Kerri Koch
CEE 588- Methods I
Professor Dunn
Argument
October 26, 2004
Speaking My Mind
Is There a Place for
Graphic Novels in Our Schools?
While sitting in a class, as a pre-service teacher, I was asked to read and discuss graphic novels, and I was floored. How could a comic book be considered literature? That was then and this is now. Graphic novels offer visual learners a place in the classroom. They offer the reluctant reader a way to engage in the process of learning. Those who are opposed to graphic novels in the classroom, as I once was, say that this form of what is deemed “pop culture” has no place in the classroom. Many say that graphic novels are a way of “dumbing down” the curriculum. Students need to read the classics; they need to interpret and understand the written word. Novels are what English classes are all about. As a former English major and lover of the classics, I agree. But, every student is different. We all learn in different ways, and for the non-English majors or non-lovers of literature in our classes, graphic novels become a bridge to the classics. Students get excited to read things they are personally interested in. If they enjoy what they are doing, they will do more of it. I know what the classic educator is thinking: school is not meant to be enjoyed. Students attend school to learn, not have fun. Yet why can it not be both fun and educational?
I agree that there are many graphic novels that are not appropriate for the classroom. For example, the new craze among teenagers are the Japanese graphic novels called Manga. These are read from back to front and from right to left. I picked one up at my local library and within minutes had a headache. We, as teachers, could learn from our students how to read such novels. There must be a specific technique that I do not know about. I would also say that graphic novels that depict superheroes such as, Superman or Wonder-woman have no place in the classroom. There must be a set of criteria that we follow in choosing a graphic novel to use in the classroom. There are graphic novels out there that fit this imagined criteria.
For
instance, “Maus” by Art Spiegelman is a story about the Holocaust told by using
a cat and mouse allegory. How can you
argue with the pertinence of the Holocaust in our classrooms? As well, this graphic novel in particular,
who some deem non-educational, won a Pulitzer Prize. I recently read a wonderful graphic novel
called “Pop Gun War,” by Farel Dalrymple.
The story follows a young African American through the streets of a city
reminiscent of
Just as there are novels that we both love and hate, there are graphic novels that we will feel the same way about. I know that we all have favorite novels and things that we deem teachable, as well as things that are not teachable. This genre works in much the same way.
In a recent article written by Teresa Mendez that appeared in the INBOX of the NCTE’s website, she states that “the New York Times Magazine ran a cover story positing that the comic book could become the next ‘new literary form.’” I propose that this is the reason for reluctance among educators. The “newness” of the genre scares most administrators, teachers, and parents. As a pre-service teacher in a program training and certifying to become a secondary language arts teacher, I am a part of that newness. It is new to me as a student, but as a soon-to-be teacher I am being educated in the advantages of graphic novels. Have we not always used films in our classes to clarify novels? I certainly remember watching renditions of Shakespeare’s plays to better understand the somewhat inaccessible text. Some students are visual learners, and they better understand texts through visual representations and reinforcements. Pictures give context to those who cannot find it in the written word.
I am by no means saying that we should throw away all the copies of The Old Man and the Sea that sit on the bookshelves in the back of the room. I am saying that adding a collection of graphic novels to those bookshelves can only enhance the classroom where so much of the day is spent.
There
are those who will use the argument of cost in relation to the reasons not to
use graphic novels in the classroom. I
concede that they are expensive, but all of us have access to photocopying
machines (keeping in mind that there are copyright laws). And we, as teachers, get discounts at many of
the chain bookstores in the
There is one last advantage to the graphic novel, in case I have not been convincing enough of their pertinence in our classrooms. It is said that in reading a graphic novel different parts of the brain are being used. There is evidence of cognitive differences in reading a text and reading illustrations along with text. Reading graphic novels is a challenging and rewarding experience for students today. School is about fun, and it is about learning. Students will learn from graphic novels if they are taught correctly and in correlation to classic texts. If nothing else, go to your local library and check them out before making judgment on them. I promise you will find one that is teachable.
Kerri Koch
Stony Brook University