Should SWS English classes teach mainstream core curriculum books?
[tab name=”YES, SWS English classes should be integrated with the mainstream”]
SWS and mainstream students need common ground
by Sophie Rubin
It is crucial to read classics in order to be more in touch with the rest of the world and, on a smaller scale, with the other 1,700 or so students at the school.
The Great Gatsby, Death of a Salesman, Song of Solomon. These are all books that the majority of students at the school have read or will read in the near future. These books are considered a core part of the junior English curriculum. In addition, there are also freshman and sophomore core curriculums, each with a set of books that all students in that grade must read. These novels connect students all around the school, with the exception of the students on the fourth floor. This is the home of the School Within A School program, where you might not find classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn laying around.
We, as students, are always asked by teachers, “Why is it important to read these classics?” It is crucial to read these in order to be more in touch with the rest of the world and, on a smaller scale, with the other 1,700 or so students at the school. Just like we all have to learn about Manifest Destiny in US History, we should all most certainly have to read the story of Nick Carraway.
A lot of people whom I’ve spoken to in SWS say if the books taught in the mainstream were taught in SWS, it would steer away from the whole point of the program. However, I have a tough time grasping this concept. The English courses offered in SWS, such as “Identity, Race and Literature” and “Literature of Love” are perfect for the books read in the mainstream. Books like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby could work in numerous SWS English classes, but if the class “Literature of Love” were to take it on, the students would realize that there is an overabundance of love triangles and mishaps, leading to interesting class discussions. Just because these books are seen as “obvious” and, well, “mainstream” doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth reading. The books we read as mainstream students are classics for a reason. They offer insightful perspectives on pressing issues, like race and socioeconomics, and they have, for good reason, made a name for themselves.
All of the above-mentioned books could be implemented in an SWS English class to great benefit. Students could look at the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, and Hester Prynne versus the rest of the world. These characters deal with love triangles and problems with wealth and religion. Classes could still be taught in the open forum style SWS is known for. It is not a matter of how SWS goes about teaching students; it’s about what SWS is teaching them. SWS stands for School Within a School, and it is essential that there be some bridge between the SWS English program and every other English class within the school.
SWS is not its own school, but it is part of a whole. Being able to take a class that isn’t titled “American Literature” is a privilege, and why should this be offered to students if not everyone can benefit from it? This is a school that focuses on providing equal opportunity—allowing a selection of students to partake in an altogether different educational experience, by reading different books, is unconscionable.
SWS classes’ democratic format have students of all academic levels and treat teachers as equals to students by calling them by their first names; reading some mainstream books would not detract from the SWS experience.
A huge part of this school’s English education is based off of the books we read. We learn about them in our English classes and then apply them to our history classes. And we talk about them with our peers.
By reading the same books, everyone in the mainstream and SWS can be taught about the same topics. Although discussions in classes depend on what the teacher and students decide to focus on, a core curriculum throughout the school allows students in different classes to exchange ideas about the books, and a larger, more productive discussion can be held by including the opinions of the students in SWS.
After all, even though SWS students would read the same books, because of the nature of SWS classes, it is feasible that the class discussions would occur differently. This different format could lead to discussion about completely different aspects of the books, leading to a more diverse and interesting school-wide discussion. Since SWS is, after all, a component of the school as a whole, it is important that the students within and without have a common ground.
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[tab name=”NO, a common curriculum runs contrary to the purpose of SWS”]
SWS thrives on freedom-of-choice
by Kaylie Abner
As new classics are born and old books are put to rest, students in SWS have the opportunity to choose books based on what they want for the class.
I did not understand the true meaning of democracy until I was asked to describe my School Within a School English class. No reading of Greco-Roman philosophy, Thomas Paine or the United States constitution helped me realize democracy’s meaning. SWS English classes, although they use material that differs from the English curriculum in the mainstream school, are the pillar for a strong community, a voice for all and a passion for justice.
SWS English classes are based on many diverse topics and they are taught through reading and class discussion. It is a great challenge to listen, reflect, learn and speak all in one class. Teachers offer guidance, but insights have to come from the students. We in SWS have to learn these skills through listening, and thus learn to respect one another. This helps develop our voices. Together we realize that we all have intelligent and supportive critiques, compliments and insights. We get to slow down and think, raise our voices and speak and open our minds and listen.
The classes’ themes vary. They can be about feminism, race and identity, childhood, poetry, the natural world, great books or comedy. What they all do is expose the truth of society: the privilege, the sadness and the ills. Through SWS, students realize the choices they make can change the world, for good or for bad. There is a drive for justice: to make the world easier for humanity and to make known the problems that are often swept under the rug.
Sticking to the common curriculum leads to issues regarding the students who join SWS as sophomores or juniors: Because the very point of an SWS English class is to have a mixed-level and mixed-age group, people who join in their junior year may have to reread books taught in their mainstream sophomore courses. This has happened before, but if SWS had to subscribe to the common curriculum, that problem would happen far more often, which would be a hindrance to learning.
I was in mainstream English for two years, and my teachers were fantastic and insightful. The curriculum was great and the projects and essays assigned were good, but as students, we struggled. We were never comfortable enough to add our own insights unless urged to. My sophomore English teacher is now teaching a sophomore elective English class, which, although it follows the core curriculum, explores themes less commonly discussed in the traditional sophomore English class. In this new class, the students are more inspired and excited. The English department has done a fantastic job of creating a common core of books, but still, it will not always inspire every student.
SWS English classes also argue against using the common curricula that our school’s culture depends on. Can a high school student still understand beauty even though they do not read a Shakespeare play every year? Does a student really need to read The Scarlet Letter to understand America? As new classics are born and old books are put to rest, students in SWS have the opportunity to choose books based on what they want for the class.
SWS English classes break the constraints of our curriculum by reading books that apply to them specifically, not what books have been chosen for thousands of other students. Without this choice, a democratic school system would fail to thrive. A better idea would be to incorporate the best of SWS and the best of the mainstream into the entire school. A common curriculum of books is not the way to accomplish that goal.
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