--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The high-school English teacher will be…" description: "\"The high-school English teacher will be fulfilling his responsibility if he furnishes the student a guided opportunity, through the best writing of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/flannery-o-connor-639_democracy_the-high-school-english-teacher-will-be_650413.jpg" --- # The high-school English teacher will be fulfilling his… ![“The high-school English teacher will be fulfilling his responsibility if he furnishes the student a guided opportunity, through the best writing of the past, to come, in time, to an understanding of the best writing of the present. He will teach literature, not social studies or little lessons in…” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/flannery-o-connor-639_democracy_the-high-school-english-teacher-will-be_650413.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/flannery-o-connor-639_democracy_the-high-school-english-teacher-will-be_650413.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4f/flannery-o-connor-639_democracy_the-high-school-english-teacher-will-be_650413.jpg) > “The high-school English teacher will be fulfilling his responsibility if he furnishes the student a guided opportunity, through the best writing of the past, to come, in time, to an understanding of the best writing of the present. He will teach literature, not social studies or little lessons in democracy or the customs of many lands. And if the student finds that this is not to his taste? Well, that is regrettable. Most regrettable. His taste should not be consulted; it is being formed.” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The teacher's duty is to expose students to exemplary past literature to shape their appreciation of current works, regardless of personal taste. **In simple terms:** Teachers must guide students to great literature, not cater to their current preferences. Key Takeaway Prioritize exposure to classic literature over immediate student preferences. Themes education literature formation taste guidance Mood reflective serious instructive Type didactic philosophical When to use this quote - high school English classes - curriculum design - literary analysis - student mentorship Key Concepts canon formation critical thinking aesthetic development Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers make classic literature relevant today? - What strategies balance student interest with canonical exposure? A Different Perspective Students may resist canonical works, limiting engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [English teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-teacher/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social studies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-studies/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [O MY WIFE-who made the writing of my previous book a pleasure and writing of the present one a necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-c-brown/o-my-wife-who-made-the-writing-of-my-previous-book-a-pleasure-and/) Herbert C. Brown > [I've always thought that you live in the present, you live in a specific present. You are writing, present tense, so write in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-live-in-the-present-you-live-in-a/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Children's books aren't textbooks. Their primary purpose isn't supposed to be "Pick this up and it will teach you this." It's not how literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/children-s-books-aren-t-textbooks-their-primary-purpose-isn-t/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I don't teach literature from my perspective as 'Joyce Carol Oates.' I try to teach fiction from the perspective of each writer. 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I figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/at-readings-audience-members-sometimes-ask-if-i-keep-writing-past-the/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [“If you write about the present it is very much more difficult to make things sound convincing. But writing about the past means that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james/if-you-write-about-the-present-it-is-very-much-more-difficult-to-make/) John James > [There was more of a flow to my output of writing in the past, certainly. Having no contemporaries left means you cannot say, "Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-was-more-of-a-flow-to-my-output-of-writing-in-the-past/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Writing the past is never a neutral act. Writing always asks the past to justify itself, to give its reasons... provided we can live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/writing-the-past-is-never-a-neutral-act-writing-always-asks-the-past/) [Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“During any prolonged activity one tends to forget original intentions. But I believe that, when making a start on A Month in the Country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/during-any-prolonged-activity-one-tends-to-forget-original-intentions/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) ## More by Flannery O'Connor > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. 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