Final Thoughts

What have you learned about yourself as a teacher (or future teacher) of adolescent literature (or English) in this class? What strategies will you take from this class to apply in either the Methods course next semester or your own English classrooms?

I went into this class expecting to get very little out of it. Since I teach elementary school (and never planned on teaching any higher grades), I really didn't expect anything to be relevant to me. I was quite wrong though. Dr. Mortimore, you did a wonderful job of making this class meaningful to each person in it, and I know that could not have been an easy task. We all came from such different places in our careers, but you were able to connect to all of us. I feel like I am able to look at teaching literature in my classroom in a new way now-- almost like I am better able to prepare my young students to succeed when they do get to middle and high school. I will also admit: I went to my advisor this semester to see what it would take for me to get certified to teach secondary English. Unfortunately, at the moment it requires WAY too much that would make it worth it, but I did at least consider it for a little bit! :)

What books resonated the most with you? The least? Why? Which selections do you think should be kept/removed from the class?

The books that I most enjoyed reading were The Chocolate War, Forever, and Boy Meets Boy. Not because these were the most "well-written" or canon-worthy texts by any means, but because they provided the opportunity for so much discussion about adolescent lives. This, to me, is what is most important in a Literature classroom--meaningful discussion!

The only book that I truly despised reading was Twilight. I understand why it was a part of the curriculum, and I don't think I would change it for that reason, but it was really tough for me to get through!

As a side note, Disturbing the Universe was also a very helpful text; and I would definitely keep that in the curriculum!

Would it have been more helpful for you to read "classic" or traditional texts alongside the adolescent novel? For example, would reading To Kill A Mockingbird (a frequently taught text in the secondary schools) alongside Monster have yielded more realistic approaches for using adolescent literature in the classroom?

Personally, I would say "no," only because I read classical literature in my free time like there is no tomorrow. I believe that most of what would have/could have been paired with the adolescent novels, I would have already read; and if I hadn't already read them, I probably eventually would have anyway. The adolescent novels presented in this class (with the exception of Persepolis and Harry Potter) were ones I had never (and probably wouldn't have ever) read, so I'm glad we had more time to read those (except Twilight, haha!).

As an educator, though, I would say that for maybe one or two of the texts, that might have been helpful for some students. Especially for up-and-coming teachers, being able to see texts paired well together may have been extremely beneficial.

What are your perceived strengths as a teacher of literature at this point? What remaining weaknesses or anxieties do you have regarding teaching literature (or teaching students!) How might this class have better helped you to address these concerns?

Honestly, I take great pride as a teacher of literature. For a young teacher, I feel like I do an excellent job at presenting multiple genres of literature to my students, at providing opportunities for student choice, and in teaching mastery of reading strategies to my students. I believe that I make literature fun and exciting, and I truly believe that the majority of my students leave my classroom with a genuine love for literature.

That being said, I know that I am still at the beginning of my career and have many, many new things to learn and try. This class has taught me several things to use in my classroom, and I look forward to more learning opportunities to enhance the the way that I teach.

Was the group-teach a valuable experience for you? What was beneficial? What was frustrating? What did you learn about yourself in this experience. Should this experience be included in future classes?

I think that for future educators, this is an excellent experience. Personally, since I already teach, it did just feel like a lot of "extra" work. It was beneficial for me to have to think about teaching adolescent novels, because that was a new concept to me.

I would definitely continue using this activity in future classes; however, perhaps pair grad students together and undergrads together, or have current teachers work alone... something along those lines. :)

Skim through the blogs you wrote this semester. Was creating your own blog and responding to the literature in this blog each week a valuable activity for you? Why/why not? Would you consider using a blog with your own students?

While it was tough for me to get used to blogging at first (because it is a new concept to me--I've never been much for blogging about my thoughts), I believe it was quite a valuable experience. If nothing else, it was much more fun and interesting than mundane book reviews! I would consider using a blog with my students, but I would have to find an easy way to condense all of the blogs to one site/page, since my students are too young to have email addresses.

What recommendations or suggestions do you have for the content of this course. Was anything missing that you felt would have better prepared you? What was valuable to you overall? Feel free to address any other areas that may not have been raised here as well.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience for me. I know that I seemed to get "heated" at points, but I do value hearing other perspectives, as I am very passionate about the education of our youth. Honestly, Dr. Mortimore, you have truly made me think about my future as an educator. Until this point, I had only considered teaching elementary students; but you have really made me think outside of the box and consider other alternatives, and for that, I thank you.

