Brannon and Greene

The Brannon and Greene article was very interesting to read because it brought up many points that are not usually addressed. Deciding which literature should be included in their course must be one of the hardest parts of being a teacher. It would be very frustrating because there are infinite amounts of books, plays, short stories, poetry, articles, and other literary works to choose from for teaching. Narrowing down the pool and choosing the “best” works one can fit into one semester must be a very difficult thing to do. I cannot imagine having to choose which works qualify as being the “best”.
The author mentions being afraid of spreading herself out too thin by trying to teach too much. Although there is so much literature to choose from, it is important that the selections made are taught accurately and in depth. If a teacher were to attempt to teach every book he or she wanted to in one semester, students would only be introduced to different types of literature. They would never be able to spend time exploring different concepts and styles within literature. If a teacher flies through his or her lessons, then the students may completely miss the point the teacher is trying to make.
What/why you are teaching is another important point the author brings up. For example, reading Copper Sun for Adolescent Literature was appropriate because it falls into the genre of books we are studying. While it is a great book, Copper Sun would not have fit in my American Literature class, where we read works by Phillis Wheatley, Zora Neale Hurston, and Frederick Douglass. When studying adolescent literature, Copper Sun is a great selection because it describes slavery in a way in which adolescent readers and grasp and try to understand. Adolescents would not understand works by Frederick Douglass, no matter how significant his work may be. I consider Harry Potter and Twilight to be pop culture readings. I did not really enjoy Twilight, but I have been a Harry Potter fan for years. I don't think that these books are necessarily important to study, but I do think that they are interesting and show what sorts of literature our generation is interested in.
I think that this article brings up many excellent points that many people (especially non English/Education majors) would never consider. For example, I am a Health Science major and have never put much thought into how reading selections are chosen to be taught. It has never occurred to me that I may be missing out on really great literature simply because my instructor has never heard of it or, worse, deemed it unworthy for teaching.