COMMUNITY NEWS
Teaching Students to Read Books Editor’s note: In the November issue of The Atlantic, Rose Horowitch writes about The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books. She quotes professors at Columbia University, Georgetown University, Princeton University, and University of Virginia, all highly selective. The Columbia professor who teaches a required “great books” course was stunned to learn from one public high school graduate that she had never been assigned to read an entire book. This is not the case at Mount Madonna School, which is a private school. Let’s hear about the instruction there. ••• t is not entirely surprising to hear about the challenges students across the country are facing when it comes to reading and literary analysis,” said Ann Goewert, Head of School at Mount Madonna. “Digital distractions abound, and the focus on standardized testing often overshadows not only the development of foundational skills but also reading stamina, a love of reading, curiosity and imagination.” While Mount Madonna has a longstanding “no cell phone” policy, for the current school year, administrators decided to collect cell phones in the morning to
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remove this distraction from the learning environment. Overall, the school has received positive feedback from the families and the students. “A focus on comprehensive literacy and analytical skills is truly invaluable for our students in their journey beyond Mount Madonna School,” said Goewert. “It is the
14 / December 1st 2024 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
hard work and dedication of our talented faculty that support this important work.” Alumna Tabitha Hardin-Zollo (‘20), a graduate student at Columbia University, said the education she received at Mount Madonna School prepared her well for college literacy expectations. “Humanities at MMS is not just about
reading comprehension and regurgitation,” said Hardin-Zollo. “It forces students to analyze and apply multidisciplinary concepts, while crafting arguments that are just as engaging as they are compelling. The rigorous humanities courses at MMS prepared me to choose, and excel at, undergraduate and graduate institutions that have analytical writing and self-directed literature research as core components of their curriculums.“ Recently, several Mount Madonna School humanities teachers reflected on the premise put forth in The Atlantic article, and their own classroom practices, curriculum and understanding of students and their needs. “An important idea to emerge in the study of the humanities is that to study the world is at the same time to study how we study the world,” said twelfth grade English and humanities teacher Greg Shirley. “By studying how we have sought to understand the world throughout history, we gain insight not just into the world, but into ourselves as well. Additionally, the humanities are an opportunity to understand the significance of STEM (science technology engineering math) disciplines better.” “Reading Books” page 20