Before Draco Meets Harry -- Fanfiction Blog

** For my fanfiction piece, I have decided to add on to the beginning of the scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone where Draco Malfoy meets Harry Potter on the train to Hogwarts. I chose this scene, first of all, because I enjoyed reading Harry Potter much more than the other two novels that were a part of this project list; and also because I have read all of the Harry Potter books and am, therefore, quite familiar with the characters. I have never been interested in fan fiction, so this was quite a strange exercise for me to participate in. I am also not (and never have been) a good creative writer, so even thinking about doing this assignment was daunting. It honestly made me think about how some of my students feel when I give them a writing assignment that "scares" them, haha! Nevertheless, here is what I came up with (DON'T LAUGH! :-D)....... **

The train continued on its way from London to Hogwarts as all of the passengers mingled about. Some were chatting with old pals about their summer adventures, while others were making new friends as they shared their giddiness and fears about their upcoming first year at Hogwarts. Draco sat sulking in his train compartment with his bookend pals, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabb, who were arguing over who would get the extra piece of neon green candy from the Every Flavored Jelly Beans box. Even though they both knew the jelly bean was a horridly disgusting snot flavor, they argued just the same. Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, had told him over and over again how important it was that he stand out at Hogwarts and live up to the family name. Draco knew that his knowledge of wizarding skills was nowhere near what his father's was when he had first started at Hogwarts. "How am I supposed to stand out if there are so many students that are much smarter than I?" Draco thought to himself. As he sat immersed in thought, he overheard several passengers in the halls of the train murmuring about the "celebrity" on board: the famous Harry Potter. Draco instantly had an idea-- if he could befriend Potter, he would instantly become popular with instructors and students by being friends with such a famous young wizard. He remembered their brief encounter at Madam Malkin's a few weeks prior as they were being fitted for robes. At the time, Draco had no idea who this new boy was, but was later informed by Madam Malkin just who he had been speaking to. Draco knew that befriending Harry would not be an easy thing for him to do. Harry was obviously close with Hagrid and the Weasley family, all of whom Draco's family despised. Holding his tongue would be quite a challenge, but he must do what he could. Determined, Draco rose from his seat and hushed Crabb and Goyle who were still in the middle of their argument, both with a hand on the box of jelly beans. With a wave of his hand, the two immediately followed Draco down the train halls as if they were hypnotized by Draco's presence alone.

Twilight and The Students' Right to Read

Ok, I have to be honest-- I did not enjoy reading Twilight one bit. I continually had to force myself to keep reading. I found it to be tripe nonsense with simple vocabulary and boring plot lines. Now, does that mean that I would discourage my adolescent students from reading it? No, of course not... unless I knew that my student was a voracious reader with an excellent vocabulary... then I might encourage them to read something a little bit more challenging. My theory is that as long as a student is reading something then I am happy, but it would be difficult to be "thrilled" to see my students reading this. I would never (I know, "never say never", but I think I mean it this time) use this book in my adolescent literature curriculum. I don't even think it would be a book that I would include in my classroom library. In short-- NOT A FAN!

I did, however, thoroughly enjoy reading the NCTE Guideline on The Students' Right to Read. This is an issue that I am quite passionate about, so I was quite happy to see the NCTE's stance on the matter of censorship. The article did an excellent job of summing up my thoughts on the matter, but I think that Justice William Douglas from the Supreme Court said it best in the case of Adler v. Board of Education in 1951:

"Where suspicion fills the air and holds scholars in line for fear of their jobs, there can be no exercise of the free intellect... A problem can no longer be pursued with impunity to its edges. Fear stalks the classroom. The teacher is no longer a stimulant to adventurous thinking; she becomes instead a pipe line for safe and sound information. A deadening dogma takes the place of free inquiry. Instruction tends to become sterile; pursuit of knowledge is discouraged; discussion often leaves off where it should begin."

I couldn't have said it better myself....

Research Project

Teacher Inquiry Topic
Preparing elementary students to successfully read classical literature

Research Questions
1- Are students prepared at an elementary level to effectively read classical literature once they reach secondary school?
2- What are students expected to read immediately following elementary education?
3- Are there basal series that incorporate classical literature (even excerpts)?
4- As an elementary educator, am I preparing my students to be successful in an adolescent literature classroom?

