To Teach is to Inscribe the Future

Why should anyone other than adolescents make this choice? How can we figure out what would be best for each student to be reading? As educators, that is part of the job- we just hope we get it right. Getting students interested in reading is another challenge that most teachers face. Not all students are going to be interested in the classics, some may enjoy other types of literature as a warm up to more classic works.

I loved the chapters from the Bushman and Hans book Using Young Adult Literature in the Classroom. I only read the first and the seventh chapters, but I am interested in reading the whole book if I can find a copy. In the first chapter they give a great introduction to a lot of young adult books that are useful in the classroom. They introduce the book and give an overview of what it is about so that teachers can decide if they want to read it. They also categorize the books under theme topics, such as Achieving Social Roles, Adapting to a New Body, Independence from Parents and other Adults. This is also helpful because an educator can just look up the topic and find a variety of books that fall into that category. Reading this first chapter made me want to find some wholesale book sale and just stock up. How great it would be to have such a vast library of resources! I want to be able to know which book is going to be best for my class that year, and even if the students ask me which books I recommend outside of class, I want to be able to list books that will interest them personally.

In order for students to enjoy a book and to get out of it what they need to, they must be able to relate to it or understand it in some way. This is why I think pre-reading activities are very important, as well as during reading. These activities can help students make connections that they would not have made on their own. Book choice is obviously a key factor to whether students are able to connect to the text. I like the idea of pairing a contemporary young adult novel with a more difficult classic work. This way, students will be introduced to the main themes and sometimes even the same character types and literary devices, but it will be placed in a setting and time that is more familiar to the students. After they have read and understood the YA book, it is easier to transfer the meaning to the other book and understand it more thoroughly than if they had just read that first.

I agree with Erin that it is just as important to get students motivated as it is to pick the literature. In fact , it needs to come first. How can a student enjoy even the greatest literary work if they are not motivated to do so? So what is the Great Secret to getting students motivated to love reading. I don't think I have discovered the cure-all answer- I doubt anyone has come up with it for me to find- but I have learned a lot of tools to assist in the process.

Getting adolescents interested in reading anything will be a goal of mine as a teacher. If they are motivated and have found a connection, then it's worth it. Whether it is Dicken's Tale of Two Cities (doubtful) or the Peanuts comic strip, the point is that they have found something that interests them, and everything starts there. Before learning there has to be motivation, and I hope I can inspire that in my classroom.

Helpful resources:
I love this online library because it offers a variety of genres for young adults, including graphic novels, books just for guys, and award winners. Teachers can use resources such as this one to find books that are more tailored to the interests of their students. The ALA also has lists of YA books under different categories, like Best Books, Award-Winners, and best books for reluctant readers. They also have a list of great YA graphic novels, along with popular novels and books for college-bound students. Shouldn't we prepare all students to be college-bound?

I was thinking about the same sort of a topic that Erin wrote about in her second entry, (I guess great minds think alike). She wrote about a teacher that is inspiring to his students in Speak, Mr. Freeman.I love the quote that she chose: “When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You’d be shocked at how many adults are real dead inside – walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It’s the saddest thing I know” (122). He tells her this and follows it with "You're a good kid. I think you have a lot to say. I'd like to hear it" (123). He does not force her to talk but lets her know that he is available. She is able to trust him, unlike any other adults in the story, and he is the first adult she tells her story to. It takes her the whole school year to trust him enough to tell him after the final bell of the year rings, but the fact that he was able to build that kind of rapport with her is inspiring.

I have never had that one teacher that was so cool I would tell anything to. Maybe they tried too hard to be cool. Or didn't care at all. What a scarily fine line between the two, a very small window where an educator gains respect as the leader of the classroom, but is also able to relate to the students and be open enough that they can talk about important issues. For me, the thought is intimidating as well as exhilarating. Can I be the teacher I want to be? The one that students really learn from, not only academically but also through life skills? Is it possible to be the teacher that captivates the whole class, and still meets the national, state, ISD, local, and parental guidelines and expectations? Are there real teachers like those portrayed in To Sir With Love, Dead Poet's Society, and Pay it Forward, or are those just idealized aspirations, unattainable in today's world of MEAP, NCLB, regulations, and lawsuits at the drop of a hat. Is it okay to step outside the box of safe teaching and require our students to think about their lives outside the classroom?

