Jamie: Yeah, you're done with public school.
Me: Yeah, but. Students should learn about the history that's in the Bible...and the culture that our dense Christian background comes from....right? Plus there's a bunch of other good stuff...in there. Like literary devicccccc...esss.. And stuff...
Jamie: Mm. Yeah. That's good. But. Why do you care. Care enough, I mean, to write about it in depth. To argue....for it. There are a million other things you could write about. Like Danielle's writing about Jane Eyre. You love Jane Eyre. Write about that.
Me: Mm. I don'know.
Jamie: You don'knowwhwaaat.
Me: It's cold in here. I hate air conditioning.
Jamie: Me freakin' too.
They saunter outside. Mumbling to themselves. Sorting things out. Sit on the cement by grandma's fake beehive. It's so fake.
Me: Maybe I care because I'm going to be a teacher someday.
Jamie: And you would teach the Bible as literature.
Me: If I could, yeah.
Jamie: Would you pound it as hard as, say, Shakespeare? Or other classics?
Me: I don't know. Maybe? Maybe not.
Jamie: Maybe?
Me: Yeah, I guess I would, if it was considered a credible piece of literature. That my students could reference on an AP exam or something...
Jamie: That's why you care. Because you want your students to reference it on AP exams.
Me: Well not just that. I wish I had studied the Bible as literature throughout school...(I perk up) Wish we had done that in my junior high and high school classes. Or that I could've used it as a reference on my AP tests. (Sourly) Maybe I would've passed them both....
Jamie: Interesting. That's why you care. That's why you're writing about it. That's it.
Me: (Defensively) Yeah. That's it. That's why I care.
Very creative way to find out why you care. I love the depth of your thinking, Jamie. If there is anyone who could write about the Bible being used in school, it is you. Looks like your former teacher gave you much to think about.
ReplyDeleteThis was fun to read. It was kinda funny because its a conversation between you and yourself. I think that your reasoning is interesting. I mean we study fiction and write about it so why can't we study the Bible in schools allowing students to decide whether they think it is fiction or non-fiction or whatever they want and then write about it if they so desire. You say it might have made a difference on your AP exams, I wonder how many other students would have used it if they thought they could.
ReplyDeleteDoes the Bible have to be non-fiction to have value? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteYeah, right? I feel like there's some way it could be taught in schools without needing to define it as fiction or non-fiction. Obviously much of it isn't--we have proof of that--but some of it is debatable.
DeleteWow, I think you both would make an excellent teacher!
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Bible was not taught as literature in school, my kids high school did not discourage kids from using bible sources. They referenced it on papers and on AP exams. In one of their AP World history classes one choice on a book assignment was to read the Bible. Many of their teachers would quote the bible in class as well and talked about the bible in context to other books. At least they could do that much with it. That was in California.