By: Lynne Hobbs, Steering Committee Member and English Teacher
The D’Evelyn Founders state in the school's original philosophy statement that they “believe[d] the purpose of education is to convey an essential body of cultural knowledge to the next generation” (Program Document 1). The same document states that “Our English program stresses the foundational aspects of language and its application as represented in recognized great literature for the ages” (5). In 1997, founding English department member Jack Moninger set out with the early department to establish a prescribed list of literature to ensure both year to year continuity and that each student would encounter the same list of classics, creating horizontal and vertical alignment unparalleled in Jefferson County. Instead of yearly debates over what to teach and when to teach it, a list of required readings, studied at the same time each year, would provide all students with the same exposure to the same great works of literature. Over the past 25 years, the English department has tweaked a few pieces of our curriculum, rearranging when a few books are studied and dropping a few (four?) because of: a text going out of print (The Yearling, which was a replacement when Death Comes for the Archbishop was dropped and To Kill a Mockingbird was changed from a summer read to a school year study), repetition of works from a given period (Far From the Madding Crowd provided two Victorian summer reading books going into British Literature), repetition of an author studied in depth in a later year (Death Comes for the Archbishop), or challenging content beyond students’ life experiences (Dandelion Wine), but the list otherwise remains largely the same. Written justifications not only explain why we chose the additional works not found in our selected textbooks, but also present connections, both up and down the scope and sequence. When we have made changes (adding The Yearling, The Outsiders, 1984 and all the novels studied in 6th grade), the process has included writing justifications, just as we did at the school’s inception, in order to maintain our alignment. Our novels and plays were not chosen lightly, and they were not chosen at random. They were chosen for thematic and stylistic connections; they were chosen to augment the literature studied in our carefully selected textbooks; and they were chosen to complement other pieces of the D’Evelyn puzzle, in both earlier grades and later grades as well as in other academic subjects. We are proud of our rich curriculum, and we are confident that it continues to provide D’Evelyn students with the cultural knowledge of great literature as promised in the Program Document. We welcome you to learn more about the reasoning behind each of our carefully selected novels and plays; please visit the school website, under the academic section: Book Justifications
Mekayla Cortez
2/1/2022 05:28:05 pm
I largely agree with the body of literature selected and taught at D'Evelyn. I believe that most, if not all of the required reading benefits students greatly. Some of those books are favorites of mine that I have read multiple times over the years since I first read them at a young age. I will also argue that the founding document at times limits the scope of "cultural knowledge" being taught. While the selected book list has tremendous value, it's a travesty not to recognize culture, literature in particular, in terms of where we are in the year 2022. Ignoring that is a detriment to how students view literature. I think the founding Department faculty and staff would agree that literature today is being written and consumed by more diverse groups of people and that culture has evolved so much in just a single generation. I don't particularly like the tone of this article and why/how/when the booklist was developed and justified. It sort of sounds like you're saying that's just the way it is so never question it...ever. Not impressed.
Arlene Hoon
2/1/2022 10:38:50 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with your response to this pretentious article. I have read the Founding Documents (FD) and it is my opinion that it is the interpretation of the Steering Committee that actually limits the scope of “cultural knowledge” and not the FD itself. In attending several D’Evelyn meetings, I can’t help but feel that they value the FD more than they value the students that it is intended to serve. Comments are closed.
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The Steering Committee is the governing board of the school and establishes policies designed to maintain and enhance its liberal arts philosophy. The Steering Committee appoints Directors to the Board of the D'Evelyn Education Foundation. Archives
March 2023
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