It is obvious that Mr. Freeman (another carefully chosen character name) is about to lose his job in the book, and therefore he throws caution to the wind and becomes a great teacher. He openly loathes the school board members and the students can relate because of the matter of authority. Although he does make a difference in Melinda's life, it is disheartening to think that we have to be in the process of losing our job anyway before we have the freedom to make a difference in our students' lives.

I am on the quest for answers to questions like these, and this semester has given me insight to some of these ideas. This book especially has heightened my determination to address some key issues like communication, taboo topics, and teacher trustworthiness in the classroom. I could certainly relate to Melinda and her experience, and I hope to teach Speak in my class.

Rape is like an emotional STD. This condition is caused by an unwanted sexual act and the primary symptoms are fear, guilt, and self-doubt. If left untreated, it will fester and infect other emotional and physical functions. Some of the secondary effects are depression, withdrawal, inability to eat, sleep, or communicate, and in some cases, death.

We usually don't have a problem warning our adolescents about STDs, so why can't we talk about this one? I created this analogy for my abstinence/sexual health presentations that I do through my program, Teen MoMs Speak. I speak in high schools and middle schools all over West Michigan, and rape has always been the most uncomfortable topic for not only the students, but also the administrators, grant boards, and other adult communities that I share my presentation with.

Why? Is it because it seems like we are favoring the girls and it looks like we are demonizing the boys? Is it because it doesn't happen in a conservative place like West Michigan and it's a waste of time to talk about? Is it because our children already know not to get into cars with strangers or to walk down dark alleys by themselves?

Ok, so they know to watch out for the creepy looking guy hanging out on the street corner who hasn’t showered in a month, but what about that hot guy in biology they have a crush on? Or their best friend since middle school? Or their best friend’s older brother? Or their older brother?

A lot of rape victims feel that if it is by someone that they know, somehow it was at least partially their fault. Maybe they did or said something to send the wrong message, maybe they shouldn’t have worn that skirt, or done their hair that way. Too much makeup? Too much smiling?

I had all the same questions and many more after I was the victim of acquaintance rape. He had been a good friend for a year and a half, my first years of high school, and we went out once. I went to his house to tell him I didn’t like the fact that he was now drinking and had graduated from marijuana to other drugs, and that I didn’t want to hang out with him anymore. He disliked the idea, and wanted me to remember him. His friend was there with a switchblade to make sure I didn't scream because that would have woke his parents, and that would be embarrassing. I told no one, but three weeks later, I found out I was pregnant.

I quit school, became the black sheep of the family, sank into depression, drugs to self-medicate, and attempted suicide. I finally told his parents, but according to them, it was my fault, I came over, I didn't say no loud enough, I dressed wrong, I was just as responsible. And how did I know the baby was his? I must have been sleeping around if I got pregnant. I assumed they were right, and decided to keep the baby because it was my responsibility. Three months after my son was born, I told my mom and we got a paternity test to prove it was his. Positive. Duh. He showed up a few times the first two years. Haven't seen him in ten months.

What's the point of my story in a nutshell? I got help. I survived, and I did more than survive, I succeeded. I have a beautiful three-year-old son, am a junior in college on a full scholarship, full-time CNA, and have founded and present in two teen educator programs. Am I bragging? No. I've been to the brink and back, and my goal as a mother an an educator is to prevent the sort of experience that Melinda went through. She had no one to talk to, and that causes more damage than the actual act of rape.

If one student can trust me enough to tell about a problem they need help with, or if one thing I can say will give them the confidence to open up to someone else, then I am happy. Either now as I speak or in my classroom, my goal is not to be a guy-basher or explain details of my story, it's to give them the confidence that they are worth the time to be heard and the education that it really does happen, but it does not have to be defeating.

I would love to teach this book in my classroom, and if I get the chance to do so, I would focus on the importance of communication, not just on rape. Even though rape is an important issue that needs to be taught, it is vital that kids are able to talk to someone about any problems that they are having. If they are able to talk about their thoughts and concerns, there are many problems that can be avoided.