Sources
So far I have collected the Language Arts basal curriculums from each elementary grade in my school (this consists of grades K-5 Houghton Mifflin Reading series: http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/index.jsp). I plan on researching scholarly articles this upcoming week, but a good portion of my research paper will be "action research" so I was mostly interested in obtaining the necessary information for that first! I also plan on contacting a middle school in the district to get copies of their curriculum to see which texts students are required to read as soon as they enter 6th grade.

Findings/Progress
My main goal this past week has been to visit a teacher from each grade level (excluding my own) in my building (K-5), chat with them about the literature that is offered to their students throughout the year and to obtain copies of the basal curriculums that they use. I have brought these home and have started leafing through them searching for any classical literature that is included (nothing so far... but I'm only about 3/4 of the way through the 1st grade curriculum). I know that many teachers in my building do not only use the basals, but incorporate a good amount of supplemental reading materials, so I am thinking about creating a survey for my project to pass out to teachers in my building requesting information about supplemental reading materials and/or topics that are discussed in the classroom throughout the school year (I am lucky to have a building that is very collegial; I know that all teachers would willingly participate). I suppose I could extend this survey to the middle school as well, asking 6th/7th grade teachers if they feel that their students are prepared to read the materials that they are given in the beginning of the year.

Persepolis and "Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School"

I was introduced to Persepolis by my husband earlier this year, and quickly devoured both books. I found them to be extremely informative about a subject that I knew close to nothing about. This was the first graphic novel that I (consciously) read and I can honestly say that it changed my mind about the way these books can be used, especially in a classroom. This text would absolutely be one that I would place into an adolescent literature curriculum! Ideally, I would like to work with a Social Studies teacher to make this a cross-curricular unit-- obviously someone in that field would (should) have more knowledge about the issues that Persepolis discusses. Being able to see the crisis in Iran through the eyes of a teenager would only heighten the interest and comprehension of the material in a classroom setting.

The article Using Graphic Novels... was interesting, although, because of my research background, I would have preferred to have a bit more of a solid conclusion than this offered. I see that the instructors using the writing activities along with a graphic novel felt that their assignments/unit plans were successful, but I personally saw no concrete evidence of the fact. My concerns with this article were the fact that the teachers were very focused on these urban students being able to read "illustrated stories;" however, I am not sure how practical this actually is. Does using graphic novels help these students to read non-fiction texts or any other genre? Realistically, what types of texts are the students going to be reading later in their lives? I did like how this article related the usefulness of graphic novels to ELL students... this, obviously, is very practical if for no other reason than to help to learn the language.

On p. 20, Frey and Fisher say that they used Will Eisner's novels because "his subject matter was primarily about urban life and therefore addressed topics familiar to the students..." As a Reading Specialist, I know that any time a reader can connect to a text, their comprehension of that text automatically (in the majority of cases) increases. So, this makes me wonder if the reason the use of graphic novels was effective in enhancing writing in these students was ONLY because of the genre, or if it had more to do with the fact that the novels they were reading discussed topics of great interest to the students!

Despite my criticism, I was able to find useful techniques for the use of graphic novels in a classroom in this article. For example, I particularly like the "shades of meaning" metaphor on p. 21. This is something that I could use in my 5th grade class as an excellent vocabulary activity, which could assist them in their writing. I also liked the idea of giving students disposable cameras to use "illustrate" their stories. This is also something that I could do in my classroom. I am interested to see if there are graphic novels that are suitable for use in an elementary classroom. Persepolis is a text that I could use (maybe) with my highest reading group, but definitely not the majority of my class. Does anyone know of a particular text that would work? Please share!

The Book Thief and "Teaching Holocaust Literature"

I really enjoyed reading The Book Thief and would absolutely include it in a unit on Holocaust literature. The point of view was interesting and was an excellent way of keeping the reader on edge. From an educator's perspective; however, I am much, much, MUCH more interested in discussing the article Teaching Holocaust Literature and the video related to that article, "A Class Divided."

Teaching Holocaust Literature contained very important information for adolescent literature teachers. As I was reading this article, I felt quite a connection to this teacher because of the experiences of her students that she was sharing. The "small, rural town" that she described as being as full of racism as an inner city seemed so familiar to me. After finishing the article and noticing that this teacher was from Chambersburg High School, I understood why I felt such a connection. It terrifies me to see the discrimination and racism in this area so frequently. My husband and I often talk about how upsetting it is to see and hear what we do on a daily basis. What saddens me even more is that this article was written 18 years ago--what has changed? Not a thing.

