In Year 9, our school year has begun with the studying of an American classic. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee was recently listed in a survey of British librarians as being the most highly recommended book to read, as well as finishing sixth in a BBC poll of the greatest books of all time. From an educational point of view, it is a pleasure to teach, with its themes of fairness, justice and kindness battling against darker issues of racism, ignorance and dishonesty. Its central character, Atticus Finch, continues to be an inspiration to children fifty years on from the book’s first publication. His nobility, set against the backdrop of 1930s Alabama is a shining light in literature that reflects the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the decade in which Lee wrote the novel.
Our Year 9 students are studying it for its historical context, characterisation, use of persuasive language, and as a starting point for discussions about race and equality. While their input shows them to be the liberal-minded, kind people that we would hope them to be, the book is an excellent reminder that people aren’t always what they should be. In history, this work is supported by Mr Gale and Mrs Zedde’s work on the American Civil Rights Movement.