I was both excited and depressed to hear that J.K. Rowling has finally finished the last Harry Potter book, and it will be published on July 21st. Excited because I love Harry Potter, and depressed because there will be no more.
Many of my more literary friends look down their noses at people who love good fantasy, science fiction, or mystery novels. But they're missing out.
First of all, fantasy in particular employs some of the most delightful and inventive aspects of the human imagination, whimsy that could never be fully explored in regular fiction. Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia are just two of the best of the genre.
Fantasy also allows authors to write about what is most noble in humans. By pitting an absolute evil against those with courage, a sense of honor, and human-sized flaws, we are allowed a rare belief that humans are capable of being selfless, altruistic, and just plain good.
Isn't it worth something to have literature that answers these needs?
Lastly, I know from experience that fantasy and science fiction can be lifesavers for people with difficult childhoods. Mine was abusive and terrifying, yet reading fantasy literature kept me sane, kept me believing that a better world was possible and that better people existed.
Harry Potter entranced me from the first book, and I've read the entire series (so far) at least ten times. Aside from the wonderful, imaginative world Rowling has created, it is one of the best series I've ever read about growing up.
Harry's entire struggle against evil is a metaphor for every individual's struggle to become an adult. To face, finally, the fact that we are each alone, that our parents cannot fix the world for us, to face up to our own expectations and fears, and our own fight to be fully realized individuals, pursuing a life that is meant for us, to emerge from that warm cocoon of childhood--that is what Harry Potter shows us. How cold it is to grow up, how scary and lonely, but how magnificent it can be if we're willing to face it.
Showing posts with label Literature and Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature and Education. Show all posts
Monday, February 5, 2007
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Know why your kid hates to read?
I am a copy editor by profession. I sit at home and read manuscripts of children's textbooks. As I don't ever have to talk with anyone on the phone, and I don't have to go an office, the work suits me far better than my former profession as a journalist. I remind myself of these benefits while the futility of my job and the inanity of most textbooks eats away at any sense of purpose and well-being. But you've gotta make a living.
There are many, many things wrong with the textbooks I edit (which, of course, means "things that are wrong with education in the U.S."). But the two most egregious problems, the two things that really screw up the education of your average American child are:
-Every state has it own standards, most of which suck (Texas: "large muscle group motion, such as circling arms"; New York: "The peoples and peopling of the American colonies (voluntary and involuntary)." Um, involuntary peopling, yeah, that's what we call it.) This doesn't mean the federal government should get involved. They've already gutted things enough with the "Leave all non-wealthy children behind" Act.
--They are BORING. Crashingly boring. Heartbreakingly boring. You want to know why so many teachers have so many behavior problems with young kids? The kids are bored to tears.
State standards and standardized testing have to answer for a lot of the boredom. Take a K-2 reading and phonics textbook set I worked on last year. The kids got to read cool little stories, except that the teachers weren't allowed to let them learn to read, enjoy, and employ their imaginations. Oh, no. The teacher had to say idiotic, killing things like, "Good readers look for a main idea and details as they are reading," or, "Careful readers think about cause and effect on each page of the story." They had to stop kids throughout the reading to make them think about things like characterization and setting. They're in kindergarten!
If you had been taught to read this way when you were 6, or 8, or even 15 years old, wouldn't you prefer television, too?
There are many, many things wrong with the textbooks I edit (which, of course, means "things that are wrong with education in the U.S."). But the two most egregious problems, the two things that really screw up the education of your average American child are:
-Every state has it own standards, most of which suck (Texas: "large muscle group motion, such as circling arms"; New York: "The peoples and peopling of the American colonies (voluntary and involuntary)." Um, involuntary peopling, yeah, that's what we call it.) This doesn't mean the federal government should get involved. They've already gutted things enough with the "Leave all non-wealthy children behind" Act.
--They are BORING. Crashingly boring. Heartbreakingly boring. You want to know why so many teachers have so many behavior problems with young kids? The kids are bored to tears.
State standards and standardized testing have to answer for a lot of the boredom. Take a K-2 reading and phonics textbook set I worked on last year. The kids got to read cool little stories, except that the teachers weren't allowed to let them learn to read, enjoy, and employ their imaginations. Oh, no. The teacher had to say idiotic, killing things like, "Good readers look for a main idea and details as they are reading," or, "Careful readers think about cause and effect on each page of the story." They had to stop kids throughout the reading to make them think about things like characterization and setting. They're in kindergarten!
If you had been taught to read this way when you were 6, or 8, or even 15 years old, wouldn't you prefer television, too?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
