last two weeks!

Dear all:
Please use the last two weeks on the blog to continue to discuss any pressing issues or discuss your seminar projects. Use this forum to share ideas or ask questions. You might also want to comment on the presentations and continue talking about issues they raised.

Janet

YA Lit and censorship in the news…

Maryland school district removes novel from curriculum over gay references

Jim

My buddy, Socrates, and I...

The Showalter article’s description of the Socratic approach to teaching literature puzzled me, because how my students and I proceed through that process looks rather different. Our discussions are not geared towards predetermined ends. We make it a point to stay open to new ‘takes’ on the readings. I also take much of the teacher directed aspect out of the discussions. I don’t talk, I let the students do all of the talking. I do give them a grade based on the quality/quantity of their input, but I’m generous. :) Occasionally I provide some big scoped, deep questions; but once students get an idea of ‘the type’ of discussion that’s expected, they take over from there. In some ways what we call a Socratic Seminar resembles the spirit of Parker J. Palmer’s open hospitable, spiritual learning space (mentioned in the Showalter article). Because of this atmosphere, my students last year nicknamed the Socratic Seminar, calling it Socratic Love Circle). I told them they couldn’t call it that because I’d start getting weird questions from their parents about what I was doing with their kids here at school. :)

I also like the eclectic preparatory approach. I don’t think any teacher wants to look like a dumb ass; but given stressfully short amounts of time to prepare quality lessons, I see it happening too often. I do elaborate on the ideas that my students have raised during Socratic discussions, but I usually only give myself the last five minutes of class because it’s so much more enjoyable to watch them stumble across the ideas themselves. I should mention that I’ve only used Socratic Seminars with my high-ability students, but I’ve almost gotten brave enough to try it with ‘regular’ students.

Based on the way I’ve learned and used the Socratic discussion, it seems that Socrates wouldn’t be down with teaching conflicts. Our discussions aren’t debates, there’s no winner, no losers, only ideas. Since they’re seventh grade students, of course, judgments are made during discussion, and to be frank, they’re probably necessary. Yet, we’ve encouraged an environment where you don’t judge too quickly. It seems like the best questions don’t have easy, clear, immediate answers anyway.

I briefly want to put on my persona hat though. I’ve made it a point to share my writing with my students every time that I give a large writing assignment. It took me a while to get used to the intimacy, and it is somewhat scary, just like hooks describes it. However, I hear absolutely no grumbling about the length of assignments, students have a better understanding of what I expect, and for some strange reason, they’re interested in me… oh, and my writing too. :) I think students sometimes don’t believe that we as teachers can even complete the assignments that we give them. I guess it’s kind of like proving that you can walk the walk after you’ve talked the talk.

Teaching (YA) Literature

OK, so we've really been talking about this (or around this) all semester, but next week's articles in the course pack directly address the topic of teaching. They also tackle the unanswerable, but forever fascinating, question, "Why teach literature?" Showalter even discusses the perhaps-even-more-difficult question, "What is literature?"

We're at the end of the coursepack, and we only have a few more weeks left in the semester. So, at this point, what do you think about teaching YA literature? Why do you think you (we) teach literature? Do any of Showalter's or hooks' or Appelman's or Rosenblatt's theories speak to you? Why or why not? If they do, which ones and how?

J

what are the benefits of reading literature?

Although I like to read literature I never thought of the things that I’m seeking from literature. My teachers in elementary and secondary schools never explicitly or implicitly allowed me to taste the value of the assigned readings. The main purpose for reading literature was to answer the discussion questions following the reading session, and then to master the correct answers to pass the exam. I never thought of other benefits of reading literature because no body taught me to enjoy reading it. No one was able to teach me, at least, one of the reasons for reading literature that were mentioned in the Literacy and Experience article. They never invite me to explore that literature can comfort me, touch me, amuse me, make me dream, make me laugh, make me shudder, make me weep, make me think, or make me learn things about the kinds of people and ways of life alien to my own. I was ignorant of the power of literature on one’s life.
I would say that if one gets the chance to know the benefits and values of something, he or she may start to think to try that thing. For example, I started to drink green tea after I have read an article about the health benefits of green tea. Same thing with Literature; if our students, specially those who hate to read literature, have the chance to learn the benefits and values of reading literature they may decide to try it, never know they may love it! If they like it the would keep tasting different types of literature until they reach to the point that they are enjoy reading literature not for the sake of exams but for the sake of entertaining themselves.
Many students feel that literature is totally isolated from their practical life, but it is the role of a teacher to bring these issues clear to them and model how literature can be a reflection, in some way or another, of our world and our life whether in the past, present, or future.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Heather, thanks for sending that article to us. It's quite relevant to the discussions we've been having lately.

One of the author's points makes me wonder, though...Kathleen Kennedy Manzo cites the following information as an argument in support of the idea that canonical texts are somehow no longer serving students' needs:

"Reading scores on national tests may reflect students’ dissatisfaction with the content of their English classes. On the latest 12th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress, one-fourth of students tested could not demonstrate even basic skills on the test of reading comprehension and text analysis. Another third scored at the basic level, which requires overall understanding of text excerpts, as well as some interpretation and analysis."

So, if one-fourth (or three-twelfths) of students are below average (or basic), and one-third (or four-twelfths) of students are average (or at the basic level), doesn't that mean that five-twelfths (or almost half) of the students are above average? I fail to see why this information is alarming. It sounds like a pretty regular distribution to me.

If I'm missing something here, please let me know. Any thoughts?

Trauma week

I am asking my students to read, Bridge to Terabithia, so I thought I would read the book for this class and be ahead a little bit as the class begins mid-April. The book, published in 1977 has become popular again to the recent movie release. Katherine Paterson wrote the book to help her son and herself as they grieved the death of one of her son's friends as he was growing up. The book has themain characters as young adults who become friends and then are separated by a tragic accident. Leslie tragically dies trying to cross the creek leading to Terabithia while Jesse, her best friend is attending a fieldtrip with a teacher. Jesse must deal with the grief and regret that the accident may not have occurred if not for his selfishness in not asking Leslie to go along with them to the art museum. The story is realistic, students should be able to come to terms with death and literature can certainly help.
I also had the chance to view the movie as well as view the 1985 movie version on DVD, they are different and rich with symbolism.. I will ask my students to complete a graphic organizer(remember last week as they will read the novel, view the 1985 movie version and then we will attend as a class and see the recent movie release). The process of death and dying is hard for all let alone students. I can recall specific incidents at the elementary school where I was principal at: a house fire claiming the lives of 5 students, a car accident claiming the lives of 2 students, and a suicide by a seventh grader. The faculty, staff, students, parents, and community assisted each other during those terrible times. And we read literature and poetry to assist us.

Vicarious Trauma

I will apologize in advance if some of what I’m about to say sounds too blunt or insensitive to some, but I’m having a difficult time understanding the need to “protect” children and young adults from trauma. Of course, we should do everything in our power to prevent young adults from having to endure traumatic experiences that are indeed preventable, but when does such prevention morph into some sort of shield from reality that is, in effect, unhealthy?

For example, some youth sports organizations no longer hold championship tournaments or encourage competition for the title of “best” or “champion.” Many youth leagues now eschew “competitive” sports in favor of “participatory” sports—every child who participates receives a “trophy” or some other token to acknowledge his/her participation. Often, the motive behind such “Isn’t-it-wonderful-that- everyone-had-a-chance-to-participate?” gestures is the idea that losing (or failure) would be unnecessarily traumatic for the children who do not win. It’s just too upsetting for a child to have to understand the concept of failure.

The toxic byproducts of such practices are numerous—children don’t get a chance to learn how to cope with disappointments or the failure to get what they want and quite often grow up to be narcissistic, self-centered adults. Because they have been shielded from trauma, they irrationally believe that life should conform to their expectations. The result is often an inaccurate perception of the world with themselves and their desires as the focal point. When things don’t turn out as they wish (a sort of trauma for which they are unprepared), they do not have the skills or knowledge to cope.

It’s healthy for children to experience trauma, whether vicarious or genuine. I am not advocating an increase in traumatic experiences for children, but I am asserting that we need to teach children how to cope with trauma when it occurs, instead of trying to convince them that it doesn’t exist or creating a world for them that is artificially free of trauma.

When I first heard about Follow the North Star, a program sponsored by Conner Prairie, I was appalled. The program simulates for students the experience of being a runaway slave. I reacted with revulsion, believing that it would be unnecessarily brutal for students to experience the trauma of life as a fugitive slave. But then I reconsidered—what better way to bring the experience to life for students? Besides, any trauma involved would be temporary—but the impact would most likely be powerful and permanent.

In I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale, Kirby, the 14 year-old protagonist, is abandoned by her mother and left to live with relatives she never knew she had. These relatives, members of a fundamentalist, fanatical Christian cult, give Kirby a new name (Esther) and do all they can to erase her former identity and recreate her as a “seemly” Christian girl. The novel, set in New Zealand, is very well written; Beale depicts Kirby’s genuine despair over her situation and portrays Kirby as a resourceful and assertive young woman who figures out how to overcome desperate circumstances (and rescue others in the process). In Kirby, Beale has created a complex, realistic heroine who is vulnerable yet resolute, capable of experiencing both sorrow and triumph.

