Failing Unspectacularly

I quit my job today.

But that's skipping ahead a bit.

I've been pretty sure that I'm not meant to be a teacher since my first year.  But the first year is always hard, so I came back a second.  The second year was better and I thought "why not, let's try year 3."  I was getting comfortable, I had delightful coworker friends, things were okay.

Then my husband and I decided to move to New Orleans.  I was burnt out on teaching and hoping to start fresh.  But the jobs didn't come.  I spent a summer interning in school libraries while desperately applying for any and everything.  Barnes and Noble?  didn't call back.  Various secretarial positions?  never heard a word.  **** **** High School?  immediate job offer.

Okay, fine, universe.  I've always wanted to be in an inner city school setting; maybe this is what I was missing.

NOPE.

It was immediately evident that I wasn't in the right place.  As much as I thought I had checked my privilege, I had no clue.  That's yet another shitty aspect of white privilege.  Total ignorance.

I was a joke from the beginning.  Students would make insulting comments on my appearance out of nowhere, randomly come up and scream in my face, booty grind on me while I was at the front of the classroom trying to teach, the list goes on.

So I got help.  Looooots of help.  I had master teachers, mentor teachers, disciplinarians, vice principals all in my room.  They observed me, gave me strategies, talked to the students.  This was a curse disguised because the students saw that I had no power.  When others were in the classroom they would behave, but as soon as those they respected left and it was just me, chaos reigned.  These students were determined to run me out and teachers told me over and over that I couldn't let them win.  That they were used to people leaving them and were trying to see if I would, too.  That once they saw I wasn't leaving they'd back off.

However, the daily hell of it all began to affect me emotionally.  I have long had diagnosed depression and anxiety.  Through medication and coping mechanisms it is generally under control.  I began to not be able to control it, however, through the school week.

Panic attacks every morning led to me taking Ativan before class.  Depression + Ativan led to me coming home at 5pm and immediately taking my antidepressant and falling asleep.  Often I would wake up when my husband got home from work, say hello, and fall back asleep until my 5:30 am alarm went off.  Pop a couple Ativan and repeat the day.

On top of this cycle, some OCD tendencies that had been long hidden began to emerge.  I was washing my hands constantly, sometimes leaving the middle of class to scrub until they were raw.  At night I would hear yelling in my head and see images of maggots taking over my brain.  I would sit in the kitchen, obsessed with finding and killing cockroaches and then scrubbing the counters with bleach.

I started to become angry, one of the few emotions I rarely feel.  But I was in a near constant rage and would snap at students, barely keeping myself from spewing vitriol that would have been beyond damaging.  Driving home, I would calculate how hard it would be to flip my car over the Mississippi Bridge.

Today, my first and second periods start the same old shit:  A student calls me over, leering, "Ms. C*****, you're very pretty, but I'm not doing this assignment."  I respond as calmly as possible, but the jeering starts anyway.  "Ohhhhh she now getting attitude with us!"  "Girl you need to have some respect!"  "You're always fussing with us; that's why we don't like you." "You're going to find yourself in trouble."  "You're scared of *student name,* aren't you?"  "Yeah, she scared."

At lunch, the vice principal, my one champion, comes to ask how I'm doing.  For some reason, I'm honest.

"Really bad.  I don't know how much longer I can do this."

I just meant in general, but I quickly begin to weep, and the daily mental breakdown is now happening at lunch in front of my supervisor.  I start to have a panic attack, talking about how I'm losing control, losing my mind, and how I'm not sure I'm capable of holding down a job at all.  The lunch bell rings and I'm such a mess she gives me her office keys and tells me to go hide out.  She will take over my class until we can find a solution.

That solution ended up being a sub, with me in the principal's office handing in my letter of resignation, my keys, and my laptop.  I'll probably never see any of them again.

And so now I'm just another statistic.  What's the percentage of teachers who leave the profession before year 5?  Add my name.

Worse still, how many people have walked out on these kids who desperately need love even though they fight so hard against it?  Add my name to that list, too.

