I've heard of classes being assigned Twilight as required reading. I wouldn't mind if the teachers assigned it and properly discussed the issues in the book (not speaking just of themes and messages but also the writing, things like technical errors, misuse of words and extreme repetition of words that I seem to remember noticing a fair amount more of than I'm used to), as part of learning about literature is reading things that may not have the best message (as long as the class is age appropriate) or skill behind them. My trouble is when it's being assigned just because it's popular, not for the learning experience.

I heard of it being assigned at a school (for kids too young to read those books either way I feel) and it was not looked at critically, it was given the same treatment as things like Jane Austen, which gave me pause. When asked if they thought it is appropriate the teacher responded "it's a fantasy book aimed at children"

Edit: I kind of rambled here including details I generally wouldn't share (mentions of my school and the like) so have edited to remove them. Just to explain the change in my comment in case anyone was wondering, or in case the changes I made stopped any responses to what I originally put making as much sense :)

First off I'm shocked that any teacher would want to assign this book as required reading.
But if they were to discuss the issues in the books, maybe that would help to dispel the fairydust from some people's eyes, I don't know.

@Asvini- But the teacher who said it's a fantasy book aimed at children- Wow. That makes me wonder if he's even read the book or even knows much about it. Because I wouldn't say that it's ever been classified as "children's literature", but rather as "young adult" or "juvenile".

Its ok, its not like we can stop it. But there are way better books out there! What happened to studying good books like To Kill a Mocking Bird, and Of Mice and Men. Are schools bored of those classics now?

Its ok that they want to change to suit pupils interests, but I feel that if they want to give the pupils the best education then the books we already study is the best way to go.

Fanfly, the scary thing is, he must have read it because he's making lessons plans around it. The impression I got is that he was calling it a children's book to justify teaching it, because he knew it would be any easy book to convince the kids to read. He strikes me as someone with no passion for teaching who'd rather teach about something the kids are already interested in than go to the trouble of trying to get kids interested in something new. I don't know him so I can't say for sure, but that's how it seemed to me.

I wouldn't want it in classes even if it's being critiqued, because once people get into it lots of them are unwilling to take into account it's faults. A teacher could sit there for years talking about the bad parts of the book and I can't see any of the more zealous fans listening. Exposing kids to the books just seems bad to me, no matter how you talk about it to them. To me that's like saying "ok, we're all going to smoke a pack of cigarettes in class today kids, to see how sick it makes us. That will prove smoking is bad" ok comparing it to smoking might be an exaggeration, but you know what I mean.

I have said I wish the books were removed from public availablity and I'd still rather have that happen but since it will never happen - this is the only pick I can honestly make.

I'd be fine if they analyzed it, but some aren't. My English teacher never makes us read something with out analyzing it later, but just gloryfing something as badly written as Twilight... well, this really does show were American education is at this point.

Completely agree with you, Asvini. It does need to be studied, picked apart and critiqued. And in the end that's what studying literature is all about. Studying characters, themes, morals; good or bad. And I think many students, although they wouldn't admit it, would actually listen and take into account any negative comments their teacher said about the book. So I think it could open some eyes.

Oh, and 'aimed at children'? Woah. There's no freaking way.

It depends - is the lesson called How NOT to Write A Book? ;)

To be honest i don't see what children could get from Twilight, especially from the way it's written.

My new English teacher is a Twilight Mom!

Thats the sound of the American school system going even further down the toilet.
PLEASE give children something more productive (and freaking well written) to read.

I'm really glad no one has picked "as long as it gets kids to do their homework" yet. The ends do not justify the means.

what twilight is lame
i would rather do home work than read that crap

Um, I would never. But it's up to them. As long as they are discussing critques equally, or more so, than praises.

By this I mean - there's no doubt Twilight has gotten a LOT of people interested in books who aren't usually. Once you read it you want to continue reading because you got so sucked in to the story (it's true - the addiction must continue!). Maybe if people start with Twilight they can break the "books are lame" attitude and they can progress onto books which are actually good and through the knowledge gained from those good books they may be able to realise Twilight = bad but generally books = good!

It's a bit of a complicated process I admit... I guess they'd just be better off starting with a good book instead but hey - this could work.
Maybe.
Ok probably not.

Not to mention that,because so many people are so hopelessly obsessed with it,does not mean we should get people who don't want to read it,to read it.

Why why why! Assign Harry Potter you teachers! I'm at a loss for words!