Would I Am Not Esther traumatize some students? Perhaps. Would it be an appropriate text to use in a class? Absolutely.

Trauma and My Books for the Week

An excellent discussion this week on the blog. I really enjoyed reading every one's comments etc.

In response to Janet's question and her exceptional article: everyone else may not agree, but I agree with Kali Tal that com modifying historical traumatizing events isn't always a bad thing, and possibly necessary for future generations. "Kali Tal claims such "com modification" is essential to any historical event if it is to be remembered by society." Now, there's a huge difference in the types of "com modification" we can teach or view through film etc. Again, like any other piece of work it becomes the teacher's job to filter out the bad and find the good, accurate, representative texts.

I am really interested in this filtering of representative texts and teaching of history through secondary witnessing, as I am a big fan of historical texts. I am focusing my presentation in a few weeks and report on the benefits of historical fiction, in terms of remembering historical events through fiction (with fictional characters, but true historical setting or events.) I am interested in the way that literature integrates with social studies, and how when used it is more effective in reaching students. I commented on a study I read for research under Charlie's blog, and the retention rate for students reading historical lit as opposed to text books. Janet brought up a great point to the challenge of such literature in her article, as students "become more historically distant (and hence emotionally and psychologically distant) from an event, the challenges to teach such works are greater. I agree that secondary witnessing and traumatizing students through texts, helps them work past the boredom and old stuff to empathy, understanding an appreciation for the greater good of humanity through characters. In this case, the vicarious traumatization is good and I would even argue expected. How could someone read a work such as Ellie Wiesel's "Night," which I read for this week and not be traumatized? As I stated earlier, it was a book I had a hard time finishing because of the reality of the events and the power it evoked for the suffering of Holocaust survivors and victims. Reading Kali Tal's article, in which she explains the reasoning for Wiesel honoring Henry Kissinger as a fellow survivor, when in fact he was never at Auschwitz, but lost many family members there; seems strange to me. Kissinger may be able to experience secondary witnessing of the event or vicarious traumatization, but I don't see how someone who wasn't a victim could even come close to the same trauma as a survivor, such as Wiesel?

In thinking of teaching historical lit, Janet's comments on the risk that such literature takes as it becomes "less real" and more distant for students, is important to consider. How can we move beyond the cynicism or boredom of such students as "Steve." What can a teacher do to turn this rebellious type attitude? Or furthermore, something I considered; what can an educator or should an educator do when faced with a student who actually believes the extreme ie. (That the Holocaust didn't happen, that minority groups such as blacks were not mistreated in history etc. etc.?)

Being that I was on a trip last week, I had lots of reading time and read two books in the category of trauma. "Night," I already commented on some, and Lisa has, as well. So, I will move to a piece of historical fiction "My Brother Sam is Dead," by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier. I found it very interesting and different than other historical fiction as it approached the topic of the American Revolution. Tim Meeker is living in Redding during the outbreak of the American Revolution. His older brother, Sam, a Patriot, who he admires greatly has enlisted in the "new" American Revolutionary Army. Tim's father is angered by this, as he is a Tory and loyal supporter of the British King, as are most of the members of their community. It is a personal and political struggle for Tim, as he feels pressured to choose between his father and his brother, his king and the new country in which he lives, and what he believes. The discourse between father and son and brother to brother, shows a timeless fight over the injustices and beliefs of war (one that has continued since the American Revolution and still happens today.) Tim comes of age by the end of the novel, through traumatizing events such as the death of his brother (as we get from the title.) Tim mentions several times he doesn't feel like a child anymore. There are several points where different characters express how "war turns men into beasts." Not only does the reader witness the effects of war from the slider's standpoint or politically, but also the trauma it caused family members through Sam's mother, father and brother. I will not give away the ending and the way in which Sam dies (but it is a powerful read.) Although the characters are fictional, the research behind the time period is great and the way in which historical facts are woven into the text makes it a great book to teach. Students will learn about treason and loyalty to the King, the importance of religion in this time, a spilt between the Presbyterian church and the Anglicans, the scarcity of food and clothing for both sliders and civilians, the American colonies, the punishment for desertion and treason of a soldier etc.

Staci

I'm kinda sick, so this will be cut shor

As a preface, let me say that in the past few years when movies have been made depicting the 9/11 flights (World Trade Center and United 93 come to mind) I boycotted those films for the sole reason that aesthetic merit aside, I saw no benefit in dramatizing an event of that magnitude less than five years after it occurred. I understand that for the families directly related to the attacks, the films brought a sense of closure. But at what cost? In this case, do the ends justify the means? Are we not walking a very fine line as a culture of consumption between blending reality with folklore. If this culture eventually results in the fictionalization of the event, would we still say it is worth it? So ends my preface. I'm finding it difficult to distinguish between world events and trauma. I feel as though, and I may be going out on the limb here, but with regards to YA Lit, the majority of the texts function as sort of a magnification of teenage trauma. Thus, a test serves not merely as an exam but an entity the results of which could mean certain (social) death should it be a failure. A dance evolves into a ritual, a right of passage through which one must pass in order to gain acceptance into the upper strati of contemporary culture. I guess what I'm saying is, with regards to trauma, how different are the events of 9/11 and a high school relationship insofar as the weight they are given in YA books? What are the obligations of teachers and authors in separating the two? Certainly the deaths of 12 million Europeans should never be viewed through the same lens as sexual experimentation during senior year, but how many different kinds of trauma are there and by what standards do we measure the psychological effects of specific events? I apologize for the more interrogative tone to this and wish to again note that I am not feeling well at all and so will leave you for the time being. Ta and see yall tomorrow!

Shut Up, White Man, and Teach!

I think I was traumatized by the course pack this week! Or maybe that's just the useless yet empowered and resentful white male in me talking. I probably shouldn't joke, but even a white boy like me should be able to find something useful to say about Trauma. Let me tell you about how I "traumatized" former students. Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday…

When I helped to teach a multi-curricular seventh grade Holocaust unit at North Putnam Middle School, I developed an introductory activity to help students understand the limits of what they could understand about the Holocaust. I informed the class that their grade would be based exclusively on their cooperation, listening carefully, and following directions --the first of which was that there would be no talking or noise throughout the entire activity. I instructed the class to stand up, push their chairs in, take off their shoes and place them on the desk in front of them. When the inevitable giggles arose, I made an example of a "disruptive" student by telling the student that he or she had failed and would sit out the rest of the activity. Then, continuing my dehumanizing tactics, I instructed students to empty out their pockets into their shoes and remove necklaces and rings and such. I was fortunate enough to have a book storage closet next to my room, which with the help of some generous lengths of cloth I created a long, narrow, dimly lit "boxcar" of a train.

Since this was an introductory activity, I typically could get the whole class jammed in there and sitting down while only kicking out or "failing" a few students. Once we were in the "boxcar", I asked them to close their eyes and I read them a scenario explaining that a new government with a raving lunatic of a leader had taken over the country and for their own safety and protection they were being taken to a safe place where their parents would join them later. This was all being done for the good of the country. I expressed sympathy for their confusion, however, and allowed them to write a quick note that I would make sure was delivered. The catch was that the train was leaving soon, and they would have only a few minutes to write if they wanted their messages delivered. I then tossed at them a few pieces of scrap paper and the crappiest pencils that I had gathered all year from the floor of my classroom.

The clatter of the writing materials hitting the floor and my blank expression had most of them imaging that I was the meanest son of a bitch that ever lived, especially when they realized that there weren't enough materials for everyone and I wouldn't respond to their gestures to supply more. Sometimes students would tear what little paper they had in half or share a pencil stub with a fellow student if it even had lead in it. Other times they'd sit there just looking frustrated by the situation. After a few minutes of writing, I informed them that they had exactly thirty seconds to gather all of the "letters" and pencils in a tidy pile at my feet if they wanted the messages delivered. I then counted down from thirty, skipping a few numbers along the way, and watched them scramble. They always made it on time.

After we returned to the classroom and they put clothing and jewelry back on, we discussed what they already knew about the Holocaust. Of course they had heard some things from upperclassmen or had read a little about it. We discussed the similarities (you probably noticed a few ☺) between our activity and what really happened; but more importantly, we pointed out the differences. I usually got discussion around to the point where they agreed that even if I laid tracks down behind the school and rented a train with boxcars, the experience still wouldn't even be close to authentic. We could never recreate it, and therefore, never truly understand what these people went through, and that was our starting point. The activity was also useful to help explain how something this unbelievable could happen. After all, I got them on the way to Auschwitz with very little trouble at all. I did allow the "failing" troublemakers to earn back their grades if they could guess what probably would've happened to if they acted out of line during a deportation, they always guessed it. ☺

Nice teaching story, Charlie, but do you have a point? Why, yes, I do. I believe in secondary witnessing. Sure language will fail to share the experience completely, it always has. Yet if we swim around in the related testimonies and media and text, how can we not glean at least some understanding of the event's complexities? How can we not see structures of injustice? Or structures of political erasure or redefinition? Can't we pull a few signifieds and 'roys' ☺ from the chains of meaning and come closer to 'an understanding' without putting on their shoes or lack of shoes? I don't think you have to be a member of a marginalized group of people to do this. To know what you're talking about, you have to dive into the subject, think, and be careful in how you present what you've learned: "According to this witnesss... Some survivors say..."