A Confederacy of Dunces, or, A Frighteningly Accurate Portrayal of New Orleans

I finished this book nearly a month ago, so it's obviously imperative that I write this review now, at 1am on a Sunday.  I read this both on suggestion from a trusted source and as a part of a book club.

First things first:  A Confederacy of Dunces was written by John Kennedy Toole, a writer and professor from New Orleans.  He expected Dunces to be published as originally written, and was quite broken up when it wasn't.  An editor informed him that the book "[wasn't] really about anything" and that it wouldn't be published without significant revision.  Toole committed suicide at 31 before this happened, and his mother pushed to get the novel published.  In '81 Toole was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer.

I'm not some Toole expert; this is all fairly common knowledge and can be found on Wikipedia.  But I think it's important to know going in, because in some ways this book isn't about anything.  It's far from perfect and a little surprising as a Pulitzer winner.  However, the portrayal of New Orleans and its people is so accurate, so sharp and unflinching, that I understand the accolades.

Ignatius J. Reilly is our protagonist and boy if he isn't an anti hero.  He is disgusting, rude, clueless, and completely self absorbed.  He is 30, eats like a pig, lives with his mother, and complains about everything he finds distasteful or inappropriate, so...everything.  You love to hate him, or you just hate him.

He's surrounded by a cast of characters who are all flawed but at least slightly redeeming.  They are down on their luck and so quintessentially New Orleans.  The descriptions of the neighbors yelling at each other from their windows, of the shady bars with dolled up yet unappealing dancing girls in the Quarter, of the ineffective police force, are all palpable.  And I've experienced many of them in the short two months I've lived here.

The highlight of the book is certainly the New Orleans setting and characters.  As mentioned above, the plot isn't exactly scintillating.  In fact, there were many times I didn't want to pick the book back up.  But the laugh-out-loud-at-the-absurdity moments are unmatched and the satire is spot-on.  This city truly is an anomaly.  The people here are loud and alive and blunt and a little unsettling to a reserved Kansas girl like me.  I have already dealt with enough inefficiency to last me a lifetime (example:  it's 2 months in and we still don't have a properly working air conditioner...in New Orleans...in July...).  And sometimes the things people say shock and offend me.  But they mostly have good hearts and intentions.  It's just culture shock.

Some stand out moments for me that aren't spoiler-y:

• Everything with Miss Trixie.  That woman was hilarious.
• Ignatius' mother's habit of hiding her wine in the oven.  My mother was always storing things in the oven growing up, to the point where I still check my oven before preheating out of habit. 
• His distaste of Mark Twain.  Mark Twain is a genius, so of course Ignatius hates him.  Of course he does.
• The factory "rebellion"
• Quotes like "Myrna's psyche is only capable of dealing with water in an oral context" that are so ludicrous I couldn't help but laugh out loud

I guess I should mention the dialects, which are...accurate?  I guess?  A white writer tackling AAVE is a touchy subject and I'm unfit to give input on it.  There's really only one named black character, which is problematic in itself for a novel that is lauded as so accurately New Orleans.  It's certainly not the only issue I had with the book, but the rest of my complaints are largely based on reader preference.

Apparently New Orleans itself is happy enough about Toole's work...they put a statue of Ignatius on Canal St.  I imagined him bigger, but I love that they included his ridiculous hat.

Though it wasn't my favorite, I'm so glad I read it.

All in all, I give A Confederacy of Dunces 6.5 out of 10 functional air conditioners.  

Library Internship

In the past month and a half I've graduated with my Master's in English, finished my third year of teaching, and moved to New Orleans from Kansas.

This past year I realized that some of my favorite things about teaching English are what a librarian does all day:  research and teaching research, recommending books, keeping up with young adult lit...
 

And so I decided to feel out the idea of becoming a librarian.  The first and biggest concern was that I just finished earning/*paying for* a Master's of English, and a Master's of Library Science would be a whole new few years and, more importantly, a whole lot more money.  That's not currently feasible for my husband & me.  So I scoured the internet and found a summer library internship with a district here in New Orleans.  The internship is unpaid, but it's only 20 hours a week so I thought I could just work another part time job to make money.  I've yet to find one, but thankfully I still have a few teaching checks left.

