As I may have mentioned, the elite students at my hagwon read actual novels. Some of the better ones I have taught were Oliver Twist and To Kill a Mockingbird. A few terms ago, the course dealt with Shakespeare. While Shakespeare is undeniably great, I did question the value of teaching it to kids in Korea learning English as a second language. I pictured them walking into KFC in the States and saying, "Prithee retrieve thy finest spork, kind wench."
While the books this term are easier, I have been amused by the fact that we're reading The Secret Garden which, in addition to being extremely boring and poorly written, contains several characters who speak in a "broad Yorkshire" dialect. I just worry that the kids will read this excerpt and think normal people talk this way:
"Aye, that we mun . . . I'll tell thee what us'll do first . . . He's took a graidely fancy to thee. He wants to see thee and he wants to see Soot an' Captain. When I go back to the house to talk to him I'll ax him if tha' canna' come an' see him tomorrow mornin' - an' bring tha' creatures wi' thee - an' then - in a bit, when there's more leaves out, an' happen a bud or two, we'll get him to come an' tha' shall push him in his chair an' we'll bring him here an' show him everything."
What. The. Hell.
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