I also don't think a political agenda lurks behind all trauma instruction. When our team of teachers presented the Holocaust unit to students, we weren't trying to justify the state of Israel, we just wanted students to respect each other an treat each other better than they might normally be inclined. I don't think it was even politics with a lowercase 'p'. I enjoy Foucault's 'power wrestling analysis' as much as anyone, but at what point do we assume some agency in our local social constructions? When we finished the unit, I felt like we had oriented our students in a positive, productive, healthy, humanistic direction: lifting each other up instead of putting each other down. Amen.

Trauma

I too thought this week’s articles would concentrate more on bibilotherapy and what Janet refers to as “secondary witnessing” (87). I like the notion of “secondary witnessing” because it reaffirms why I teach literature. In teaching literature, educators are able to expose students to injustices, to traumas (however one defines it), to the lived experiences of humanity in a safe environment, or so I thought until I read this week’s articles.

I think Janet raises powerful questions on educators’ responsibilities to students when introducing traumatic texts. The question that I find challenging is, “…how can we justify forcing students into crisis?” (76). The problem for me becomes if a text that I introduce in my classroom results in an unforeseen crisis for one or more of my students, what is my responsibility—ethically, professionally, personally?

Before reading this week’s articles and the YA text Cut by Patricia McCormick, I thought of the traumatic genre quite narrowly. For whatever reason, I thought of traumatic texts dealing with more large scale, collective traumas—wars, genocides, disasters, etc. I neglected to take into consideration trauma as it is experienced on an individual level, as in the novel Cut.

In this YA novel, McCormick introduces the reader to a young teenage girl named Callie who suffers from cutting (the act of cutting one’s skin as a way of coping or punishing oneself). Callie is a guest at Sea Pines, a psychiatric hospital along with other young women suffering from a variety of conditions, such as drug addictions and eating disorders. The story is told from Callie’s perspective. Since she has arrived at the hospital she has stopped talking. She makes no attempt to talk to her roommate, her therapy group, or her psychologist. The story is about her journey in understanding the cause of her condition and her interactions with the other girls in her therapy group. The narrative is very real and at times distributing, but it draws the reader into the world of a person who feels helpless, hopeless, and trapped and can’t seem to figure out why.

This book challenged my definition of “trauma” and I began to understand the different ways in which a person could relate and define trauma. For me as a teacher, it becomes challenging to think (in advance) how to deal with student responses to traumatic texts, especially if I’m not aware of their experience with a particular situation.

Can't Get There From Here

The first time in my life when I saw “real” homeless people was in 2005 in New York City. It was such a paradoxical scene; when I looked up high I was astonished by the high sky scrapers and huge building, but when I looked down I saw people taking the street their home. I felt really sorry about the “injustice” that we face in this world, and how humans hurt humans. The image of the homeless people that I saw in New York never left me while I was reading this book: Can’t Get There From Here, by Todd Strasser.


The runaways' story is told from the perspective of a fifteen-years-old girl called Maybe, who, along with the other homeless members of her makeshift street family (OG, Country Club, Jewel, 2Moro, Maggot, Rainbow and Tears) has been abused and rejected, tries to survive in a very dangerous world.
I felt totally engaged with the book from the very first page which opens with a quote by one of the characters, OG. "Here is where you are. There is where you want to be. But you can't get there from here."

I felt more sympathetic with the story characters when it touches upon other inhumane, mature themes, such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, alcohol poisoning, suicide, drug use and prostitution.

It is not all doom and gloom though; glimmers of light are found in a compassionate librarian and adult leaders of a group house. Librarian Anthony in particular rushes too fast to protect the teens, offering food and use of his office without logically reporting the situation to professionals.
Although several end up dying, yet the conclusion offers hope as Maybe saves a friend—and perhaps herself. She realizes at the conclusion of the book if “you tried, you could get somewhere.”

After I have read this book, I felt as if I have spent a few days in the shoes of a homeless kid!

Pedagogies of Trauma

Hello, all. Joy and Lisa have started an excellent discussion about this week's articles already, but I thought I'd jump in with some questions/comments. While none of these articles is about YA lit specifically, I think they address issues and concerns we have been talking about all semester. To what extent does a text about "trauma" lead to the healing of both the author and the reader? To what extent do such texts merely "commodify" or "codify" (in Tal's words) the event for public consumption (or even for subversive political use)? And if they do commodify or turn a trauma into a type of cultural story or myth (like 9-11 or the Holocaust or even the "story" of the rape victim), is this a bad thing? Do you think readers or viewers of texts about trauma can experience "vicarious traumatization" as Kaplan describes it? If so, what does this mean? Is such vicarious experience of traumatic events a good thing? Is it something we should welcome in a literature or film class? Both Kaplan and Tal talk about something they call "bearing witness" to a traumatic event, whatever it may be, and how such witnessing is different from just being a viewer or a reader--it is more than just "identifying" with a character or group of people--it actually urges readers/viewers to _take action_ and initiate some real world change. What do you think of this? I'd say that all teachers want their students to change the world in positive ways, but how do we work through the cynicism, resistance, and even boredom? How do we get them to do more than simply identify with a character who is supposedly "like them"? Do we have to traumatize them through representational texts?
Janet

The week's articles

Wow, these articles went in a totally different direction than I was expecting! I predicted that they might make a case for trauma lit based on vicariously experiencing traumatic events or as a form of bibliotherapy for those in similar situations. I never expected them to question the ethics of exposing students to trauma literature nor did I foresee the depiction of a student's rebellion against Holocaust lit. -Even though, I probably should have.

You see, I had a similar experience with my brother involving a women's studies course he was taking. I accidentally came across his final paper for the class and decided to read his thoughts on the oppression of women in third-world countries and I was appalled. In a way similar to Steve's, my brother powerfully argued that the oppression described in the class's books and lectures was not really happening. This was a few years back, so it is difficult for me to recall what his basis for the arguments was, but he is an excellent students and I remember the paper being extremely well written and thorough.

I was so upset that I woke him up to talk about his work. Like Steve, he said that he didn't really believe that these women were not be oppressed and abused, however, he was angry at the professor for providing only one option for the paper. He described her as a "man-hater" that would have to give him an A because he did his research and supported his argument well. And, he did get an A on the paper and in the class, but his teacher expressed her disappointment and concern when he met her to get the paper back.

He shared the paper with my parents, proud that he had "out-witted" the professor and I wondered how she felt. I wondered if she felt like she had failed when in actuality she had instead without her knowledge or consent engaged in one of my brother's intellectual competitions. -He has been this way his entire life. He challenges ideas that others present as facts and is intelligent enough to argue his way out of almost anything. In a way I think his questioning is a healthy critical thinking strategy and I admire the way he takes nothing at face value, however, I can see how this would be extremely frustrating and disheartening for an invested teacher who believes strongly in her content and students.

Upon further discussion, my brother indirectly confided another thing Janet discussed in her article. Without directly admitting to feeling and rejecting guilt as result of male based oppression and dominance over women, my brother did remark that he was sick of being blamed for what other guys had done, saying "I never did any of this, so why the hell do I have to listen to and engage in a semester long man-hating course?" I offered the cliche answer of history being taught so that we can remember and grow from the past -he wasn't buying it. I think my brother was rebelling from not only the constraints of the class but also against what he misconstrued as a personal attack. He was one of only two boys in a class of about 20.

Trauma and YA lit

The topic this week really interests me because I am in the middle of teaching Holocaust literature. Nonfiction is one of my favorites at the junior level. Currently, I am reading the book, Night by Elie Wiesel. It is his true story of survival in Auschwitz when he was only 15 and the daily struggles he went through to stay somewhat safe. While it is a short read, it is very powerful and was also on Oprah's booklist when it came out. It is widely read in and out of the classroom.

After reading the chapter that Janet herself wrote :), I became more aware of circumstances that can unexpectedly rise in the classroom. As I was reading this particular piece, I too can recall the "Steve's" I've had in my classes. Although I've never had anyone bring up the topic of Holocaust denial, I have had some of my most gratifying moments as a teacher during this type of unit. Most kids have learned about the Holocaust throughout their years in school, but I approach the topic in a more literary way. I ask questions concerning what we can learn through writing in response to the Holocaust, in addition to the variety of literary resources that come from survivors and witnesses of this horrific event. Many students who aren't particularly fond of English class usually shine during this unit. They see this as relevant to them in the sense that some of their grandparents were alive during WWII or they know of survivors in the area. At the end of the unit, we have various written and discussion responses, one of which is my favorite: writing a poem from the viewpoint of a Holocaust victim either during or after the Holocaust. I had so many thoughtful and creative poems arise from this unit that were very touching and realistic. I even assembled them into a binder that many students were proud to see.

Back to the first article... I think it is very common for students to become "bored" with the same topic continually being taught that they are tired of playing "the game" as Janet mentioned, and they rebel in various ways that reflect a cynical reaction. While some students are comfortable going along with what the teacher expects, there are others who become tired of these expectations, and the only way to break it is to give a surprising response. It is stunning to see as a teacher, but it goes to show in some way that the students are indeed gaining something from the class, whether it is an individual opinion or just a new approach to the topic. This is not always a bad thing. We as teachers can learn from these responses and use them to facilitate new methods for teaching this type of literature.

