REasons why you hate Leaving Certificate English

Richy165

Hi,

Now, I'd like to say that this is perhaps somewhat of a loaded statement, but I've some reasoning (ill informed as it may be). I, personally, detested studying English for the leaving certificate because my teachers enforced a system of appreciation for a text that was based on other people's readings rather than my own subjective view, thus killing any sort of my appreciation for any of the prescribed works. Also, I hated being forced to memorize works that I was indifferent towards and (without trying to sound too pompous) beyond. So, would anybody like to throw down some texts or pedagogic techniques that they particularly despised?

I'll start with: The useless act of learning entire poems without being allowed the luxurypersonal interpretation, for me it was Heaney and in particular "The Skunk". I love Heaney, but as a maladjusted 17 year old, that poem didn't mean poo on a sheet to me.

Denerick

I have to disagree... I loved English at Leaving cert. It and history were the only two subjects I actually liked.

I do agree with what you say about them forcing an appreciation on a text, but if you did dislike it you were free to formally criticise it in the exam or in essays etc. I had a right go at Sylvia Plath in the leaving cert exam and go an A in English!

Plath was the only poet I really disliked. I loved Longley and Yeats to bits. Hardy was alright.

Our novels were 'How Many Miles to Babylon', which again I thought was quite good, though looking back now it was written very poorly. And Steinbecks 'of Mice and men' is a great wee book, designed for late teens people if you ask me.

Shakespeare's King Lear required in depth analysis. I think when you really learn how to 'read' shakespeare you really do broaden your horizons.

Thats it, a rather uncynical answer from myself but I'm afraid I cannot agree with you!

HalloweenJack

I loved reading Wuthering Heights for the Leaving. It's the kind of book that I would have dismissed out of hand because I thought it was just some cheesy love story but it was actually really enjoyable. It was a lot darker and in-depth then I had imagined.

I also had to read the Curious Incident which I hated. I just never got interested in it.

I found the poetry part really boring and didn't enjoy it at all.

damselnat

I have to disagree completely with not being allowed your own interpretation of poetry and literature. It may have been my teacher, who very much encouraged us to interpret poems and that in our way and imposed no restrictions, limits or rules upon what we could or could not say. As long as we could back up what we were saying he accepted it. I loved Leaving Cert English and we had every freedom to take from the texts what was relevant to us and put our own interpretation on it. He was an excellent teacher and I know everyone in the class did extremely well, so it was a system and a style of teaching that worked!

Permabear

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Blush_01

I was very fortunate to have two English teachers for my leaving. It made a big difference to my appreciation of the course as they both brought their different strengths to the table. I was also allowed a certain amount more freedom than most in choosing my comparatives - mainly because I'm a stubborn cow.

I learned to look at things I would never have otherwise considered due to the English course I was exposed to. As HalloweenJack said, the course broadened my interests. My first year in University did the same. It was a building block.

I didn't do too badly in English, based on very little "study" (learning and regurgitating information verbatim) and a lot of independent thought. I didn't do to badly in History either, but that was fluke. Now THAT was a course I hated with a passion! I lay that firmly at the feet of my teachers. It really depends on a combination of the teaching style of your instructors and your own willingness to learn, in my opinion.

eZe^

I remember in first year we were made read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it had been one of my favourite books for ages, so I was really looking forward to it. All my class were sighing at having to do like 30 pages of reading a week. :pac::pac: I think it's just that fact that once somebody is MADE do something, they automatically look at it like a chore, rather than an fruitful experience that they can relish and enjoy.

Although I didn't like how most teachers encouraged you to say you liked and enjoyed everything, instead of actually trying to foster creative thinking in their students.

Richy165

donegalfella wrote: »

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But that's just it, there was no foundation in critical theory, it's just about spouting somebody else's bull****. When I studied English in Uni it was a complete shock to the system as the leaving cert hadn't prepared me in the least.

LightningBolt

We were made to do Hamlet. The vast majority of the class had no interest in reading at all which meant that the teacher spent more time dealing with troublemakers, it also didn't help that she didn't seem to have much enthusiasm for what she was teaching. We originally had an English teacher who was very passionate about the subject and seemed to be able to push students. Afaik she'd organised for some students to attend poetry readings in town (Dublin before I'm heckled). I think if we'd have retained her I'd have enjoyed English a lot more. It's only now, 5/6 years or so after the leaving cert that I'm now beginning to read more and more which is a shame really!

To summarise, a lot of my dislike was down to the teacher who taught it. I didn't dislike her, but her seemingly dislike for the subject rubbed off on me.

raah!

I didn't like "My Left Foot" to the extent that I simply didn't do it. I took many an English class off while we were doing that.

I liked shakespeare and most of the other stuff though. And while I think the subject could perhaps be improved, I generally enjoyed my break from teh sciences in english.

Quaver

OP, I reckon a lot of it has to do with your teacher. I loved English in Leaving Cert, as our teacher used to make us read things alound, and then we discussed them afterwards, after which she gave us several different interpretations and encouraged us to form our own opinion. The other English class in my year had a teacher who handed out a summary of what the poem/text was about, and told them to learn it.

My Leaving Cert English teacher definitely instilled a love of literature in me, for which I will be forever grateful.