Like I was hoping, this internship has created some connections, and I've been in the running for the possibility of actual library employment once the summer is over.  Unfortunately, only part time positions are available so far.  I'm still interviewing for teaching jobs so that I have something to fall back on come autumn and also as another avenue to get my foot in the door.

At my internship, I'm stationed at a school that has a library space and *lots* of books, but they are in complete disarray.  As in, no one has been using this library because it is impossible to find anything.  Non fiction is mixed with fiction, chapter books are mixed in with atlases, and nothing is alphabetized.  However, by the end of the summer it will be a functional and cataloged library!  Often I'm there alone, so I listen to podcasts and organize to my heart's content.  The only thing that could make it any better is if I were getting paid, haha.  

constant avalanche of books

Some podcasts I've discovered are

• WTF with Marc Maron (he just interviewed President Obama!  It was fascinating)
• The History of English Podcast (so fascinating and accessible) 
• Nerdist Podcast 
• and, of course, Welcome to Night Vale , which is the funniest thing I've ever heard

It's a big adjustment not being a student...I've been one nonstop for the past 21 years!  I've been reading a lot of things I've always wanted to get around to and have been relaxing more than I have since childhood.  It's a bit boring but probably important.  

I just finished A Confederacy of Dunces and am in the middle of American Gods.  Next on my list is Five Days at Memorial to help me understand more about Katrina and its aftermath.  I was young and egocentric when it happened, and my knowledge is severely lacking.  I want to change that in order to live here respectfully. 

It's my desire to work around books and kids, so I am grateful to be where I'm at and will keep striving to make a living doing what I love. 

Chapters 11 & 12 of YAL in the 21st Century

"The classics shouldn't be reserved for exceptional students, and young adult literature shouldn't be reserved for at-risk readers.  When we create that dichotomy, we send an elitist message about the classics and an inferior message about young adult literature--and we fail our students" (513).

Nothing frustrates me more than the highbrow/lowbrow literature discussion.  I once got into a Twitter fight about this with a professor, and I have no regrets. 

Cole writes chapter 11 to integrate the classical canon with young adult literature through themes and motifs.  As always, her tables are accessible and helpful, such as the one that states and theme and then gives both a classic and YA novel that incorporates that theme. 

Chapter 12 continues along those same lines--commenting on the pop culture influence of young adult literature.  "If we examine popular culture texts," Cole argues, "we find stories that mirror life experiences, provide escape outlets, and present commentaries on societal issues" (558).  I have often been shocked at how poignant young adult literature can be, and how true not only to teenage experience, but to human experience. 

I really appreciate her section on companion texts, even including TV shows!  Relevance and buy-in is such a huge part of teaching high schoolers, and Cole gives plenty of resources for both.  She also recommends different magazines, which my students love.  I have so many magazines in my classroom it's unreal.  It doesn't matter if it's the most current issue of Time or an issue of US Weekly from 2013...if it's sitting on a desk, my students will read it. 

And that's what I love most about this textbook--the spectrum of reading material she presents.  So many English teachers are snobs about the "classics" that the joy of reading is lost in their classrooms.  I've long hoped that, if nothing else, my students will leave my room with a love of reading for fun.  This text has helped me on my journey to get there.

Teaching Notes for This Star Won't Go Out

 
 

 

 

 

 

Earl, Esther.  This Star Won't Go Out.  New York: Dutton Books, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Information:

 

• Esther Grace Earl was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 12
• She loved to write, draw, and journal
• She died shortly after turning 16, and her parents published this book of her sketches, letters, journal entries, and more
• She met John Green at Leaky Con 09, and he wrote the introduction to her memoir, as well as dedicated The Fault in Our Stars to her

 

Summary of Plot and Characters:

 

This memoir is set up much like a diary, which is fitting, as it contains many journal entries of Esther's.  It begins with words from her parents, Wayne and Lori, about her childhood.  Her journal entries are chronological, with added drawings and letters from around the same time.  The entries end with the last one she wrote, and are followed by a note from her dad explaining her death.  His eulogy for her is next, followed by notes from her friends about the impact she made on their lives. The book is honest and poignant--no one is trying to make Esther out to be a saint.  She was a normal teenager in many ways.  However, the impact she made on others is evident.  Teenagers would really connect with this book, and it would get them thinking about tough topics, such as their legacies.  I would like to have students write a journal using Esther's as a jumping off point.  They could write letters to family members, poems, and letters to their future selves.  