This is all I have for now. I am excited to discuss these issues more in class. Again, for my presentation, just scan through the articles I emailed. I have a very simple Power Point that outlines what I'm interested in discussing, and we will let the magic go from there. I can't wait to hear of your experiences concerning motivation and reading! It has been of interest to me for a few years. Until Tuesday... :)

A train doesn't grow by leaving one station behind

Lewis prefers fantasy because it “stirs and troubles [the reader] (to his lifelong enrichment) with the dim sense of something beyond his reach” (1078). By contrast, according to Lewis, realistic fiction operates by placing the reader in a situation with which he or she is both familiar and able to vicariously experience through identification with the characters. Thus the latter is primarily a “fantasy” in which the reader is more beautiful, popular, athletic, etc. We (our class) might want to consider the difference between ‘realistic’ children’s fiction in 1952 when this article was originally published and the realism of contemporary fiction. It would be difficult to claim, as Lewis does about the realistic fiction of his day, that today’s fiction for children presents a benign, protected world. Thus at first blush, it seems like one of his criticisms of realistic fiction is not applicable to contemporary fiction. Further contemplation leads me to speculate differently. By appealing to Jung, Lewis indicates his view of psyche. A Jungian therapist is supposed to present a blank or reflective persona so the client can project his or her issues. This is essentially the same benefit he sees in fairy tales. At the behest of my favorite 8 year old, I read Eragon for my ‘boy’ book and Eldest for this week. Both books invite the reader to consider what it means to be ‘other’. There are a number of sentient species, some both physically and behaviorally abhorrent. Towards the end of the second book, their portrayal is mitigated when the protagonist comes to understand both the ‘history’ of one of the races and the necessity of cooperation for their (humans and others) joint survival. It raises the question, when a group has committed an atrocity upon you (in this case massacred and eaten your loved ones, which means that your beloved dead can never rest), how do you put it behind you and move toward peace. Sounds like a political comment to me.
In the Ostry article, the emphasis isn’t on the ‘how’ of the science shaping each work’s premise, but rather, on the issues defining who and what makes us what we are. I’ve not read a single selection she discusses, but her focus implies the genre has an astute understanding of possible complexities, both of motives and unpredictable outcomes. I’ve read some sci-fi-the Ender’s series and most if not all of Anne Mccaffrey. From the Ender books and this article, sci-fi seems to more overtly invite the reader to examine all the good and horrible ramifications of decisions made often, but not always, in good faith. It has been a while since I read them, but to the best of my recollection, Mccaffrey does not seem to as overtly demand consideration of these humanistic questions.
The issues raised by Ostry make excellent fodder for classroom discussion. What books should be used raises a different question. Is the book well crafted? If so, by all means use sci fi in class. Although less firmly committed than at the beginning of the semester, I tend to make ‘discussion questions’ secondary to (oh gosh, this sounds so arrogant) aesthetics. This hinges on the value of reading crap, for instance the book Jim railed about earlier this semester, for the purpose of explicitly exposing something, suspect values, poor craftsmanship, etc.

Libba Bray's Done It Again!

For this week, I read Rebel Angels, the sequel to Libba Bray's New York Times Bestseller, A Great and Terrible Beauty which I read for the unit on girls. I found the sequel equally as compelling and as rewarding a literary experience. Again, this is a book I would consider teaching in a classroom but for some very specific reasons. How I would go about teaching it, and I know this would be geared more toward college instruction, but I would probably give the students a week to read it. (I read it in two days, so a week should be no problem) Basic plot and characters would be put aside to discuss some of the pervasive issues in the novel. As with the first of the series, Angels follows the girls through winter vacation during their first year at boarding school in 1895 London. The Christmas holiday is met with a continuation of parties, balls, and dates all of which reinforce the salient gendered expectations of the era. As a cultural lens, I would use this book as a means to investigate the plight of women around the turn of the century. Because this text is written by a British woman (as is of course, Harry Potter) I feel there is something more to this book than would be present in a similar text were it written by an American. I don't know: perhaps we Americans fail to see the value of social commentary and rely too heavily on plot and dialogue to motivate the plot. Don't get me wrong. While there is certainly a great amount of dialogue (and consequently very little prose) to this book, Bray offers insights into the discussions of interracial marriage, class struggles, fate vs. agency, and of course, women's authority. Without giving too much away, the blanketing theme of both novels revolves around the idea that women have the power to enact change, but this power is something feared by conventional ideologies and thus is hidden and deemed evil. In the book, this power takes the literal form of magic and rather than being subverted by patriarchy, this power exists within the Realms: a secret land accessible only to those who "have the power." Clearly, the fantastical elements dominate much of the discourse of the characters, but this fantasy differs from science fiction insofar as there is little or no science whatsoever in the text itself. Rather, fantasy defies science. Examining this from another--albeit far too graduatish angle-- Bray equates science and masculinity while equating fantasy with femininity. Certainly, she is not the first to make this leap, but the distinction between the two remains a fundamental component in her text especially with regards to identity formation. Does CS Lewis compromise gender boundaries by writing primarily of fantasy as opposed to science fiction? Jurassic Park, the story of genetically engineered dinosaurs almos has to be written by a man, or so it would seem because of its strict loyalty to the scientific rhetoric. Whereas Harry Potter would seem more likely written by a woman. How do these gender assumptions influence the lengths to which authors write in the genre of fantasy/sci fi? Bray's agenda is clear: she chooses fantasy neither by default nor due to the cultural hegemonic influences dictating such a genre. Instead, she valorizes fantasy as an expression of feminine authority. With The Realms comes great power and authority. A great and terrible beauty, if you will. So great, in fact, that a tribe of gypsy men must guard the gateway so as not to allow any women to enter and realize the potential inside. In this case, fantasy is used as a tool for cultural awakening: very much a call for reform. Troubling, however, is the fact that while Bray uses fantasy as beacon for female agency, Rowling's protagonist is a young boy. How does this effect my notions of gendered genres? Oh bother, to bed with me.

"The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" and Maybe a Couple of Answers to Janet's Questions

In "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm," the author, Nancy Farmer, imagines Zimbabwe in the year 2194. The story alternates between two lines. The first involves a terrorist group kidnapping and resulting escape-odyssey of three children who are the sons and daughter of the country's top general in charge of law enforcement. The second story line follows three detectives who have survived accidental mutations, which gives one superpower like hearing (the Ear), another extraordinary sight (the Eye), and the last the ability to 'feel' peoples' emotions and thoughts (the Arm). These detectives, hired by the general and his wife, narrowly miss catching up to the children a few times before playing a key role in their rescue at the story's end. I suspect that Lemony Snicket 'borrowed' a few ideas from the children's story line for his Series of Unfortunate Events books.

I enjoyed the care Farmer took to create what could pass for an authentic future Africa. I read that she lived there for a few years, and it shows in the way she weaves traditional language, customs, and history together in the imagined future. In particular one theme emerged that I found impressive: In order for the country to survive, the leadership of the country needs to act with a spirit of benevolence towards the wretched, wicked, and marginalized people because they are Zimbabwe too. The point where the general's oldest son recognizes this idea, and sees it in his father, is also the point where his parents recognize the adult growing in the son. The country likewise embraces the mutated detectives, especially after they make physical sacrifices in order to save the general's children. Heavy social/political stuff for a kiddies' book, but the novel strikes me as one that could be read at a couple of levels with different fruit emerging from readers of different ages. I dunno... sounds like literature or somethin' to me. ☺

Hats off to Nancy Farmer for even imagining that there will be an Africa in the future when everything we see today suggests Africa and its people are on their way to an earthly equivalent of hell. I wouldn't say that Farmer describes either a utopia or a dystopia, but just extension of current concerns: a nuclear accident gives the detectives their 'powers', the terrorists from a neighboring country operate through terror for terror's sake to spiritually poison the country of Zimbabwe, the traditional culture of Africa is preserved within a sealed environment where its inhabitants are aware of the modern country outside. I find utopian fiction ridiculous, and dystopian fiction paranoid and paralyzing... it makes me want to do nothing but smoke cigarettes. These days I find myself aligning more with the critical yet hopeful view that Miller described in last week's course pack reading, and I also noticed it this week from Ostry's description of authors "instilling hope their readers although care has to be taken not to be naively optimistic" (bottom of C.P. pg. 455). From what we've read, YA regularly gets slugged for being overly optimistic; and I suppose some works are, but I find adult works that squash all hope for the sake of a realistic viewpoint equally useless. When I want that kind of report, I'll watch the news. At least this work from Farmer lines up nicely between the two poles, and I think students would respond well, or maybe it'll just keep me away from the smokes.

"Interiorized Fantasy" and Harry Potter ...

