Has anyone dared to complain about the school curriculum?

[gramercy]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread about English.

Ds is in Year 8, and the English curriculum they follow is beyond belief. The first 'module' is Gothic Literature. Are they studying Edgar Allen Poe, the Brontes, Wilkie Collins? Oh, no. They watched Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo!!! And this week ds was faffing around trying to find stuff to take in to make a scary poster. I love Scooby Doo, could almost make it my specialist Mastermind subject in fact, but literature it ain't.

There was a great deal of poster making in year 7, but I thought, Well, they're only little, let them settle in. But now...

I have perused the school website and under English nowhere does it mention any study of set books, poetry or English grammar.

Should I grind my teeth in private (ds is begging me not to make waves) or ask the school if they can illuminate me on the way English is taught?

This makes me angry on behalf of all the pupils, not just ds; it seems to be selling the children so short.

I would try to discuss it with them, see if they have some sort of reasonable explanation, if there are plans for introducing more serious literature later one etc. I could see the point of doing a little bit of ScobbyDoo, in context. But would point out that if they do not get into the habit of reading serious books, those of them who might wish to go onto university will be seriously disadvantaged.

Having said that, it would depend on what set your ds is in.

My ds is in Yr 6 and in one of the lower sets: tbh I can't see his reading abilities developing enough for him to be able to read Poe, Collins or Bronte in 2 years time: it's just not going to happen. If the school want him to do any work at all in English, they will have to find him something he can read.

Dd otoh has always been in top set and would cope fine.

If your DS is begging you not to make a fuss, I wouldn't. Perhaps you could put your concerns in an anonomous letter - you obviously won't get a reply, but someone will at least have a think about your concerns.

If they aren't doing any of the other stuff, then I would object to Scooby-Doo. But I can see that it could, handled properly, be an inventive and engaging way into a wider-ranging look at Gothic literature: to see how the cliches of Scooby-Doo actually reflect or parody much longer-standing conventions of the Gothic.

Ds is at a comprehensive - they are not set for English. I understand the need to pitch the lesson at a wide range of abilities, but they seem to me to be taking this sycophantic, cringeworthy "down wi' da kidz" approach.

I would say something.
We have to make a stand about this sort of crap.
For a start Scooby Doo isn't even fucking gothic is it?

Cory - I accept that some children would find adult literature a stretch but there are many great young adult books that would be accessible. And properly gothic.

And if time is an issue in the curriculum how about some of the superb short stories, particularly of the Victorian era.

Why oh why do we assume that our children can only access the curriculum if we dumb it down to cartoons and computor games?

Hmmm, interesting, Professor. In fact this evening I might ask ds to write an essay on "Do you think the cliches of Scooby Doo reflect or parody much longer-standing conventions of the Gothic"

I don't see that it could hurt to ask for a meeting where they can explain to you how English is taught, as distinct from your going in all guns blazing at the outset to complain.

Blimey, I'd never go in all guns blazing. I would be '"ever so 'umble".

I don't think you need to blaze any guns.
The simple question of why Scooby Doo would be enough. It's nt literature and it's not gothic. So er...why?

Well, at least if they pick up on the reference then there's some hope...

Tell the Daily Mail! They would love this for one of their schools are going to the dogs (excuse the pun given it's Scooby Doo) types of stories.

BTW I am serious. It sounds dire and I can understand why you'd be concerned.

Since you are concerned I think you should certainly ask the teacher or Head of Dept about the curriculum for the year.

It is early in the term. It is possible that (as you allude to in your joke essay q above)Scooby is used to illustrate, in an amusing way, easily understood by and accessible to all 12 year olds, the conventions of gothic literature. I would hope that then the class might go on to study real gothic lit - either as a whole class or using different texts for different sub-groups within the class (achievable through guided reading groups) or perhaps extracts or abridged versions, diffferentiated according to ability. If this is planned or something similar, then I would be satisfied.

If they really do stop at Scooby Doo then I would share your concern.

I can see a lot of parallels between Northanger Abbey and Scooby Doo, in the mocking of the conventions of the Gothic. But isn't the problem with mocking the literary conventions that you need to know what the conventions are in the first place?