 

Historical Placement/Relevance:

 

This is an interesting topic, because one of the Goodreads complaints about this book is that lots of teenagers die from cancer, but they never met John Green, so their words don't get published.  Which is true.  I think the message of this book, however, can still reach many.  Teens (and adults!) can take so much for granted.  This book puts family, friends, school, and other blessings into perspective.  Furthermore, it's relatable because Esther was such a normal teenager.  She was addicted to the internet, to Harry Potter, and was a Nerdfighter.  Nerdfighteria has grown so large than hundreds of thousands have read Esther's work, watched her YouTube videos, and read John Green's words about her.

 

Annotated Bibliography:

 

Finley, Todd. "The Importance of Student Journals and How to Respond Efficiently." Edutopia. N.p., 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 1 May 2015.                                                   

 

I love Edutopia!  This article explains both the importance of student journals, but also gives advice to teachers on how to respond to them, since it is such a time-consuming task.  Mr. Finley quotes, "The legendary Toby Fulwiler, author of The Journal Book, writes, "Without an understanding of who we are, we are not likely to understand fully why we study biology rather than forestry, literature rather than philosophy. In the end, all knowledge is related; the journal helps clarify the relationship."   I would have my students read this to understand the purpose of the assignment.

 

"Thyroid Cancer." Thyroid Cancer. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 01 May 2015.

 

Students would undoubtedly be curious about what thyroid cancer actually is.  I would direct them to the American Cancer Society's web page on the disease for topics such as signs, symptoms, and statistics. 

 

"Welcome to TSWGO." This Star Won't Go Out Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015.  

 

This is the official website of Esther's foundation, run by her family.  Students might enjoy reading through the various causes she's indirectly supported and learning more of her story.  I might have students go here to develop a further understanding of how non-profits work.

 

Other Topics I Plan to Explore Further:

• How people get cancer and how it spreads
• TSWGO Foundation's charity rating
• Leaky Con because it sounds awesome!

Also, this book completes my reading log assignment!

 

 

                                             



Chapters 9 & 10 of YAL in the 21st Century

The Sophomore English class I teach has a short story unit.  It's at the beginning of the year in an attempt to incorporate literary elements early on, as well as to ease kids in to literary analysis.  The stories we read are:

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
A & P by John Updike

I'm super passionate about all five, and students tend to like at least a few (the Dahl and Bradbury most). 

However, of the five, the most recent was written in 1961 (Updike), and none have any racial or sexual diversity.  Table 9.1 of chapter 9 has three columns:  a literary element, the classical short story taught with it, and a young adult short story that also exhibits that element well. I think this is an awesome way to give students some choice while still teaching the literary elements. 

If I were to teach this unit again, I would probably give the young adult options next to the classic options and allow a choice.  Perhaps for each literary element, students could choose which text they wanted, so long as they chose at least two from the "classics" column.

Chapter 10 is over non-fiction, which is a personal favorite of mine.  I love learning new things through books, and I'm always pleasantly surprised by the amount of students who ask for non-fiction recommendations.  Cole gives some good questions for evaluating and selecting non-fiction, such as "is the author and authority in his/her field?" and "is there a clear distinction between fact and opinion?" 

I think these questions are important to teach students, especially in an age where any nonsense can be written on the internet and shared as fact. 

Sports non-fiction is another genre that is engaging to students, especially those who often say they don't enjoy reading.  When I ask a student what they are interested in and they respond "sports," I am thrilled to offer them a plethora of reading options. 

Cole ends the chapter with suggestions for teaching text structure and summarizing with non-fiction.  She includes charts and graphic organizers that could easily be replicated.  She states, "As English language arts teachers, we should include a fair amount of nonfiction in our curriculum, providing models for the kinds of writing we ask them to do and models for other kinds of real-world reading and writing" (509).

