In the Winter of 2021, English Teacher Julian Morris began to develop the idea for a new English elective: Children’s Literature.
In the ninth-grade Stories of Us English course, students write a piece inspired by their childhood. Morris was intrigued by how childhood stories deepened his students’ understanding of the world. “The amount of joy that came from that [topic] made me think about how this could be a full-length class,” said Morris.
The Children’s Literature (Children’s Lit) course is being taught for the first time in the 2023-2024 school year. On the Urban website, the course description says, “Children’s Literature invites students to use their amassed literary abilities and heightened consciousness to read with a childlike wonder.”
Lucia Ferris ‘24, who is taking Children’s Lit this term, said, “Julian Morris [is] very smart and has a lot of good things to say. … So I knew that [Children’s Lit] would be exciting. [Julian] knows how to make a class.”
“Academically, the class aims to be a goodbye to childhood,” said Morris. “[Especially for] seniors, who are at the precipice of adulthood and are leaving Urban. It is really supposed to be a salute to where they’re coming from … very much embodying Dr. Seuss’ ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’. But really, it’s more of an ‘all the places you have gone.’”
This year the class was offered exclusively to seniors and only in the spring term — their last term at Urban. In the coming years, Children’s Lit will be available as an English elective for both 11th- and 12th-grade students.
“I wanted to take [Children’s Lit] to reflect on my time at Urban [and] my childhood to see how I’ve grown,” said Children’s Lit Student Toby Chandriani ‘24.
The class serves as a place for seniors to begin saying their goodbyes to high school. “[The class] is very nostalgic … and I think it was definitely designed to be that way. We all know that we’re going to leave [Urban], and we’re all looking back on this time that we’re never going to get back,” said Ferris.
“The idea is that there is a kind of safeness with your peers that you’ve gone on this whole [high school] journey with,” said Morris. “I think that creates an intimacy … that and the fact that the physical classroom is kind of reminiscent of a childhood elementary [school] classroom.”
Not only does the seniors-only dynamic contribute to feelings of nostalgia in the classroom, but it also shapes the class’ structure as well as some of the in-class activities.
“It’s a really chill class,” said Chandriani. “There [are] lots of work periods and freedom.”
The class’ laid-back nature was particularly evident at the beginning of the term. “We spent the first couple of days decorating our composition books with stickers … and then we played card games,” said Ferris. “[But] there’s no shortage of work.”
Morris described the course as being at once relatively relaxed and intellectually challenging. “It’s about finding a balance,” he said.
Assignments in the Children’s Lit course have a wide range. Students read assigned texts such as The Little Prince and also revisit children’s books from their childhoods before emulating the authors in an original written piece.
“One assignment was called ‘Be the Child.’ I liked it because you could choose literally anything to write about, [including] childlike wonder and discovery,” said Chandriani.
For another recent assignment, students were asked to write analytically about illustrations in picture books. “[The] assignment had the most open-ended prompt I’ve ever seen in my life, and it was a little bit daunting,” said Ferris.
“It’s not that the class isn’t academic, because it is,” said Morris. “But I think the class is also unapologetically [about] developing emotional intelligence … and reverence for yourself and your ability to learn and grow.”
Morris’ goal for the class is reflected in its course description, which states, “[The course intends] to use the joy of revisiting children’s literature to reignite a passion for reading.”
“Ultimately, if you look up what reading is, it’s about immersion,” said Morris. “Reading and the joys that come with it can get kind of lost … but at the heart of it, I think I want [students] to remember that you can find books that you enjoy [even as you get older].”