Reply to Elementary teacher doesn't know Dickens rote Great Expectations

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is common knowledge among educated people who pursue life long learning. [/quote]

Is it?  Is it really?  Do you have a list?  I would say it is not uncommon knowledge, but I wouldn't say it's that fundamental.  I would say most people would know about Dickens as the author of A Christmas Carol, and probably A Tale of Two Cities, but I think that's about as far as "common knowledge" stretches.

[quote]We expect teachers to be among this class of people, or at least we used to.  So, yes, not a good thing if a fourth grade teacher doesn't know this.  It shows that the teacher isn't reading enough outside her teaching to pick this type of knowledge up ambiently. [/quote]

Really?  Maybe she's focusing on American literature, or Russian, or Japanese.  Maybe she reads History or Philosophy.  Maybe she likes to study Science or Mathematics.  Does she go to museums?  Spend time in the natural world?  Travel?  I think all of these would add to her general knowledge, have nothing to do with Dickens, and probably do much more to enrich her students's lives than reading a somewhat mediocre book which her students won't study for years (if at all).  Maybe she's too busy working a second job to supplement her income as many teacher's I've known do, because we generally underpay them for their qualifications (including expecting them to know random trivia like this).  Maybe, after planning lessons, teaching classes of possibly unruly kids, grading papers, attending meetings, wading through bureaucratic paperwork and interacting with parents (as charming as we are), she might want to take some time as a human being to spend time with her family, play games like Trivial Pursuit with her friends, read something without literary merit or even (the scandal!) watch TV.

[quote]I knew this in seventh grade before I had even read a Dickens book. Not necessary for her to have read this book as others have said, but she should know Dickens wrote it. [/quote]

Congratulations!  You get a gold star.  By the time I reached seventh grade, I had read two books by Dickens (A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield).  I can't honestly tell you whether I identified Dickens as the author of Great Expectations at that point or not.

[quote]Imagine how respect for teachers would go up if they all actually the core common knowledge of educated people.[/quote]

If we could agree on a core of common knowledge you might be right.  You talk about life long learning which indicates that learning is an ongoing process and not a task that can be accomplished.  You've had a number of well-educated people in this discussion say that they don't consider the author of Great Expectations to be vital knowledge.  I bet each of us, if we talked to you long enough might uncover some "common knowledge" that you lack.  We might even beat you in [b]Trivial[/b] Pursuit.[/quote]

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