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Issue 3
Knight Writers
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March 3, 2023
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Collection of the Black literature books taught at Robinson. Photo by C. Stone.
Black Literature in Classrooms Teach Empathy and Encourage Representation From Zora Neale Hurston to August Wilson, the high school English curriculum grows in representation of Black authors and Black stories. By JUNO LE, CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In Portable 29, Jaleah Williams (‘25) and her classmates are dis- in the classroom. Through sharing works from various writers, Bucussing the recent novel they are learning in the sophomore English skirk Weisser and other English teachers class: “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The novel was assigned to are teaching students empathy. be annotated and is part of the class’s current focus on the Harlem “I hope they learn the love Renaissance. of accepting people for “I am so glad Mr. Smithers decided to include ‘Their Eyes Were their differences and not Watching God’ by Zora Neale Hurston…I really enjoy the book just judging… being and I can relate to it,” Williams said. willing to see beyond the surface,” Buskirk “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is notably a classic of the Har- Weisser said. lem Renaissance and is taught both on the IB and Traditional sides of the school. The novel, written by Zora Neale Hurston and origThe latter stateinally published in 1937, tells the tale of a Black woman’s journey ment is agreed upon in finding true love and peace with herself. It is one of a few literary by IB English teachworks written by a Black author taught in the IB curriculum, er Buffy Vassey. which introduces students to a variety of voices and writing styles. “I think it’s “I noticed the lack of care and participation from my peers in important to learn my classroom that aren’t Black,” Williams said. “They claim to not empathy. You never understand some aspects, which can be true.” know what somebody else, what the other, has Traditional English teacher Rebekah Buskirk Weisser also covers gone through, and I think the novel in her English 3 class. it’s important to expose students to that,” Vassey said. “I love it because–especially with ‘Their Eyes Were Watching
everybody needs their voice heard, everybody wants to be seen in literature, even from a young age. So [for example] when girls play with dolls, right? They want a doll that looks like them, they want to be represented. I feel like with literature, too, we kind of look for ‘who’s like me? Where do I fit into this? Who can I relate to?’” Vassey said.
God’–it’s an introduction to a different time, and it’s a different In teaching works from way of living, it’s a different way of speaking, the dialect, everything a diverse arrangement of that’s used in the novel. It is new and different for these children, authors, students are reading and so I really enjoy that,” Buskirk Weisser said. different perspectives beyond what the old-school The current curriculum allows Buskirk Weisser to teach two curriculum would have novels per year and 11th grade is focused on covering American taught them. The charLiterature. Her English 3 class covers the Harlem Renaissance so they look at several Black authors, including Hurston and Langston acters they’re reading Hughes. While “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is the main novel begin to have more she teaches from that period, she also adds shorter pieces to expand depth than the on the literary work of what was known to be a cultural and intel- average Holden Caufield. lectual revival of African American arts and politics.
HEADLINES FROM THE INSIDE
Only so much can be covered in one school year before these students walk out of the classroom and move on. But the stories told are more to these students than just the lessons learned
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Representation is something that’s become highly valued by students as their exposure to media continues to grow. And at the end of the day, a lot of it is developing a better understanding of one another. “Representation allows for others to have empathy and understanding of others. It decreases prejudices and stereotypes that might have been made about a certain group of people,” Williams said. Jaleah Williams (‘25) sits at her desk in Smithers’s classroom and skims through her annotated copy of “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Of all the books she’s read so far sophomore year, Williams has found particular interest in the novel. “I really enjoy the book and I can relate to it. It’s really well written and the messages are delivered wonderfully,” Williams said. Photo by J. Le
“I feel like
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