English stories that have been read for generations are being taken out of America’s high school curriculum. The books that every student has read for generations are finally being replaced.

These books are known across all literary teachers as “The Canon”. They have been taught throughout schools for many decades. The books in “The Canon,” all generally come from the 1960s and 70s. Many kids on campus have read all of these vintage books. Luckily, we are now seeing change. There have been some voices against changing the classics, but overall, the majority want to start a new series of books being taught in schools.

One of the reasons these books are being removed is that the writings are outdated. In some of these books, there are sexist and racist remarks, which do not align with the modern day world. Also, there is not enough representation of authors of color in the curriculum. “On the one hand, progressives like the teachers of the growing #DisruptTexts movement call for the inclusion of books by Black, Native American, and other authors of color – and they question the status of the classics. On the other hand, conservatives have challenged or successfully banned the teaching of many new books that deal with gender, sexuality, or race.” Taken from theconversation.com, this piece of their article perfectly describes the concerns of scholars and teachers about the classic books. People of color should have a larger role in our education, since we have evolved from past years. 

This can affect Canyon High School students, since we have read the majority of these books, and our curriculum has not changed for the longest time. We took the time to ask a high school student about how they felt about authors of color not having proper representation. “I think that it’s absolutely outrageous considering the amount of diversity in America,” said Michelle, grade 12. Many Canyon students  think that replacing the classics would be a positive change. “I feel that it is not ethically correct.” Emma Singh, a senior at Canyon, explained.

From opinions that have been gathered from students and teachers across the states, we are all ready for a change in schools. We are excited for the new books that will be chosen, and the representation that will be brought into our everyday life.