Everyone expects English teachers to have a favorite book — that’s a given. Some even have a hard time deciding which is their favorite. Passion about literature can be found in most English teachers, so it’s surprising when they mention a least favourite book or piece of literature. English is something that so many teachers of the subject love, but they have those least favourites just like everyone else.
Contrary to popular belief, there are books and genres that Francis Howell Central’s English teachers would rather avoid. Sarah LaRue, who currently teaches AP English Literature and Composition, Black Literature, and English III, struggles the most with one of the most popular genres: fantasy.
“A lot of times they have wild, outlandish names of the tools that they’re using to slay a dragon, or their own names,” LaRue said. “And there’s no vocab in context; I don’t know what these words mean, I’m lost and I feel like that is hard for me to get. First of all, I’m in a new world. Then you throw in a new language or names — not that I need every name to be like John, but sometimes that’s a hard thing to get into when you’re struggling with diction.”
Ironically, one of the main classes she taught, AP Literature and Composition, dealt with fiction a chunk of the time. Even if it sometimes involved fantasy, fiction was one of LaRue’s favorites to teach. The class still covered non-fiction pieces of literature, and she found that some students enjoyed it more than fiction.
“I think it makes it more real for the students,” LaRue said. “As opposed to reading ‘The Great Gatsby’ or ‘The Crucible’ — more historical classic pieces of literature — the realistic fiction or even non-fiction is easier for them to connect to. I feel like they have a deeper appreciation and we can have real conversations about it.”
Jason Becker, who taught Mythology and English IV, preferred sci-fi or fantasy himself when it came to genres and recalled Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” as one of his favorite books.
“Since [fantasy and sci-fi literature] aren’t specifically about our world, storytelling in these realms opens up possibilities that don’t exist in realistic fiction,” Becker said. “At the same time, there’s usually a layer of allegory to think about in how the world of the story relates to our own. I love the interplay between the two. For ‘The Idiot,’ it’s the characters—the main character specifically. Prince Myshkin is about as complex and entertaining as they come.”
One of LaRue’s favorites is another classic — F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” The AP Literature and Composition class usually reads it every year.
“I really love Gatsby because [of] how beautifully F. Scott Fitzgerald writes; his imagery and just diction is so eloquent and really captivates me,” LaRue said. “I feel like I’m just part of the story.”
Both LaRue and Creative Writing and English I teacher Kimberly Okai enjoy stories more when they have a connection with literature. Okai has had a special connection with “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee that dated all the way back to high school.
“I had an English teacher who was from Alabama and she grew up in that era,” Okayisaid. “She was able to give us a lot of insight into what life was really like down there during that time period, and she brought it to life. It’s always been something that I’ve held near and dear to me. We don’t really [teach] it anymore; I got away from it because I feel like there’s some difficult lines in there that are very offensive to other people,” Okai said.
Along with the expectation to have a favorite book, it’s also not uncommon for students to expect English teachers to enjoy every aspect of their chosen subject.
“I do think it’s good for me to say, ‘This isn’t my favorite story,’” LaRue said. “Then [I am] seen as human and it allows them an opportunity to also not like it, as opposed to ‘Oh. My English teacher has to love it, therefore it’s a good book.’ Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions.”
The English curriculum has moved to focus more on students’ individual interests; most of the English classes that involve reading a book give their students the option to choose what they want to read.
“[I’m] glad that we are now in a curriculum that doesn’t box us into a specific novel, so that kids can look more towards what interests them,” Okai said. I have a bookshelf full of books—things I have read in the past or things that I’ve seen other students really enjoy. I want to get into why it’s important. What do we learn from it? Why do I love it so much? I like to get into those types of things.”
Teachers do make efforts to encourage their students to enjoy their subjects, regardless of their preferences.
“I try to be very careful about speaking poorly about some genre or author, and try my best to let my enthusiasm for the authors and stories we study shine through daily,” Becker said. “A big part of my role is to foster a love of reading, not to be a gatekeeper or tastemaker.”
