I recently learned from two teachers in one of my book groups that books like To Kill a Mockingbird will no longer be required reading. Instead the children will choose what they want to read. How do we cultivate and enjoy a discussion when we don't have the same information or reading material to discuss? We are giving up the avenues that inspire imagination and vision, that allow us to understand and empathize, to use strategy and compromise. It is a huge loss. Read Stanley Fish on the subject:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/the-crisis-of-the-humanities-officially-arrives/?hp
