Classrooms in 2025 are far different than those of the 1970s and 1980s, but according to a new study, many of the assigned reading texts in English courses remain unchanged.
Classics including Shakespeare's plays, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” all appear in the top ten books assigned by English teachers at public middle and high schools today, according to a new report.
Six of the top ten — John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” and “Hamlet” among them—overlap with the most-taught books from a 1989 survey.
Do these books still resonate with students? Are teachers able to connect with a classroom through texts that are decades or centuries old?
Monday on the "Sound of Ideas" we'll discuss these questions with a few area teachers who are experienced in teaching the classics, but also bringing new texts like "Into Thin Air" by John Krakauer, and "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson into the classroom.
Later in the hour, we discuss the legacy of the Grateful Dead. Not just the impact of the band's music, but specifically how they resonate in Northeast Ohio, with their members having played dozens of shows in the region.
Dillon Stewart, Editor at Cleveland Magazine has tracked the history of the Dead in Cleveland and beyond, talking to Deadheads and why, 60 years after their first show, the music lives on.
Guests:
- Kristen Srsen Kenney, PhD, Language Arts Teacher, Bay High School
- Casey Yandek, Chair, English Department; St. Ignatius High School
- Michelle Rankins,
- Dillon Stewart, Editor, Cleveland Magazine
