Teach Me How to Work and Keep Me Kind
The Possibilities of Literature and Composition in an American High School
By (author) Joseph F. Riener
Not available to order
Publication date:
13 November 2015Length of book:
272 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781475816969
Teach Me How to Work and Keep Me Kind offers the content of AP English classes. This book intends to serve as a guide and encouragement to educators by showing what can be possible when a teacher enjoys the freedom to find their own voice. Poems, novels, short stories, essays, and plays become the means to have conversations with young people about love and life, peace and war, virtue and vice, joy and grief. The author/teacher describes creating an environment and curriculum where students could greatly improve their writing skills. He explains the rationale for his presentations and literary selections. Even those who missed a thoughtful introduction to literature the first time around may find a useful beginning in what’s presented here. Seeking to engage in the ongoing educational debate in the US, the writer demonstrates how the material presented in these courses can contribute to students’ genuine artistic and literary education. These volumes suggest that such reading and writing prepare young people to be good citizens in a democracy.
- offers curriculum for AP English classes
- explains how to present challenging material to high school students
- presents a method to increase students’ writing skills
- useful as an introduction to literature (for those who missed it)
- stresses the value of a humanistic approach to literature
- argues against Common Core Curriculum homogenization
Instead of presenting us with humdrum aims, objectives, strategies, and skills, Riener takes us directly into literature—from Seamus Heaney to Atul Gawande to Mary Shelley. The point is not to prescribe a model but to invite us to read and think. A refreshing and inspiring read.