The “Posthuman” concept that was discusses in Ostry’s article reminded me of my great grand mother’s story. I remember one evening when my great grand mother was watching a movie and the main actor died in that film she cried and felt really sad. But when she saw the same actor “alive”, in another movie, few weeks after that she was shocked and said, “It seems that the people in the TV are big liars, because I have seen this same man when he died few weeks ago, how come he is back to life again, I do not understand what’s going on!!”
According to Ostry, “what their parents and grandparents had always thought of as science fiction [TV actors who die and come back to life]…are now realities, or possible realities.” (p. 435)
That’s why I feel the need to read fantasy books, to get out of the box. I do not expect my children who read fantasy books to act or react as my grandmother did if they see or read about something unusual or imaginative. I do agree to a certain degree with Elain Ostry that “being introduced to and understanding the posthuman age is essential for young adults, as it is their future.” As she was saying some of the children might be one of those who would be experiencing such biotechnology issues, a designer baby, for example. I would add that some other children might be one of those people who would live in Plato planet. Reaching the Outer Space was one of those themes in many science fiction novels few decades ago. Interestingly enough, I have seen few days ago a report in one of the newspapers that 10 people are buying lots/gardens on the moon. Who knows! That one of my children or yours would decide to buy a lot and live in moon too? So what I’m trying to say is that science fiction and fantasy in general is a healthy and fun thing to read. Why do we have to read about things that we know about already? Do not we need to have some change? Some others believe that reading fantasy helps one to escape from the harsh realities of this world.
The book that I’m reading for this week is HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE BY J.K. Rowling. This novel is one of those “interiorized fantasies _daydreams, nightmares, and hallucinations of children beset by terror and insecurity.” Harry Potter, the main character in this novel is exposed to emotional and physical abuse by his guardians “aunt and uncle and their spoiled son Dudley” which is again a main feature of “interiorized fantasies”. According to Ostry, “In many of these stories, the very people who are supposed to be protecting the children are the ones who pose the greatest threat” (p. 433) Harry lived a miserable life for ten years with his guardians. His cousin hits him and makes fun of him all the time. His room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, he has to do many house chores, cleaning, fixing breakfast and much more. He has never played with toys, or went outside the home or even ride a car and worst of all he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years. But things have totally changed at his 11th. Birthday, great luck and adventure are waiting for him…
Another obvious feature of this kind of novels, interiorized fantasies, is that “the terror is overcome, order is restored by the child protagonist, and the story becomes reassuring and empowering.” (p. 433) All the miserable life that Harry has been living is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he find not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him. The best he could reach and wished for is a happy life with his guardians and his cousin who used to be abominable child. The story ends with his wish to have fun with Dudley this summer …!!

Sci Fi reading

My Presentation and "Elsewhere"

I will be presenting next week on the importance of multicultural literature in the classroom with a focus on African American lit. African America lit and how it effects African America male identity is a particular interest of mine, so I decided to briefly restate some of the major reasons why we must incorporate a variety of diverse texts in the classroom and then focus on what I know best: African American literature.
This presentation fits both into my final project and the conference paper I am presenting next Thursday. So, all of you will be my guinea pigs!!! I would appreciate any and all feedback you can provide.
For this week, I read a book I was dying to read, "Elsewhere." This is about a fifteen-year-old girl who dies and awakens to find herself on a cruise ship to elsewhere. Liz is in denial of her circumstances for a while, however, the people around her are extremely patient and comforting when she faces the fact that she is dead. Upon arriving at elsewhere, she is greeted by her grandmother whom she has never met.
Liz is very much apposed to everything in elsewhere for quite a while. She is angry that she will be aging backwards, because on Earth she wasn't old enough to drive, attend the prom, etc. The book subtly deals with issues of teenage heartbreak, depression, and even dependency. Liz's necessary high is in the form of viewing her old life through binoculars, which she cheats her grandmother to finance.
In the end, Liz must accept her new life and begin looking at the positive aspects of it. She works her way through the depression, and comes out a stronger person? ghost? on the other side. For me, this novel was pretty emotional and I have a feeling it will be for anyone who has lost a close loved one and wishes they could communicate with them once more. -Definitely an interesting read.

The Wright 3

Now for my book post, "The Wright 3," by Blue Balliet and illustrated by Brett Helquist. For 9 to 12 year olds, the characters are in the sixth grade and are twelve. While this book is stretching the limits to be fantasy, I really wanted to introduce this book at some point and this is the week it fits best in. It's really a mystery-- but kind of fantasy, mixed with ghosts, haunted house, mysterious voices, codes, patterns, Fibonacci number sequences, panto mines etc.

It is truly a fascinating book for young adults and really aimed to get that middle school group thinking. It is new, 2006 and has won over 12 awards. Some being New York Times Notable Book, Book Sense of the Year Award Winner, Booklist Editors Choice and many more. It is a follow up to the prequel "Chasing Vermeer," which was labeled as "A DaVinci Code for tweens," by Newsweek. I haven't read that one yet, but plan to. I encourage you to take a look at these books, especially if you teach upper elementary or lower middle grades.

The plot involves a real historical landmark, The Robie House, a Chicago masterpiece built by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The city plans to demolish the building and the main characters Tommy, Calder, Petra and their class plan to save the house. The three are like detectives picking up many intriguing clues throughout the book in search of this secret message left behind by Wright. The illustrations are great too! There aren't a ton, but they also involve hidden messages and images. The language is simple and the plot like many other young adult mysteries, but the characters are so diverse. I like that they come from many different ethnic and diverse backgrounds; Deceased parents, divorce, Indian decent, Middle Eastern, North African, Colombian. If the author didn't write with such diversity in character and themes: ghosts, art, history, mystery, identity searching etc.; this would be a predictable young adult mystery much like the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys type. But, the plot is filled with hidden surprises.

Staci

Week 12: Fantasy and International YA

Hello, all. Even though this week's topic is fantasy/sci fi, I noticed when looking at the packet that there are some articles dealing with "international children's/YA literature" in there. I guess I didn't know where to put them, and I thought we might address them as well this week!

So here are some questions to get you started. I encourage you to post about your projects and reply to other people's messages--let's try to get more of a dialogue going.

1. How does CS Lewis describe the value of fantasy (or fairy stories) and realistic YA lit, respectively? Which does he seem to prefer? Why? How does he describe the reasons why authors write for children? What do you think of his perspective, and how does it compare/contrast to the arguments of the contemporary scholars we have been reading?

2. Science fiction and fantasy often contain social/political commentary as a major theme. For example, novels might comment on the pervasiveness of government, what might happen if humans don't clean up the environment, or how we might be leading the human race to catastrophe through continual war and violence. Do you also see these kinds of themes in the fantasy/sci fi YA books you are reading? If no, what themes or issues do they seem to address?

3. Why do you think science fiction and fantasy (like graphic novels) are often said to be more attractive to male readers? Given that arguably the first science fiction novel was written by a woman (_Frankenstein_) this is an interesting idea. Any female sci fi lovers out there?

4. What is the difference between fantasy and sci fi literature? What is dystopian literature and how does it fit in? Did anybody read any dystopian YA novels and if so, how do you think adolescents might respond to them?

5. Discuss Ostry's idea of the "posthuman." Do you think books dealing with posthuman futuristic events should be incorporated into classrooms? Do you think English teachers have a role in promoting discussion of topics like genetic engineering, cloning, and the increasing role of technology in our lives, presumably through literature?

There are a few thoughts to get you thinking!

See you soon,
Janet

"Trouble Every Day"

I thought about entitling this week's Blog "Heavy Shit Happens", but decided on a Frank Zappa song title instead. Maybe that's how I dealt with emotions that seemed overwhelming when I was a teen, by putting on a little Zappa… it still kind of works for me.

I read Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan. Four students kidnap their hard-ass English teacher to scare him; but because of his medical condition, the teacher has a heart attack and dies. The kidnappin' and the killin' are done by the midpoint of the novel, and the remainder of the book is spent on the students rationalizing and covering up the accident. Despite their efforts, the evidence is gradually uncovered and they're arrested. To me this book is not so much about violence, but about teens' not considering the possible consequences of their decisions and actions. The possible connections that could be made to this theme seem easily applicable.

What else is good about it? I thought the chapter showing the teacher's conversation with his wife would be quite thought provoking for students. I don't think most students understand their teacher's sacrifices and misinterpret their intentions. I suspect this would be an eye-opener for many. The teacher's wife vividly resonates the author Lois Duncan's own experience of having her daughter abducted and never found to create a character that's scarily authentic and massively guilt provoking for the other characters. The book also ends in a very open-ended fashion, suggesting that the characters may never be able to put this experience behind them.

The book's been criticized for portraying a helpless female protagonist who's seduced by the four student into acting as bait to lure the teacher out of the building by requesting a conference with him after school. I thought her situation seemed more reflective of the realistic hierarchy of power that the popular, attractive, upper-classmen would have over a nerdy, bespectacled, underclassman. Male or female, if the cool kids invited you into the fold, could you resist doing something stupid to gain their approval?

I have to tell a couple of quick stories about heavy shit. I used to run a writers/poetry club where I'd share published authors' works, and we'd talk about writing and do some writer's workshop activities. Two girls hung around after we were finished, and one of the girls insisted that I read a poem that the other girl was reluctant to show me. I read it, and it was sad and depressing and not very interesting, but I tried to be encouraging in my response. The girl who had insisted that I read the poem shook her head and said to me, "Mr. Fisher, she's thinking about suicide." Thank goodness, she had a friend willing to bring this to my attention because I was a complete dumb ass in recognizing it myself. I figured I'd share that to illustrate how unprepared some of us are to handle any bibliotherapy. I referred her to a counselor and she got the necessary attention by working with some other students in a group (and a bit more attention from me as well).

