Great Books K-12 Success Stories

Sara Smith Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia

Sidney Baker wants to spread the power of discussing great literature throughout the Atlanta community. He began the effort at the start of the 2007–2008 school year by implementing a Great Books program with the students in grades 3–5 at Sarah Smith Elementary School, where he is the principal. Since then, the results have inspired him to get everyone involved, from the youngest students at Sarah Smith to adults in the region.

"When I find something I believe in, that I believe is making an impact not only academically, but in many other ways, I feel a sense of mission to spread the word," Baker said in a recent interview. "The Great Books Shared Inquiry™ method teaches students not only how to read and discuss, but also how to respect each other and to respect each other’s opinions. It teaches them that not everybody agrees on everything, but if you believe in something and provide evidence for what you believe, you can state your opinion and keep an open mind for what others have to say."

Several years ago Baker implemented the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organization in response to a reform mandate from the superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. "The program teaches international education and global awareness," he explains, "but it’s not a script that you follow. It’s more of a philosophy, revolving around inquiry and research."

Bringing Great Books into the school was a logical next step. Baker was inspired by a fifth-grade teacher of the gifted who used Junior Great Books in her classroom at Sarah Smith. "I would go in and observe her class, and I would just see rich discussions and excitement," Baker recalls. "We started talking about it and looking at how beautifully it connected to the IB program, and I thought, 'Well, all of our kids need this, not just the gifted kids.'"

Baker finds the Great Books Shared Inquiry method a perfect fit for the IB program. “We are trying to create international learners—students who are open-minded, tolerant, and respectful. And we can do this through an academically based reading program: Junior Great Books.”

For the 2009–2010 academic year, the school began using Junior Great Books with their first and second graders. Baker, with the help of Great Books Foundation staff, is also extending Great Books Shared Inquiry discussions to adults in the community. He is helping to launch Great Books Atlanta, a two-day event in February 2010 designed to bring teachers and community members together for Shared Inquiry discussions of literature and art and to share other cultural experiences.

Baker is hoping that middle schools and high schools in Atlanta adopt Great Books programs, too. “I hope that the middle school here starts seeing the differences in the kids we’re sending them, and that they’re interested in doing it on up through the higher levels.”

Baker observes that the Great Books approach has had a positive effect on teachers at Sarah Smith as well as on students. Teachers apply the methods of questioning they’ve learned in Great Books training to all areas of the curriculum. And connections between different areas of curriculum are easier to make. “A lesson about geology in Georgia compared to geology in China flows naturally into a discussion of a story from China. Using authentic literature from around the world, like Junior Great Books does, makes this possible.”

Not only are cross-curricular connections easy to make, but investigation of content within curricular areas goes deeper. Since they began using Shared Inquiry strategies, “teachers are asking more higher-level questions now,” Baker says. “We would be doing a good job without Junior Great Books, but now I see that we’ve just taken our skills up a notch.”

Baker sees a bright future for Great Books in Atlanta. “I’m passionate about it. If I can get the community to support it and get excited about it, I think it will go even higher, because now moms and dads are involved with it. They know what Junior Great Books is now, and they want to make sure it’s provided for their child.” And with the advent of programs like Great Books Atlanta, parents and teachers in the region will discover their own potential for growth through meaningful discussion of literature and great ideas.