By Klorraine in , , , , on 12:33 PM with 1 comment
What are we teaching to our kids?

There are a ridiculous amount of required readings throughout school that involve history and emotion and science. We preach of diversity in our classrooms: of race, of gender, of history, etc. But what conversations are being had about those topics?

Written by Arthur Miller (1949)
When I was in 10th grade we read Death of a Salesman. Probably one of my favorite projects in that class as half of the class had to preform Act 1 and half of the class had to preform Act 2. We were separated into actors, set design, directors, musicians, etc, and I loved this because it meant that no matter if you were introvert or extrovert, you had a place and a job to do. Looking back, it was a great way to force the class to read the play in a short amount of time with enthusiasm. It was filmed and preformed during class after a week or two of preparation. It was the most fun I've had reading a play that I typically would have deemed boring.

But here's the thing I don't remember.

I don't remember being asked to interpret the character's motivations. I don't remember analyzing the gender relationship between the salesman and his wife. I don't remember addressing the relationship between the son and the salesman. I don't remember discussing gender roles, insanity, or suicide.

Plays are great to teach; they add a creative element that a novel can't. It allows students to get up and move. Yet so many things could have been covered. I don't remember analyzing how the characters should be portrayed. Was there misogyny in the play? Was there abuse in the play? How would that be portrayed on stage?

I think as teachers we need to incorporate entertainment and learning. Plays are a great way to get the students to think about sensitive topics without triggering something delicate. So many times topics like feminism, misogyny, and abuse are glossed over because we think adolescents are too sensitive to handle said topics. So in what way can we teach these problems without upsetting multiple parties?

It's an age old question, but I think the teaching of plays in an English classroom is a great way to talk about these things. I think we have an opportunity to open up these topics in a classroom in a safe way, and I plan on trying to incorporate plays into my classroom because of it.

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2015 at 5:23 PM

    I‘ve had the same thoughts as you do when I took World Drama last semester. But I also have some concerns, such as how we draw kids' attention with those topics that may seem less interesting to them than perfoming a play. Because after my lab experience in Preston Middle School, I felt it is really hard to keep kids intereted in the class content constantly.

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