coronavirus. It will be fascinating to witness the evolution of learning in the Newton schools now that Covid 19 seems here to stay for months if not years. Somehow, though, I hope that reading and writing remain the cornerstones of English classes.
Good for you, Bob, for insisting on the pursuit of excellence during the high school years. I’m sure it made a difference in people’s lives.
Our daughter had to write an autobiography in fifth or sixth grade in 1991 at Bowen School. There was a draft chapter due every few weeks, covering her family history or another year of her life. The teacher would carefully review the draft and make suggestions for the next version. At the end of the semester, she had a full-fledged, 90 page book that was well written and really interesting. This whole thing was a formative experience in her ability to write. It was also the last really disciplined approach to writing that she experienced through the rest of her pre-college education. Later, when I was teaching undergraduates and graduate students, I realized that the same hole in their education was true for many of them.
One approach I used for my grad students was to take the first paragraph of each student’s essay on a given topic and display it (anonymously) with a projector for the entire class to read and critique. It was fascinating to watch as the author would often offer the most detailed and precise criticism of his or her work. “It’s not what I meant to say!” would be the most common comment. The quality of everyone’s work showed remarkable improvement as the semester went along.
@“getting back to basics” : Attah go, Bob! Neither I nor our progeny had the opportunity to know you then, though I still cite my similarly outstanding, 8th grade English teacher’s lessons toward understanding the likes of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.
What is on NPS’s Summer Reading List for each level of grade and achievement? What do parents teach when choosing permissive inattention to summer writing assignments rather than “another conflict” with our next generations?
The marginal increases in excellence aren’t priced in cash, employee benefits, or newly erected buildings. Presumptuous “thanks” for all that ..
Summer reading is tough to monitor. In my view, the books students choose on their own need not be classics, and the level of challenge can be light. We want students to read as much as possible over the summer and enjoy what they are reading.
As for assigned summer reading, in my last decade at South everyone, including teachers and students, read a single contemporary work of fiction or nonfiction whose theme intersected students’ lives. Early in September, we scheduled a day in which students attended different forums for discussing and interpreting the communal reading. It was sometimes even possible to bring the writer to school to talk about their work and answer questions.
In addition, students also were assigned one or two books with some thematic connection to upcoming coursework. Juniors, whose courses emphasize American literature and history, might have to read “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” or “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” or “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” I have no idea if these traditions abide at South…but I hope so!
Newton South Alum Class of 2001 Here. I never had you as a teacher but enjoyed similar methodologies during my time at Newton South. It prepared me so well going into college, grad school, and beyond! As someone who writes for a living, I credit my foundation in high school for my ability to be engaging while informative.
Thanks and congratulations! It always fills me with pride to hear from South graduates who express appreciation and gratitude for the preparation they received in high school for future challenges. In my day, the school had its shortcomings, including unreasonable social and academic pressure on many students. Rarely, though, have I heard from former students that they felt cheated intellectually in high school.
Bob (or shall I say Mr. Jampol…) – you were my freshman year English teacher at South (so probably back in 1994-5), and were one of the most memorable teachers I had (I don’t think I could name many others).
You had very high standards and I recall working hard, but feeling a sense of achievement thanks to the caliber of books we read and what we wrote with you.
Thank you for the time and energy you gave your students – the gift of your attention was precious.
Having sent two kids through South and with another currently in process, all I can say is that the English Department has been a huge and perpetual disappointment. The best writing instruction came from history teachers when it came at all. Having myself come from a Jesuit high school experience, my expectations were high. They were not nearly met.
Well said. I do think teachers have found innovative ways to teach on Zoom. Necessity is the Mother of Invention someone said and it’s true. At my wife’s school they have figured out to do it apparently effectively. But I can’t tell you how.