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Fellow almost-educators! Remember Tom Bennett what did that speech at uni about tackling behaviour? His blog can be found here :) in case anyone was wondering.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Literacy - can I really hate Meyer for getting kids reading?
So this week I am back on school placement, yay! It's much more local to me this time (and familiar as half the teaching staff also taught me when I was in school... I think this makes them feel old somewhat) so that's a bonus. Looking around the English classrooms I saw book reviews written by the students, pinned to the walls on display for all to see. Which, I must admit, was very lovely and aesthetically pleasing.
One thing that I wasn't so keen on was the volume of reviews of the novel "Twilight" that were proudly on show. While we all know Meyer is an unimaginitive writer at best, I must admit I am still unsure how I feel about her as an author and what she is doing for independent reading in teenagers.
Yes - her writing is poor and I'm sure a talented 13-year-old listening to a Paramore album could churn out something a little more eloquent. And her imagined vampire theory is awkward and, frankly, bizarre. There is not anything remotely manly or scary about a guy who sparkles - sorry Steph. However, the mass following the first four films have generated has sparked a new generation to do something novel - picking up a book (ho ho, see what I did there?). So how can I, as a champion of literacy (in training), point a finger and dismiss this very lonely woman for writing a very annoying book that teenagers want to read?
I'm probably not the first person to think of this and I'm sure I won't be the last, but I am still unsure how I feel towards Meyer. I know some teachers hold contempt for Rowling, Wilson, and other "teen" writers, but should they really be hating these people for making children - specifically teenagers - want to read? I think these writers deserve a little more credit for getting a very awkward and very stubborn generation kicking it old school and having a good old fashioned reading session.
One thing that I wasn't so keen on was the volume of reviews of the novel "Twilight" that were proudly on show. While we all know Meyer is an unimaginitive writer at best, I must admit I am still unsure how I feel about her as an author and what she is doing for independent reading in teenagers.
Yes - her writing is poor and I'm sure a talented 13-year-old listening to a Paramore album could churn out something a little more eloquent. And her imagined vampire theory is awkward and, frankly, bizarre. There is not anything remotely manly or scary about a guy who sparkles - sorry Steph. However, the mass following the first four films have generated has sparked a new generation to do something novel - picking up a book (ho ho, see what I did there?). So how can I, as a champion of literacy (in training), point a finger and dismiss this very lonely woman for writing a very annoying book that teenagers want to read?
I'm probably not the first person to think of this and I'm sure I won't be the last, but I am still unsure how I feel towards Meyer. I know some teachers hold contempt for Rowling, Wilson, and other "teen" writers, but should they really be hating these people for making children - specifically teenagers - want to read? I think these writers deserve a little more credit for getting a very awkward and very stubborn generation kicking it old school and having a good old fashioned reading session.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - the woman with too many "e"s in her name...
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