In English classes, the topic of diversity in books is something that has been long debated. With the majority of books read in English classes being written by white and often male authors, students and teachers alike have often questioned whether these stories are still representative of the classrooms they are being taught in.
“There’s a lot of students in Camas now who are from or whose families are from a lot of different places,” Camas High School (CHS) Japanese and English teacher Karen Lovre said. “I think it’s important to see that represented.”
To accomplish this, many teachers, such as Lovre, have started weaving in new material with more ethnically diverse stories into their curriculum, even though figuring out new lesson plans can be challenging.
“Sometimes kids will ask me questions I’m not sure about because I haven’t read the book as many times as whatever book I used to teach,” Lovre said. “I’m teaching it for the first time so sometimes I need a day to figure those things out.”
CHS history and English teacher Stewart Morgan mentioned the same thing, saying that it is important for teachers to stretch themselves to grab a new novel, even if it may be challenging to teach it the first few times.
One significant question is whether or not there is still value in teaching the classics, books like “Catcher in the Rye” and “Lord of the Flies.”
“There is definite value in the classics, however, there’re also ways to take these titles that have been overplayed and weave diverse perspectives into it,” Morgan said.
Many students share the same opinion, such as CHS sophomore Rafiq Hamadeh, who said there should be a balance.
“I think we should read the classics as well as some newer books,” Hamadeh said. “There’s importance in both.”
Teachers consistently brought up funding when asked what some of the roadblocks are in diversifying the English curriculum. To teach new books, new books need to be bought, which can put a strain on budgets.
“Buying 150 or so new texts is a very real barrier, especially when we already own older material,” CHS junior and senior English teacher Lori Lackland said.