National Canon Of Books In Education

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” writes Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. While such a remark applies to many situations, and thus has been the basis upon which this country was built, it remains true for the theory of a national school curriculum. Those proposing a standardized canon of books for American high school students surely do not believe in this liberty our Founding Fathers wrote about. Having all students read the same English books, no matter class, community, or background is not allowing for the pursuit of happiness that occurs when allowed to choose your own literature. There should not be a set national canon of books that all American students read and teachers and schools should have the ability

Every school is different and serves a particular purpose for its students, and the books read in English classes should reflect that purpose. At my own all-girls high school, we have read highly feminine books, such as Alcott’s Little Women and Bronte’s Jane Eyre, two novels that I have yet to hear being read by any of my peers at a traditional, mixed-gender school. While we do read many other diverse selections from literature, these two books are well-loved by most of my school and relatable on many levels. This tailoring of books to their population is extremely beneficial for the students and will help them to enjoy and discover more in their reading assignments. Likewise, a national book canon will not allow for the distinction of curriculum based on course difficulty. Students in an Advanced Placement literature class may need to read different titles than a regular course or a course designed for students with learning difficulties. These ideals are instrumental in the design of curriculum and such course variances are not met by a national canon. My dad is a teacher at a school where an overwhelming majority of the students are immigrants and English as a Second (even third) Language learners. His students should be reading the multicultural literature that Kira Isak Pirofski speaks about, helping them to integrate themselves into our culture with stories of people doing likewise (Source E). They should not be reading Beowulf in its original Old English, an act that would most likely deter their education, rather than promote it. It is for all these reasons, school structure differences, course distinctions, demographic variances, and many more that schools should read book selections that are tailored to their differences and mission. A national curriculum would hinder this