The demise of literature through the Common Core Curriculum

Teachers often find it challenging to get kids to read this: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."

This truism is one of the reasons why some English classes allow for the reading of this instead: "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping."

I am not comparing the present popularity of Suzanne Collins to the enduring beauty of Charles Dickens. I am merely pointing out that there's a reason that adults and educators lauded JK Rowling for re-introducing a love of reading and literature through Harry Potter-- the power of The Boy Who Lived, his struggles against He Who Must Not Be Named, and the sheer power of a world in which every fan ardently hopes that their Hogwarts acceptance letter merely got delayed by a wayward owl.

There is an innate power and majesty to literature. Some lingers with us as moral lessons (A Christmas Carol), others with profound and enduring political (The History of the Peloponnesian War) or psychological (Hamlet) insights. Others remind us of times long past, teaching us about our history and the roots of our present triumphs or failures (To Kill a Mockingbird). Others tell us something about the human condition (Moby Dick and The Joy Luck Club). All good literature (and arguably bad ones too) can teach the reader the power of the written word-- how a well turned phrase lingers in the mind and heart of the reader, and how a poor choice in words can alienate or "turn off" the reader.

Knowing this, then, I wonder why President Obama believes that reading something like this-- "It is the policy of the United States that Federal agencies conduct their environmental, transportation, and energy-related activities under the law in support of their respective missions in an environmentally, economically and fiscally sound, integrated, continuously improving, efficient, and sustainable manner... In implementing the policy set forth in section 1 of this order, the head of each agency shall: (a) improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the agency, through reduction of energy intensity by (i) 3 percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2015, or (ii) 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015, relative to the baseline of the agency’s energy use in fiscal year 2003..." -- will will inspire a love of learning and reading, or how it will linger in the hearts and minds of children readers.

He and a select others (notably NOT those who teach English or Literature) are replacing literary classics with things like he Federal Reserve Bank’s “FedViews,” “The Evolution of the Grocery Bag,” “Health Care Costs in McAllen, Texas," and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management". Ostensibly this is because kids today just aren't prepared to be successful in college or on the job. One could argue that a better approach to fixing this wrong would be to not pass those who don't measure up, to ensure quality teachers, reduce the might of teachers unions who promote the better welfare of their members while undermining the welfare of students, pay teachers a salary commiserate with their importance and quality of performance, to not give trophies to kids for showing up, and to not dumb down classes for those who either refuse to participate fully in their education or those who refuse to learn English.

I believe the Common Core Curriculum not only dumbs down our education (consider its restriction on accelerated learning in math), it also fails to  promote learning, competency, or success while simultaneously accomplishing what only bonfires used to do in Nazi Germany.

"You're talking about brainwashing!" you might say, surprised.

Yes, I am. Because I've read great classics like Atlas Shrugged, 1984, A Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. I also know enough about Eric Holder's past comments advocating for no less... and Obama's influences, so literarily expressed in Dreams of My Father, to know that this administration would do anything to promote its socialist agenda. Obama himself quite eloquently discusses his radical, Marxist, anti-American, anti-colonial, and pro-Muslim upbringing and deliberately cultivated experiences in his autobiography and in his comments to Arab newspapers.

Given this, should we be surprised that he would rather we read about how the grocery bag came to exist rather than how to critically consider what we read, to discover a passion for knowledge through the written word, to become inspired by literature, or be moved with passion over Sydney Carton's eloquent expression of self-sacrifice?

Ultimately, there is a reason that Einstein himself declared, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." Were he alive today, I imagine he would now encourage us to share Hogwarts with our students rather than EPA regulations.

Read more about the Common Core at:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/12/27/why-all-cool-kids-are-reading-executive-order-13423/?intcmp=trending#ixzz2H6pHqELt

and

http://www.redstate.com/candicelanier/2012/12/17/government-information-documents-replace-traditional-curriculum-as-feds-seize-more-control-of-schools/