Andrew Dickens: Our kids should know Shakespeare

The draft year 7-13 English curriculum proposes compulsory Shakespeare for senior secondary school students. 

That’s provoked a furious debate about the relevance of Shakespeare in this day and age - Shakespeare is important, but is it essential?

Even when I was at secondary school 45 years ago, Shakespeare was not popular. 

One year we were studying Hamlet. So, the school organised an afternoon matinee of the play at the Mercury Theatre.

The boys were so rowdy that a young Michael Hurst commented it was the worst audience he had ever had. 

We didn’t even calm down during the sword fights. 

That didn’t happen when we studied Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman or Thomas Beckett’s Murder in the Cathedral.  

Those plays used language we understood and themes we could relate to. 

To teach you must engage and much and all as we bemoan the fall of Shakespeare, he’s still so strong that his influence on the modern world will not fail.  

So, what will engage the kids, I don’t know. This generation is less engaged than ever - so much so I had to explain who Bob Geldof was to my 26-year-old son.

And speaking of which the most engagement I had in English at school was when we studied the lyrics of David Bowie’s 'Time' from the Aladdin Sane album. 

And let’s remember that in 2016 Bob Dylan won the Nobel prize in literature. Would anyone mind if he was added to the curriculum?

Post script:  

I see that the new curriculum says that spelling and keyboard lessons for children at intermediate schools should be compulsory - you mean they’re not already? How do our kids survive in this modern world?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the draft year seven to thirteen English Curriculum. Okay, Matt, yesterday,
and it proposes compulsory Shakespeare for senior secondary school students.
You're going to have to do one of the plays
you attend to thirteen. That provoked a bit of a
debate about the relevance of Shakespeare in this day and age. Now,
Shakespeare is obviously very very important, but is it essential

(00:21):
Because even when I was at secondary school, which is
a very long time ago, now forty five years ago,
Shakespeare was not popular amongst students. One year we were
studying Hamlet. So the school, a major school in Auckland,
oh Come Grammar School. The school organized an afternoon matinee
of the play and it happened at the Mercury Theater.

(00:43):
So we all got on buses and we turned up
to the Mercury Theater and we were so rowdy that
a young Michael Hurst, who was playing the Danish Prince,
commented that this is the worst audience I have ever
encountered in the theater. A whole theater full of boys
hating Hamlet. We didn't even calm down in the sword fights. However,
that did not happen when we study more modern texts

(01:04):
like Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman or even Thomas
Becket's Murder in the Cathedral, Because I'll tell you why
those plays used language. We understood. Those plays had themes
we could relate to, as Shakespeare did not. To teach,
you must engage. And much in all as we bemoan
the fall of Shakespeare amongst the young, he's still so
strong that his influence of the modern world will not fail.

(01:26):
So what will engage the kids? And I really don't know.
This generation is less engaged in all sorts of stuff
than ever so much so I had to explain who
Bob Geldoff was to my twenty six year old son
the other day. And speaking of rock and roll, I'll
tell you the most engagement I ever had at school
was when my Engish teacher said we should study the
lyrics of David Bowie's song Time from the Aladdinsane album.

(01:50):
And we loved it and we got into it in depth.
And let's remember, here's another thing. In twenty sixteen, Bob
Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Would anyone mind
if he was added to the curricular I don't think so.
So what do you think. By the way, I also
see the new curriculum says that spelling and keyboard lessons
for children at intermediate schools should be compulsory. You mean
that not already? How do I kid survive in this

(02:12):
modern world? For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.