My Cure for Student Reading Fatigue? Movies.

I’ve been teaching English at the University of Guelph since the ’90s. Every four years, it’s like an entire generation has turned over. I’m used to feeling like what once worked in the classroom is suddenly completely out of date. But it’s worse now. One of the books I teach is Hard Times by Charles Dickens. When students begin their seminar presentations, I often ask, “How many of you actually read the book?” Only a masochist would say “no” out loud. But there’s a vibe in the room: everyone’s having trouble keeping up with the readings. And not just Dickens.