H. S. Story #2: I'm in the middle of 3rd period, teaching something absolutely earth shattering like how to label parts of speech in a sentence, and the Social Studies teacher from the classroom next door burst in to say that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and that we were going to war. I figure the old guy's finally gone nuts, calm everybody down with "I'm sure we'll find out what's going on." It's a country school, so no live TV, just Channel One recorded news. Eventually somebody sends the school a copy of a videotape and it's shown on the network, and we learn about the second plane. At that point, it's definitely time to say, 'screw parts of speech.' Students stayed in that same class until lunch time, and we just calmly talked our way through things: "Yes, I wish it was just a horrendous coincidence that two planes crashed… Well, some people around the world hate Americans… Why do they hate us? Good question, umm... Actually the CIA keeps track of hundreds of terrorist organizations… We'll just have to wait and see, but Mr. Price seems pretty sure we're going to war…" After lunch we attempted to resume business as usual, but many more questions were answered.

I really like the Miller article in the course pack and where it eventually took us, but I'll wait until class to share. Later, YA Bloggers!

YA Literature- World Events week

As I was browsing at Borders a few weeks ago, I ran across the book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. The book is the story of Ishmael Beah, who as a twelve year, witnessed the killing of his family and village in Sierre Leon. Ismael is forced to go into hiding with his buddies to srurvive, finding discarded food and living in the forests, always on the go. Ishmael was able to flee the rebel soldiers for two years, experiencing hardship after hardship; Seeing other villages destroyed, other thirteen year boy's bodies piled along the river, shot, bloodied, and killed, as well as experiencing the death and burial of a close friend, who was in his company. The book speaks of the hardship of war from the eyes of a youhg boy, who survived. Eventually, Ishmael is captured by the rebel soldiers and forced into their army.. He does so, just to survive. And here in their ranks, he becomes a soldier, forced to kill and commit the same atrocities he witnessed. Beah was rescued bu UNICEF when he was sixteen and relocated to the United States, where he completed his high school education, and then graduated from Oberlin College in 2004. since then, he has served on several UN committees speaking on behalf of children affected by war.
I remember reading Johnny Got His Gun as a teen , being horrfied about war. I feel the same way today. A Long Way Gone, chilled me in the same manner. Beah's work is honest, and brutal as many war books are, but more convincing in that he not only witnessed, and participated but yet, survived.

A New "Golden Age" for YA Lit?

Check it out:

Teens buying books at fastest rate in decades

(make sure your pop-up blocker is on)

Jim

In Response to Janet's Questions on World Events Week

1. I do think teachers have a responsibility for the welfare of their students. However, today I think there is a fine line we have to be careful of. We are not counselors or therapists. There's a certain point where teachers can be helpful, but must step back and find another source of help for the student. I think books can be a great starting point for talking about feelings, emotions, worldviews etc. I believe good books and good teachers allow students to take a step back and examine themselves and their belief systems. And no matter how or what we teach, we cannot get away from the influence we will have on students. Anytime we interact with young adults we are in some way shaping who they are or will become. So, it's important to teach with that in mind.

2. I think the world event of terrorism can't and shouldn't be ignored with young adults. I have always believed that sheltering a child too much can lead to harm. I believe as the article stated that fear that not just students, but that we all have, can be com batted or at least coped with through knowledge. "Fear can be challenged when knowledge interrupts patterned thoughts or responses," (p.369.)

3. Of course reading and writing is empowering and fosters hope and optimism. I'm with Jim on that one...if I didn't agree I wouldn't be passionately pursuing this new career.

All until next week, I promise...
Staci

"Letting go of Bobby James or how I found my self of steam"

For the week after our break, I read "Letting go of Bobby James, or how I found my self of steam," by Valerie Hobbs. I read a review for it in our course packet and ordered it from B & N, because it sounded so interesting. It was!

The book explores something we haven't talked about much yet in YA, being abusive relationships. The sixteen-year-old protagonist, Sally Jo, who goes by Jody, is from a small, rural town in Texas. She comes from a poor family, (this book shows the plight of poverty from a modern perspective.) Jody is the first in her family to graduate from the 8th grade (that should give you insight to her background) and now finds herself married to Bobby James, also sixteen. While on their honeymoon, which consisted of driving through Florida and staying in random towns, Bobby James hits Jody for the first time. As she is in the gas station putting make up over her eye and pondering her future, Bobby James takes off. Jody finds herself alone in a strange town, with a black eye and nowhere to go. Jody can't go home because her mother will tell her to go back to her husband, as sad as that sounds. Although, Jody knows it was wrong for Bobby James to hit her. She musters up courage and gets a job as a dish washer at a diner. She sleeps in the movie theatre for awhile and eventually befriends a pregnant teen, who is living in a dumpy apartment complex. Jody saves some money to move in. The ending is empowering. While Jody doesn't end up rich or famous, or anything close. She graduates to cook at the restaurant, and has ambitions to work on her GED and go to college. She turns Bobby James away when he tries to come back. And most importantly, as Jody would say she found her "self of steam" along the way.
What I really liked about this book was the immediate choice Jody made not to take Bobby James back. She recognized what he did was wrong and if he did it once he would do it again. It was particularly hard for her to believe in her decision, as she had poor role models in Texas. Her father repeatedly abused her mother and left their home at different periods in her life. Jody's mother always took him back. The culture of Jody's community in Texas was very old fashioned and believed in sticking by your husband no matter what. Jody thought about calling her Mama, but she already knew what she would say. "Honor your vowes, she would tell me, especially for the worst-part, which was right now." Jody even makes some excuses for Bobby James concerning his temper, which is common from abused women. She says "And I can see he really doesn't want the answer, and he's starting to heat up the way he does. What you need to do then is play him out on a long line and wait until he can be reeled back in." In this way, the violence in this book represents "Structural-cultural violence" defined in "Monstrous Acts: Problematizing Violence in young adult literature," as one of three types of violence. Structural-cultural is "represented in world views, or ways of thinking, that accept violence as a natural part of life. It is hard to see it because it appears "normal," (p. 372.) Abusive relationships appear "normal" to Jody, because this is the culture of her small town. She has led a sheltered life and is ignorant to the rest of society. This structural-cultural violence makes Jody's choice to break the cycle of abuse in her family particularly challenging. But, very powerful when the reader sees Jody's process of "growing up," facing obstacles along they way and developing into a strong female with self-respect. I could see many ways to use this book for the type of classroom inquiry given in "Monstrous Acts." Discussion could range from abusive relationships, abuse in general, believing in oneself, courage, class, teenage pregnancy, homelessness etc. This book approaches many discussable topics for YA.


Have a great break,
Staci

The Laramie Project: Real hatred, real terror, real fear…and real hope

Perhaps, like Jeff, I “bent the rules” somewhat by choosing The Laramie Project—which is neither a novel nor fiction. And, like Jeff, I have those same questions about whether this work of literature may be classified as YA, but I would have absolutely no reservations at all about using it in a high school class. The Laramie Project is a play written by Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project. After the murder of 21 year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, a victim of homophobic hatred, in Laramie, Wyoming on October 7, 1998, Kaufman and the members of his theater project visited Laramie six times over the course of the following two years to interview Matthew’s friends and the community members of Laramie. The results of those interviews were transcribed and formulated into the text of The Laramie Project, which dramatizes the world’s response to a senseless act of hatred and violence and the Laramie community’s response to both Matthew’s murder and the rest of the world’s perception of Laramie as a bigoted, homophobic, intolerant hotbed of hatred.

Although one would need to exercise great caution in teaching this text in a high school class (it would definitely arouse a powerful emotional response—I cried a couple of times as I was reading it—and it rather bluntly addresses issues such as “gay panic,” religious intolerance, homophobia, and gay bashing), I am not aware of any other text (suitable for a secondary classroom) that confronts these issues as well or as realistically.

In the Introduction to the play, Kaufman asks what amounts to the same question Richard Miller asks: “What can we as theater artists do as a response to [Matthew Shepard’s murder]? And, more concretely, is theater a medium that can contribute to the national dialogue on current events?” (p. vi). The Laramie Project, featuring true Bakhtinian heteroglossia, employs the voice of the community, from an administrative assistant at the University of Wyoming who believes that Matthew “was just a barfly” who “pushed himself around” and “flaunted” his sexuality (p. 64) to Matthew’s own father, who states, at the sentencing of one of his son’s convicted murderers, “Matt’s beating, hospitalization, and funeral focused worldwide attention on hate. Good is coming out of evil. People have said enough is enough. I miss my son, but I am proud to be able to say that he is my son” (p. 96).

The Laramie Project is a unique and potent work of literature that illustrates how hatred, ignorance, intolerance, and homophobia can kill. What is truly remarkable is that it manages to also show how communication, empathy, art, and love can conquer hatred and prejudice.

Let's go back a bit...

