You spin me right round, baby Right round like a record, baby Right round, round, round

So, I'm taking 2 classes this summer. One in the month of June, and one in July. They are both by the same professor - one I really like - and the workload isn't terrible, which makes this whole endeavor manageable.

The class I'm in now, Media Literacy & Pop Culture, is looking at the use of media in the English Lit classroom. Our professor has decided to look at this phenomena through the lens of Shakespeare.

Now, as most of you know - I'm not a fan of the cannon. I have never been a devotee of the Bard - and I do not advocate the teaching of the cannon to secondary students. In fact - I have been so against the idea, that my dissertation topic was over teaching contemporary young adult literature in place of the cannon as a more effective avenue for teaching literacy to adolescents.

And every time I would discuss this idea with a professor - he or she would simply give a thoughtful head nod, and change the subject.

I wondered why.

Now, I think that they did that because my idea - as sweet as it might be - is unrealistic, and maybe even a bit immature. The cannon isn't going anywhere. No matter how many books or dissertations I want to write on the merits of contemporary YAL - the cannon is etched in stone. No school district is going to forgo teaching Shakespeare, Chaucer, Bronte, Hawthorne, etc... in place of Green, Hopkins, Halse-Anderson, etc... It's just not going to happen. So, why not do a study (this is, of course assuming I still decide to go that route) that could actually be helpful to the teacher in the classroom, and not counter-intuitive to their realities??

For example: why not write a study about what teachers feel they need in order to be able to effectively teach the cannon? I would argue that a lot of the animosity and begrudging feelings surrounding the teaching of this type of literature is rooted in the teacher who either does not feel she is capable, or has the authority to interpret these works, or who feels that there is no possible way to get her students interested in them, and is resigned to the idea of them using Spark Notes to eek by - thus angering her that they are cheating themselves out of the experience of reading such truly wonderful literature. But if teachers were to get the support they needed to feel confident that they could not only get their students interested and keep them engaged in the cannon, and furthermore if they felt comfortable actually teaching the cannon... maybe it COULD be the wonderful experience it is meant to be.

I argue that had I been taught any of the canonical works by a teacher who infused media, and who took the time to ensure that I understood what was going on - I would have had the confidence to approach any piece of literature without the thought that "I can't read this, it's too hard for me" AND - I would have enjoyed reading The Canterbury Tales, instead of barely skimming it - and missing out on all of the hilarity and bawdiness that I now know is there.

I stayed away from canonical works until I was well into my twenties thinking that I hated them all. And some of them, I do still dislike. But some of them are surprising in their genius. And - as I learned last week in my class, some of them, like tired old Romeo & Juliet have so many layers to them that I never before realized were there. Even after having read it dozens of times, it still had something new to offer.

So why not, instead of creating a dichotomy - which I evidently do way too often - create a bridge? Instead of touting contemporary YAL, and trashing the cannon - why not empower teachers to be comfortable & confident teaching any piece of literature, old or new??

just a thought.