The video "A Class Divided" was a wonderful experience for me as well. I have shared in class what my students and their families are like. I teach a class of all white students in a school of almost all white students. Although these students are still young and "innocent," as the video shows, human nature is quite a beast, and they are already being "corrupted." I hear and see incidences of discrimination and racism on a weekly basis in my classroom. I know that the majority of these viewpoints come from the students' home environments, but that does not diminish the effects of what I hear. I would absolutely love to conduct this experiment with my students, but would genuinely be afraid of the consequences of doing this not only from parents, but from the administration. During Back to School Night at the beginning of this year, I was not allowed to say the words "Obama," "goals," or "President" because of the controversy surrounding the President's speech to school children? How incredibly sad is this? Much like the article, this video states that the original experiment was conducted in 1968... so, in 41 years, how far have we come? I know I need to help, but I often feel so powerless....

Monster

Monster by Myers was an easy-to-read, very enjoyable novel about a young, African-American man's struggle fighting racial prejudices and the American justice system.  The format of this novel (written as a screenplay) would be an excellent addition to any young adult literature curriculum.  Aside from its multicultural content, the text format is sure to be a different and very nice break for students, who are most likely immersed in deep, intense, traditionally-written novels.  The screenplay format lends itself to all kinds of unique activities that educators could bring into the classroom.  This could include students writing about a significant event in their lives in a screenplay format.  It obviously lends itself to a Reader's Theatre format.  It could lead the way for other dramas and/or screenplays to be read in the classroom.  This is an excellent text to use for interdisciplinary studies--the literature teacher could work with the technology, broadcasting, or computer science teacher in order to help students better understand the specific film terminology in the novel.  I believe that the play Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose would be a wonderful literature "pairing" to read with Monster.  Both of these works tell the story of a difficult trial in court, yet they are told from different perspectives.  Monster is written from the defendant's point of view, while Twelve Angry Men is written from the point of view of the jurors in the courtroom.  I could go on and on with different lesson ideas for using Monster in a literature class for adolescents, but I think you get the picture....

In regards to Daniel Hade's article "Reading Multiculturally," I unfortunately do not have such pleasant things to say as I did about Myers's Monster.  I will admit that Hade did not get off to a good start with his article in my opinion.... he began his article by mentioning a discussion that he had with his daughters about Disney's The Lion King in which he mistakenly identifies the lion father character as "Mustafa" when the character's name is actually "Mufasa."  Now, you may think that I am being ridiculously picky; but, I have a strong background in journalism and I strongly believe that each and every piece of published work should be fact-checked several times!  This obviously did not happen here, and I began my reading of this article quite disappointed.  

Aside from this, as I continued reading, I couldn't help but feel that Hade was a reverse-racist with entirely too much white guilt on his mind.  He too often complains about racial stereotypes in African American literature, and yet does not seem to mind that the majority of "white" literature is obviously a stereotype as well.  His view of the reason for teaching multicultural literature also upset me.  I completely agree that we as teachers need to do all that we can to expose our children to multicultural literature that is outside of their day-to-day spectrum.  For many students, what they are exposed to in the classroom may be all that they ever see of the world outside of their small towns.  Hade, however, suggests that the sole purpose for reading multicultural literature needs to be to spur social change and social justice.  I believe that this can be an effect of reading multicultural literature, but not the purpose.  The purpose should be awareness of other cultures, religions, beliefs, ideals, etc., outside of one's own.  

On another note, I have spent several years studying reading education and children's literature; and Hade made a statement in his article that really did not set well with me at all!  On p.240, Hade states: "Viewing reading as an act of comprehension places authority outside the reader.  A semiotic view of reading focuses upon interpretation and interpretation is reader-based."  As a reading/literature teacher, we absolutely cannot discount comprehension!!  The purpose of reading a text is to comprehend it.  Yes, interpretation is important, but this is something that is brought to a text to AID in comprehension!  Interpretation is based on individual backgrounds and experiences that a reader brings to a text when they are reading it--this assists the reader in comprehending the material that they are reading.  Several highly-acclaimed researchers (Louise Rosenblatt, for example) have conducted studies showing that the more background knowledge a student brings to a text, the more they are able to comprehend, thus the more they are able to take away from the text.  Comprehension and interpretation work hand-in-hand during the reading process; and I feel that Hade needs to be careful not to separate the two!