So, I'm reading my book for this week, Newbery Honor Book, To Be a Slave compiled by Julius Lester, and I'm wondering a few things. The book is a piece of historical non-fiction (I know, I'm bending the rules) that deals with actual slaves' experiences in the middle passage, at auction, and on the plantation. Lester did a great deal of research on the topic and composed his book by writing a brief paragraph or two describing one aspect of slavery then proceeds to supply several personal stories written by slaves who experienced what he just talked about. (If that makes any sense). I find this book interesting for a couple reasons. As a YA book, it is neither a novel, nor is it fiction, nor does it include any distinct "teenage" narrative voice. This led me to question, as we have all semester, what makes a YA novel, a YA novel? Does the absence of YA characters in any way take away from its YA status? Or, rather does the YA classification stem from the material in the text or perhaps the manner in which it is written? If we answer yes to the latter, then how do we differentiate between material unique to YA and material that is accessible to everyone regardless of age. If no visible distinction exists, then what is the value of YA novels over other novels? If the appeal to YA novels lies strictly in their subject matter, how are YA identities affected when we, as instructors (or, more appropriately, the Anti-YA) essentially dictate what is and what is not the typical YA experience. Is our seemingly altruistic desire to provide therapy and a voice to YA's causing just the opposite result to emerge? Rather than helping problems, we diagnose systems that we ourselves created and rather than providing a voice, we simply supply a vacuum. Hmm...Interesting. By the way, I'm working on this for my paper and presentation because while I am certainly in favor of helping students learn and grow and be happy and never ever ever hurt their self esteem because feelings are the sprinkles on the cake of life (sorry, I just threw up a little) I sense a danger in conflating YA novels with therapy. This danger exists not only insofar as the formation of a true identity is concerned but also in the idea that we're not doing kids any favors by not allowing them any room to challenge themselves if we simply celebrate their current circumstance without attempting to move forward. Ho hum, I'm tired. Anyway, I know this doesn't have anything to do with world events but I'll write on that once I read the articles. TTFN, have a great break.

In response to Janet's question regarding the Fisher article

I really wish that there was available research examining the relationship (if any) between YA lit/classroom discussions about suicide and the suicide rate in various schools. I realize this is probably a very difficult thing to assess given the numerous other factors involved, however, I am a strong believer in the therapeutic value of good classroom discussion and literature.

Even as a fourth grade teacher I try to pose real life dilemmas for exploration and discussion. Just recently we studied the Underground Railroad and the atrocities suffered by so many African American slaves. After much discussion as to why others felt it ok to treat African Americans as less than human and a classroom consensus that discrimination based on physical appearance was completely wrong, several students bravely admitted that they had had bad feelings about themselves because of skin color -mainly as a result of someone else outwardly bringing this physical difference to their attention or the attention of others. Specifically, students were being excluded from playing recess sports based on skin color because of an obviously incorrect generalization that whites were better athletes.

After our first discussion I introduced the students to several biographies of famous athletes of varying ethnicities as to both correct the misconception and to provide examples of people they could truly relate to. Like Fisher, I have no way to prove that this quantifiably improved anything, but I definitely noticed an immediate mood transformation in many students.

I believe we certainly have a responsibility as educators and as decent people to make students not only feel like they belong but that they have something to offer to the classroom community and the world so that they can combat feelings of disappointment, hopelessness, humiliation etc. that everyone faces from time to time. In my opinion, self-hatred results as a last resort and teachers do have the ability recognize and modify curriculum so that all students are being represented and validated in literature and/or curriculum.

Final Project and Presentation

Okay, so I thought I would post a summary of what I am planning for my presentation and discussion with hopes that I can get some helpful feedback. Here it goes:

Presentation:

I am going to present the issue of a connection between motivation and reading: what motivation is, what motivates students in today's world, what teachers can do pedagogically to enhance motivation and reading, and how YA lit can also play an important role. Ultimately we will look at the teacher's role in motivating students.

What I would like to see from any/all of you: Anything you can find that deals with motivation in the classroom, whether written or personal. I want to come up with some kind of answer by the end as to how motivation is important in engaging student interest, especially through (but not limited to) YA literature.


Final Project:

My final project somewhat stems off of my presentation, but the idea of motivation is just one component. With this in mind, I am focusing on actual young adults, their opinions and thoughts about reading, what they read, why they read, how they define and identify with YA lit and other types of literature. With this in mind, I want to be able to conclude with a concept that teachers can follow so that they better identify with their students and their students' needs. This revolves around the fact that many kids say they "don't read," yet many times we find them with their heads stuck in magazines, on the internet, in newspapers, doing what they originally said they don't do: READING! I want to focus on ways that we as teachers can use this misconception of reading to inhibit reading in the classroom. I am not totally developed with this, so any ideas of focus would be greatly appreciated.


So far, this is what's on my mind... Any tips, info, or comments?

Ditto from below

I also read Give a Boy a Gun, and I have to back up what Nisreen already stated. The book was a very fast read and also quite insightful to unintentional and intentional thoughts and acts of violence. There were many facts about school violence, guns, etc. just about every other page. This book is a must read.

One topic I would like to pose is that of the teacher's role with students at risk for suicide and/or violence. How far can the teacher legally go? I have always been told to notify guidance at the first sign, just to cover myself. I can see using this theme of literature more on an independent reading level, but as far as a class text, it might be different. I fully support exploring world issues in class and getting student feedback, but it could also be risky if there is a student in the class who has dealt with violence in his/her own life. Any thoughts?

I will respond more once I get through the course pack readings.

Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser

The author stated that “the statistics show that guns are now the number one killer of young people in this country” (p. 178) so this novel is an attempt to warn every one of the danger of guns.
Being teased frequently by others (teachers and classmates) led to killing oneself and shooting others. The story is about two boys, Brendan and Gary, who decide that they can get even with those who have teased and tormented them for years “by holding the student body hostage and killing their enemies as they see fit.” (Worlds of terrorism, 2006, p. 369)
The story is written in a unique way through multiple voices as collected by a university journalism student from this community. “Poignant facts and non-fiction excerpts from a variety of sources appear at the bottom of appropriate pages as the author’s activist stance for gun control” (Worlds of terrorism, 2006, p. 369)
Through the rich textual presentation, Strasser challenges the reader to discover who is responsible or should be blamed for having all this kind of violence among these teenagers. If we all think that teachers play a big role in “raising” these kids up, in this story it seems that the teachers are the targeted agent’s behind having this violence. They failed to create a loving and warm environment for all their students which made Brendan and Gary hate their teachers and classmates. One of the students said, “Society makes you go to school, and then school tortures you. You realize that there’s no way out. Everyone has a breaking point. Sooner or later everyone will snap. Maybe if Brendan and Gary hadn’t snapped, someone else would have” (p. 137). It was explicitly stated in "Brendan’s suicide note" that he is blaming his teachers for his miserable life, “And you teachers I thought you taught us that America is supposed to be about freedom. Kids are supposed to be able to be different without the status qou police smashing us over the head and ridiculing us. But that’s all you teachers did to me and my friends. Just like else were, you tried to make us conform to your narrow-minded expectations of how we were supposed to dress and act. Well, screw you. I hope this letter is like a knife in your hearts. You ruined my life. All I’ve done is pay you back in kind” (p. 153).
Throughout the novel the author was trying to highlight the persons/agents who might intentionally or unintentiopnally get involved in facilitating violence among young adults:
Teachers and administrators, “if the teachers and administrators at school are intolerant of the differences between students, then some of the students are likely to follow their lead” (p. 186). Ccouncilors: according to Strasser ,"the ratio of students to counselors at Kipland Kinkel’s school was roughly 700 to 1." (p. 38)
“Most of the attackers in the recent cases had shown signs of clinical depression or other psychological problems. But schools, strapped for mental health counselors, are less likely to pick up on such behavior or to have the available help. (New York times, 6/14/98)
Parents: Many parents work for long hours leaving their children to watch violent movies and videogames for hours without any control.
Availability of guns, “More than 50 percent of male youths say it would be easy to obtain a gun” (p. 48) . "The presence of a gun in the home increases that risk of suicide fivefold.” (p. 52)

Finally the author suggested some ways and techniques that might help in solving the problem of the guns misuse. It is in page 204 in the Novel. I will photocopy his suggestions and hand them out in the class.
Happy Spring Break to all of You, Enjoy It!

High School Students Bored

Hello again. I saw this article about student interest/motivation on the front page of the Journal and Courier today. I thought you might be interested.

J

"Study: 2 of 3 high school students bored daily"

To view this article on The Journal and Courier Web site, go to:
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007703060337

spring break week/Week 11: World Events

Hello, all. Let's keep talking about YA! What books are you reading that represent "world events" or societal concerns/fears for teens? Here are some questions to consider, prompted by the articles in the packet:

1. Do literacy/literature teachers have a responsibility for "suicide prevention"? (Fisher, 361). When, if ever, does the line blur between teacher and psychologist/counselor?

2. Respond to the following statement, from the Hauschildt article: "By giving young adult readers the classroom permission to read about, vicariously experience, discuss, investigate, and then analyze terrorism as a topic, they can utilize that knowledge to rethink all of its ramifications, from acts of teasing and bullying to national and international realms of terrorism as the warfare of the twenty-first century." (24, packet 369).

