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LITR 5439 Literary & Historical Utopias
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2nd Research Post 2011
Chrissie Johnston
July 4, 2011
Teaching Utopias
One of the things I love about the start of a new school year is that it is a chance to start over. If there is something I did not like about the previous year I can change it, and if there is something new I want to try I can. After reading the utopian novels Looking Backward and Herland, I wondered if I could try and teach one of those next year. There is a problem with them. Neither of the novels is on my school’s reading list. This prompted me to check the reading lists for the other schools I have taught at. They are not on those lists either. In fact, there are no utopian novels on any of these lists. Why? There are plenty of dystopian novels on high school reading lists, but why are utopian novels not taught in public schools?
I started my research by checking out the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) website. I looked on the site to see if there is anything stopping teachers from teaching utopian novels. On the TEA’s website there is a list of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and a chart detailing the Reading Comprehension skills for grades K-12. I focused on 9-12 because that is what I teach. The TEKS are the required skills that teachers must teach each year. In the TEKS there is no mention of specific novels to be taught. The English I TEKS state that mythical, classical and traditional literature of the 20th and 21st century is to be taught. English III requires American literature and English IV requires British. English II is the “less” specific of the high school TEKS. The TEKS state various themes should be taught. I’ve taught English I-III over the last 6 years at three different high schools. English II is the easiest to teach utopian/dystopian literature. These novels deal with plenty of themes the students can dissect and relate to. Over the years I have taught only dystopian novels, novels such as 1984, Animal Farm , Lord of the Flies, and etc. I have never taught a purely utopian novel, and until this year I had never read one. The closest I’ve gotten is Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Even though this novel deals with dystopian themes, it gives a great description of a utopian society.
I asked a fellow teacher of mine, who has more experience than me, what she thought the problem was with utopian novels not being taught in high schools. Ms. Piper said it could be that many of today’s teachers are like me; they have not read these novels. She said many teachers tend to teach what they were taught and what they liked. Often, they do not cover the books on the reading list they have not read, and they cannot start teaching something they do not know exists. She also said that, “High school students are at an age when we need them to question so that they can be inquisitive citizens” and with all the “social and political criticisms in utopian literature” it is a valuable teaching tool.
On another website I found a web discussion on what should be taught in high school. A group of educators were discussing why we teach what we do. A few of them agreed with Ms. Piper; teachers teach what they were taught. Some of the group was frustrated because they are of the opinion that the novels currently being taught (mainly dystopian novels) maybe out of date, no longer relevant. Others, such as 12th grade teacher “Amy-lepore,” believe that “these books are taught because they have universal significance to the human experience.” While she was talking about dystopian novels, it is also true of utopian ones. Utopia, Looking Backward, and Herland all deal with issues such as the economy, population control, and how people get along. All of those are significant to the human experience. Another of the bloggers did mention Utopia and Looking Backward . He said he included them in a college course he taught. This showed me that utopian novels are being taught but not until later in a student’s academic career. This led me to wonder if maybe the way utopian novels are written is more appropriate for college level students. In my first research post I found the dystopian novels involve more conflicts and there is generally a “hero” to cheer for as he fights the establishment. Therefore, I believe dystopian novels are a better choice to capture a young adult’s wondering attention. Out of all the novels we read, Herland is the only one with character on opposing sides. Herland may be successfully taught in a more advanced high school class or even English III. After all, the author is American.
Next year I will teach only English III classes for the first time. Once I got back to work and start preparing for the upcoming school year, it is my goal to get Herland added to the curriculum at my school. With all of the changes occurring in our state, I feel the novel can help me teach the new requirements. In the next few years Texas will be switching form TAKS testing to the STAAR end of course exam. One of the new aspects of this test is persuasive writing. With a novel like Herland, persuasive writing will get easier to teach because of the dynamics between the male and female characters. I believe the students will enjoy taking sides and debating the pros and cons of each group’s society depicted in the novel, and if the students are enjoying what they are reading, they are learning and that is a good thing.
Works Citied
Kristen Piper, Manvel High School Department Chair
