WHY I INCLUDE THE "CANON"

Siebert

Today I found myself telling a class that it did not matter what we read together, but that we practiced thinking critically about it all..they were flabbergasted. One girl said, "But, healigan, you LOVE Beowulf!" And I do, but mostly because it hardwired me to recognize a hero when I saw one walking down the hall--they liked that. The conversation happens every year, and the answer is taken differently every year. Critical thinking and writing is the skill to be practiced to create successful people. Why not read the stories that nudge the best of us out into the open?