3. If you were a teacher during 9-11 or the Columbine school shooting, did you address them in class at all? Why or why not? If you did, how did you handle these events?

4. Do you believe English/literacy teachers can "change the world" in the ways that Richard Miller suggests in the chapter from his book, _Writing At the End of the World_? Can reading and writing encourage teen optimism, hope, and empathy in an increasingly violent and cynical world? Thoughts? Ideas?

Janet

I know we have left the topic of sexual orientation behind and probably discussed it enough...but after my Eng 543 class on Thursday, on Shakespeare; I had to share some more thoughts. I found it ironic that we are currently reading "Twelfth Night," as our bi-weekly play and this week happened to be discussing gender, cross dressing etc. in the histories. It occurred to me that a classic work such as a Shakespeare play may be a safe place to explore some of these sexual orientation issues, without crossing foreign boundaries on text. For instance, in "Twelfth Night," you have cross dressed characters as Shakespeare plays always had young boys playing the female roles and within this play a boy actor playing a female who disguises as a boy (I know too confusing.) Also, there are some illusions to possible same sex desires and homoerotic suggestions. It also opens up the discussion on of gender and its importance or unimportance. More on my book for this week later,

Staci

"Boy Meets Boy"

This week I read "Boy Meets Boy," by David Levithan. It's been labeled the most important gay novel since "Annie on My Mind," by the Booklist and "represents a new revolution in the publishing of gay themed books for adolescents."
I do think it's well written and a great book for gay themed topic, but this said it's more for pleasure reading or to recommend to a student that's experiencing these sexual orientation themes, than for the classroom. The jest of the plot is about romance, teen love, trivial teen issues, friendships, lost friendships, and sexual orientation. Also, has some bad language, depiction of betting in school as ok, and only same sex kissing, no other sexual scenes.
It's about a gay sophomore, Paul, who is a great, round character who is totally at peace with his choice and his lifestyle. His gay friends envy him because "he knows what he wants," and his life is too perfect. Even his parents are accepting of of his choice.
But, his best friend Tony, who is also gay, has a harder time. His parents are very religious and don't accept that he is gay. This character and his parents probably represent the feelings of many parents, especially from a religious view point. They believe he will be damned if he continues to like boys, forbid him from hanging out with any boys, and push him into dating girls. Tony's parents don't get that by being so intolerant they are pushing him farther away; and he still dates boys and does things behind their backs. By the end, they are becoming a little more tolerant as his mother allows him to have Paul over to their house, as long as they are not in his bedroom. Even though they are just friends, who are both boys. I like that the book shows how gay boys can be friends with other gay boys. It doesn't mean they are romantically involved, which represents a cultural stigma. If boys and girls can be just friends. This should be viewed the same way.
Also, in this book gays and non-gays are friends. Paul's other best friend is a straight girl named Joni. This shows openness and understanding to teens of other's differences. Just as race or class shouldn't create a gap, neither should sexual orientation.
Noah, is "the boy" Paul falls for. The majority of the plot is about how their relationship forms and the problem that arises when Paul's, ex-boyfriend, Kyle wants to get back together. Noah wants to break off their relationship when he finds out Paul has kissed Kyle.
Another important part of the book, is the chapter where Paul describes when he came out, being very young in elementary school. His Kindergarten teacher labels him as gay on his report card (p. 9.) This brings up the topic of what age to approach sexual orientation with kids? To me K seems a little young to establish this. I don't talk about liking girls with my boys in Kindergarten. We are not really focusing on sexual orientation yet. My question is "Is Paul's teacher setting him up for the path of gay, by labeling him this so early?" Does Paul already know he is gay at age five? Or does he, and I am just ignorant to this?
The setting is maybe a little too wacky, the high school is so eccentric that it seems very "fictional," and fantasy like. The characters are all of the above, trans gender, bi-sexual, lesbian, gay, and straight. They have a gay/straight alliance at their school and a parent association for parents of gays and lesbians. There's a school bookie, who helps the school place bets on everything from who will kiss who next to whether Paul is gay or turning straight. The school dance theme is death, and the students visit a cemetery to come up with themes. While some of it is very cool, it doesn't represent life in Indiana, for sure. Maybe NYC or LA, but I still don't know. The high school represents too much of this perfect world, where all differences are depicted and accepted. Will students here in Indiana see this as too far fetched to relate or will they still like the themes?

See you in class,
Staci

yeah 100th post!!

For this week I read Alex Sanchez's ground breaking work Rainbow Boys. I Say groundbreaking because while I was dozing off reading it, I accidentally fell out of my chair and landed hard on the ground. Based on the butterfly effect, chances are there was an earthquake in Taiwan. I'm just kidding, it wasn't that bad, but pretty typical of what I would expect from a YA novel about boys coming out in high school. Primarily the book focused on just that: coming out and the issues that go along with such an action. The book presented coming out as an issue relevent only insofar as it relates to parents, peers, and teammates (why there always seems to be an athletic side to this I don't know. I knew and am still friends with plenty of gay men who, pardon the cliche, throw like girls). Anyway, I found that the book pretty much confirmed the expectations associated with homosexuality and in doing so didn't particularly offer young readers a safe haven for reading within the classroom. How this book is to be taught is beyond me. The story (which I gather has been made into a series) centers around three high school students. On one hand, you have Jason, the star athlete who's dissatisfied with himself despite dating the most popular and beautiful girl in the school. Then we have Kyle, also an athlete yet coming to grips with the fact that he is gay. Kyle's best friend, Nelson, epitomizes homosexuality in his socially defiant nature, rebellious attitude toward conventional assumptions and wild hairdos. When Jason begins to question his own sexuality, his math tutor, Kyle, begins to develop a crush on the confused youth, much to the dismay of lovestruck Nelson. The three soon become involved in a love triangle where the stakes aren't just a broken heart, but also disease, alienation, and pure social suicide! A must read for no one, this book serves as yet a further example of why certain books are meant for pleasure while others have no business whatsoever within the classroom.
Don't get me wrong by any means. At times, I enjoyed reading it. Certain instances made me remember when I was in high school surrounded by homosexuals in plays and choir contests in which I religiously took part. My orientation was constantly up for re-examination as I was the cute yet naive kid dating the college girl that no one ever saw and since I appeared to have no interest in dating any of the (several) willing girls with whom I was associated, questions about my own sexuality emerged as I walked (or rather, stumbled) through the ominous halls of the biggest high school in the state of Indiana. To that, I could certainly relate with Jason. Where I got hazy though was in the contrived binaries that the author threw together to create tension. There are athletes and there are nerds. The are the popular and the socially destitute. There are the gays and then the homophobes. Athletes don't like gays and no one cared what the nerds thought. I fail to see how such a myopic perspective of an otherwise complicated and troubling time in life can be conducive to pedagogical purposes. All teleological perceptions aside, read this book if you wish in your own time, but bringing it into the classroom with only bring with it the all the more scathing assumptions and expectations of the school system which holds the students captive. More later...like in three weeks...at least, I think...

Hard Love

If you are one of those who is convinced by the idea of teaching novels about (LGBTQ) in your classroom, Hard love is a safe novel to a certain extent to share with your high school students. This book has no explicate description of sex except for the words “shit” and “fuck”. It is a very sophisticated, multilayered book, it discusses many issues about teen identity and how they cross the line from friendship to more…I liked the poems that match with what was going on in the novel, it expresses the feelings of the characters in a deep sense.

Hard Love by Wittlinger, Ellen, a winner of the Lambda Literary Award, is about a relationship between a boy (John/Gai )who is “immune to emotion”, he has interest neither to men nor to women. He met a lesbian girl(Marisol) who used to have a girl fried(Kati) but they just broke out. Both John and Marisol got to know each other through their writings to a journal called “Zine”, through these essays, they reflect on their personal conflicts and how their irresponsible parents affected their lives, they felt either controlled or ignored by their careless parents. Any ways, they discovered many common things between each other; they started to trust each other to the degree that John fell in love with the lisbiean “Marisol”. She was emotionally struggling because she was not sure if she is a lesbian or a straight girl, at the end of the story, she decided to go and live with two girl friends in New York to discover her identity and sexual orientation.

Sexual orientation is not a bad idea to be part of our curricula, but what type of sexual orientation is safe and what is not and at what age we should start introducing students to sexual orientation? These are debated issues nowadays not be ignored. From my personal view I would first say that “God” who created us know what is good and what is harmful to us physically and emotionally that’s why certain kinds of sex are forbidden not only in the Bible but in the Qur’an as well. What is called today (LGBTQ) is to my knowledge not a safe topic to be taught specially to young children. Some developmental theorists argue that homosexuality would negatively affect the human reproduction, how would the life cycle continue when a man has a sex with a man and a woman with a woman? May be we would try to have sex with “Witches” in order to have a baby to be named a “Witch Baby”. Is not that against human nature? Then why do we want to teach our children these things that may lead to anarchy in our “developed” society?
Finally, if introducing students to (LGBTQ) is an inevitable issue then we should as teachers give background knowledge about this issue from physicians, religious, and social, point of views, and then we would leave the student or the person to choose which path he feels comfortable with.
I apologize for my frankness but this is my view!