Is it worth teaching?

In “But Is It Good Enough To Teach?” Foster points out that teachers tend to teach the same literature that they were taught.  This creates a constant cycle and teachers choose not to find new material to add to their syllabus.  When teachers automatically assume that the Norton Anthology has already found the best literature, a lot of interesting or even better works are left out. 

The three books we have read so far have all been about different cultures in different places.  While I feel Copper Sun is most likely to be taught in school because it teaches about history, I also feel that Harry Potter and Twilight are both worth teaching.  I would not say that either book is especially well written, however, the story lines are fascinating, and would most likely get every students attention.  As two of the most read books of the time, there has to be a reason for their popularity, and this is definitely something to take into consideration when choosing books for a class.  After all isn't it the well read works of a particular time that make it into the anthologies?  

As Foster concludes, one of the most important things about choosing books to teach is “do you really want to teach it?”  Depending on the course goals, any of these three these books could be good choices.  Books like Harry Potter and Twilight teach lessons like friendship and acceptance of others, while Copper Sun teaches about one aspect of American history.  If full class participation is one area that a teacher expects, these are all books in which I feel a class would be willing to talk about.  From my experience many or the pieces of literature that are regularly taught can be somewhat boring or challenging, and for students who do not especially enjoy reading, this could prove to be a problem.

Overall, I felt that Foster wants teachers to expand and try to understand multicultural literature, so that the same thing is not always taught.  Even if a teacher does not choose to include Copper Sun, Harry Potter or Twilight in their class syllabus, teachers should look at all of their options, and choose the literature that is best for them and their class.