EXACTAMUNDO!

I don't think many schools would assign Twilight.
I believe something more educational or realistic for school kids to read.
x

my school has not assigned 'Twilight' but it advertises it and encourages people to read it. The libary even has a section with just vampoire romance books! They are trying to encourace people to read, but you think they would be trying to get them to read something that will teach them more than 'Twilight' will.

BTW I go to a girls school, so twilight is massive

I started losing faith in the school's reading system ever since I saw "Twilight" at a book fair...

But I'm not reading it if it kills me...

That's superb

Im in australia and there are some schools that have banned Harry Potter, im not too sure about Twilight. I think any book series that are assigned as homework or what have you, that the teacher and students have the opportunity to debate the issues, morals, everything about the book and discussed.

its a way that young people will learn a variety of books and see differences and similarities in other literature and to keep encouraging young people to read :)

i am home schooled,so it doesnt bother me in the least. :D

I think it's good if the purpose of assigning Twilight for the class is to discuss the book's issues.

It could be a good group discussion/reading asssignment. To discuss what you/they love or hate it.

I suppose... does that happen? My teacher is pretty young, and she said that it was too boring... she fell asleep. I'm not sure what kind of teacher would recommend that... my 'young' teacher wants us to read Shakespeare...

I really don't hate Twilight, but I think asking kids to read the book is just setting themselves up for disappointment in later life. Young children won't realize that when they move to a new town, not every boy is going to suddenly fall in love with them, and no guy is as hot as Edward Cullen. The books also seem to support (or at least subtly imply) that a girl is worth nothing if she doesn't have a gaggle of boys obsessed with her.
Yes, the class could discuss this, but that might not change a girl's (or guy's) view on how their later life should be if it was impacted by this series.

It's not a school appropriate book. It's not a bad thing, but it can't teach teenagers as much as the classics can. It's more for entertaining purposes. Books that teach as much as Twilight are assigned to younger students, but Twilight is too adult for them. It's not a school book

There's all kinds of things in this book (and all books, really) that could be picked apart/critiqued/studied/debated. Not only the general messages, themes, and morals, but the use of visuals and language in general. If the teacher isn't going to discuss the book, then it shouldn't be assigned as required reading. But, I'd say that about any book, not just Twilight.

Twilight isn't any more unsuited than The Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird, Speak, or All But My Life (all of which were required readings for me in High School and none of which were discussed or analyzed as well as they should have been).

I suppose it's fine, as long as the teacher can teach it in an unbiased manor, and isn't presenting it as a horrible books, allowing the students to form their own opinions.

They'd also have to be high schoolers.

To be honest, I'm terribly anxious for pre-teen students and how they may be affected by the messages of Twilight. I think it could turn out to be a good idea if the teachers pointed out the issues of the saga, but I still have doubts.

There was a section in my english exam 2 years ago and twilight was a text that we had to analyse T_T

They have totally done this in my school for the younger kids, and my sister has gone mad, she now physically hates English, can't say I blame her :(

What the Hell are the teacher's trying to teach? It's okay for the guys to be controlling and if you can't get the girl, you can hook up with their kid? Or teaching girls how it's okay to be clingy and if your boyfriend leaves you it's okay to go and committ suicide? That's just awesome. Way to go schools, you have your shit together, don't you?

Why do so many people depend on young adult fiction to teach teach young people how to behave these days? Are we too lazy to actually teach anything, is it all up to fictional books now?

Just because something happens in a book, why does that automatically mean it's teaching the young people how to blah blah blah. Why don't you just teach kids to be less stupid and not model their lives after a piece of fiction.

and before you attack me with pitchforks and knives, I'm against schools requiring kids to read Harry Potter (except for young kids) and Hunger Games, too. School is a time to read classics like The Great Gatsby and The Kite Runner. Let them read Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games on their own free time. Offer those books to them in the library. Or have one term in which students can have independent reading where they can read ANY book and do a report on it at the end of the term. Requiring any of those books for them is a bad idea since they've all probably read/watched the movies to them.

The required summer reading book at a school next to my town was Twilight and parents got very angry about that. They felt that it wasn't fair because a majority of the girls have already read it. They also believed that the boys would easily loose interest and, in addition to that, it's just a bad book. Hunger Games is the required summer reading book for the incoming freshmen and a lot of the teachers at my school believe that this is unfair as well since almost the entire grade has already read it and there wouldn't be much to teach about it.