Johnston, I. (2006). Engaged Differences: School Reading Practices, Postcolonial Literatures, and Their Discontents. . In Yatta Kanu (Ed.), Curriculum as Cultural Practice (116 – 130). Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. 

For any of you language arts teachers out there, this one is worth a read. The author discusses the phenomenon that exists in Canadian language arts classrooms, in which certain texts have become ‘canonized’. How many of you think of “Romeo & Juliet” as the Grade 10 play, “Macbeth” as the Grade 11 play, and “Hamlet” as the Grade 12 play, when the curriculum actually doesn’t even call for Shakespeare, just an understanding of drama? We have an option to change the readings, making choices that reflect the place and cultures of our students. Nothing says that “All Quiet on the Western Front” has to be read – why not check out Thomas King’s new novel, “The Inconvenient Indian”? One reason that resistant teachers might have is that there aren’t established lesson plans or public support for new materials, another might be that teachers are unwilling to introduce material with controversial topics because of anxiety about how to facilitate the conversations that will ensue. The thing is, to teach all students effectively, teachers must be willing to step outside of their comfort zones and make readings choices that support the removal of colonial ideals. Johnston makes a strong argument towards this case.