Ottawa English teacher gives Bard the boot in favour of Indigenous writers

To be, or not to be:that is the question. Or in this case, to Bard, or not to Bard?

The debate over how much exposure students should get to the famous playwright's work is brewing after a Lambton Kent District School Boardin southwestern Ontario decided torevamp its Grade 11 English curriculum.

The public board covers schools in the Sarnia area and surrounding First Nation communities, where Grade 11 students will now focus less on Shakespeare and more on Indigenous authors in English class.

Ottawa English teacher Kim Brutonsaid people shouldn't be afraid of change.

"Just because it's always been in our book room, just because it's always been something we expose our students todoesn't mean we should always continue to do it,"Bruton told host Hallie Cotnamon CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Monday.

Bruton, who teaches Grade 9 and 10 students at Sir Robert Borden High School in Nepean, said she dropped Shakespeare's work from her classes five years ago because she wanted to showcase Indigenous authors.

"In history classes we hear a lot about the negative experiences Indigenous people have throughout Canadian history," Bruton said.

"That's a good thing, but it's also good to hear the lighter sidethe humour, the art, the beauty, that comes with the stories that Indigenous authors tell. Students need to be exposed to that too so there isn't this continuation of the negative stereotype."

Plenty of chances to learn Shakespeare, director says

Eleanor Crowder, who runs the Ottawa theatre group Bear and Co. andwho has performed and produced many of Shakespeare's plays, said she completely agrees students need more exposure to Indigenous authors.

"Thank goodness kids are getting a really good, in-depth course where First Nation literature is beingpresented as solid and as much a part of our lives as anything. It should be," Crowder told Cotnam during Monday'sOttawa Morning discussion.

The joy of Shakespeare is in thechallenge offered by the language, Crowder said.

• Should high schools drop Shakespeare?

The Bard's work isentertaining, she explained, but it's also useful in understanding context and political frameworks.

"But that's exactly what you're doing with anything you're reading," Crowder pointed out, adding students have many more opportunities to be exposed to Shakespeare outside of school than Indigenous literature.

"Shakespeare is a part of our surrounding culture all the time and if [students] don't happen to read it for a year in school they'll certainly come across it in another way," Crowder said.

Bruton's studentswill still come across Shakespeare in Grades 11 and 12, shesaid.

"We spend an awful lot of time learning British authors, American authors, and we don't spend a lot of time celebrating Canadian or Indigenous authors,"Bruton said."It's time we do."