Now I can really imagine a cartoon of Northanger Abbey with Scooby Doo in the role of Catherine peering into the mysterious chest, and struggling with the locked cabinet, and going 'woooooo-oooooh' when the candle's blown out.

agreed GM - you can't do parody, subversion or even good old homage, without knowing what the original actually includes.

Yes, BUT if you are already familiar with something without realising that it's a parody/subversion/homage, then it's not unreasonable for a teacher to take the thing you are familiar with as a starting point.

So I wouldn't take a group of children who had never seen Scooby Doo and were unaware of it and start teaching them "Gothic Literature" by spending a week looking at Scooby Doo. That would be silly. But take a group of children who have grown up with Scooby Doo and it's distinctly less silly.

In a more highbrow way, Northanger Abbey was my introduction to Gothic novels. Knowing that it was partially a parody of Gothic novels piqued my interest, and then once I'd gone away and read some I appreciated it much more.

I do think Scooby Doo has elements of the Gothic. There are typically crumbling, sinister houses, secret passages, prophecies or curses, apparently supernatural events, sinister villains and quite often an innocent heiress who is being swindled out of her fortune by an uncle or cousin or similar. Granted, the foot-high sandwiches, the Scooby snacks and the "would have got away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling kids" are somewhat less Gothic.

'agreed GM - you can't do parody, subversion or even good old homage, without knowing what the original actually includes'

I take your point but this is a mixed abilty set of 12 year olds. One or two are likely to have reading ages of 8 or 9 years. At this age the study of gothic lit is likely to consist of teaching them basic things, starting with listing the iconography of gothicism (all present in Scooby as Prof Layton says). Then the teacher can start by teasing from them what they already know - even though they don't know that they know.

They won't be reading Northhanger Abbey - they will do things like extracts from Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker - not a whole lot more. I'm sure I've seen an episode of The Simpsons that would be a great opener. More detailed and analytical knowledge would be saved for later years.

I'm not defending the dept if the work remains unchallenging, but I maintain that it might not be as dumbed down as it seems

Oh, the point re Northanger Abbey was just because it was my intro to Gothic lit too - I had to read The Monk and The Castle of Otranto so I knew what it was that was supposed to be funny about Northanger Abbey.

I can see that Scooby Doo might be quite an interesting way in to the Gothic - and especially to the idea of playing with the spooky that then turns out to be entirely rational (doesn't Radcliffe do this a lot? Or am I thinking of someone entirely different? My Gothic knowledge is v dated). It's that interesting idea of the C18 as both the age of reason, and the age of the outrageous Gothic.

Here is ScoobyDoo - note the interesting Orientalism too.

Shocking. Raise merry hell.

Scooby is not even English.

What poetry, plays or novels have they done in earlier years?

As for the poster making it is a rife right up to GCSE years usually make a poster about healthy eating.

Argh!!!!!

Is your DS actually reading Scooby Doo or are the class watching the video and making posters. If they are watching the video it would suggest the class as not got a proper teacher at the moment and they are being given filler worker until the teacher gets back or a new teacher appointed.

"Scooby is not even English."

What language do they speak in the USA?

Crew I ask myself the same question. They keep going on about fannies and going to the John.

Simple point is US or UK cartoons shouldn't be used as, I think the word is a 'resource' not while at least there are books from the great cannon of literature - English or American.

Well that's my opinion -I am sure if you are happy for this for these students you send your child to a school that uses cartoons aimed at 8 year old?

I would be extremely concerned and would go and enquire about it, for sure.

Gosh I really have heard it all now! :o(

I would personally go in all guns blazing. It is shocking, letting children down. Scooby doo "zoinks", that is scraping the barrel.

my (year 6) FS was watching Scooby Doo in literacy last week too. He came home with a writing exercise about describing monsters based on it.

I don't think you can really judge the curriculum on the texts it includes alone; it's what you do with them that counts. Maybe they use Scooby Doo because it really helps the kids achieve the learning outcomes in ways that more 'traditional' texts do not. It may even be a way of introducing the kids to the genre so as to make the more 'standard' texts as accessible as possible.

Speak to the school if you're worried, but don't automatically assume they don't know what they're doing.