Chapters 7 & 8 of YAL in the 21st Century

*The end is near!  I graduate May 15!  I have so much work to do before then!*

I love the tables of book suggestions in this text.  I always flip forward and read those first before I read the rest of the chapter, just to see how many of the suggestions I've read and to get a general feel of what I should expect from the chapter.

Chapter 7 is titled "Mysteries, Thriller, and Horror," and this is a chapter I needed to read.  I have lots of kids ask for scary suggestions, and I usually have to defer them to the librarian.  I am someone who HATES being scared, so I stay away from scary books. (I try to stay away from scary movies, but my husband is a horror addict, so sometimes I get roped into watching them.) 

This chapter talked a little about why people like to be scared, but I still think those people are nuts.  Being scared is a terrible feeling.  I don't like feeling terrible. 

the exception to this is The Shining because it
is a work of genius.

Anyway.  For those who do enjoy feeling terrible, I now have a list of options.  One thing I really enjoy about this text is that all the books they recommend have literary merit.  I'm familiar with most of the authors, even if I haven't read the texts.  Furthermore, the tables are broken into sections for younger, older, and mature teens. 

Near the end of the chapter, Cole writes a section on inferential thinking and metacognition that has some helpful suggestions for getting students to make inferences.  I plan to try her think aloud strategies such as read, infer, share and also Kelly Gallagher's strategy of word scramble.

Chapter 8 is over science fiction and fantasy, another weak spot for me.  Cole breaks down many sub-genres such as "space operas, cyberpunk, and other science fiction adventures" and "genetics, DNA, and cloning."  I love the idea of finding a topic students are interested in and being able to recommend several books they might enjoy. 

She again gives reading strategies, this time visualizing strategies.  I appreciate the section on visualizing nonfiction since the Common Core is so heavy on NF.  Furthermore, she suggests vocabulary strategies since many science fiction books tend to be heavy on new words. 

Next up: short stories and non fiction.  I'm excited to get suggestions here, as the last book I need to read for this class is one from that genre.

Book Review: Out of the Easy

This book is the easiest sell to kids ever.



"Hey guys!  So this book has New Orleans, prostitution, the mob, and a cute relationship!"

This was my kids after the book talk

And it's actually really good!  It has over a 4 star rating on Goodreads, which is fairly rare. 

The basic plot is that we have Josie, a teenager who lives in the French Quarter in the 1950s.  Josie loves books and wants to go to college after high school, but there's a big problem. 
Her mother is a prostitute. 
Not only that, but Josie's part time job is cleaning the brothel every morning.  (My kids had hilarious reactions upon hearing this, and yeah.  Ew.)

Basically, her mom is one big old mess, constantly in trouble/mixed up with the wrong people, and makes it very difficult for Josie to gain her education.  There's your ubiquitous love triangle as well, but it has an interesting twist.  And motorcyclist Jesse, one point of the triangle, is totally delicious.

(I'm not sure what it says about me that I am a 26 year old woman who still falls for teenage dreamboats in YAL...I swear I'm not a creep in real life...)

I really enjoyed the relationships in this book and how they are realistically complicated.  For example, the madam of the brothel is far more of a mother to Josie than her biological mother.  I just love shades of grey in novels.  (Ironically, Ruta Sepetys also wrote Between Shades of Grey.)

The kids who've read this so far have flown through it and told me they enjoyed it.  And I think it's the first historical fiction-esque book I've book talked, so yay for diversity.  It wasn't a perfect book, but at the same time I can't think of any complaints.

4.5 out of 5 badass madams

Not saying Scarlett O'Hara was a madam, but I'm also not-not saying that.  This is just how I imagine the character Willie looking.

Book Review: Shiver

I've started doing a series of videos on Instagram called 15 Second Book Reviews. They are silly and usually occur after a few beers, and a couple weeks ago I made one for Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I will expand on it in this review, but the basic arguments I make are that Shiver is basically just Twilight but with werewolves...although wait, Twilight already has werewolves...so it's like if Bella and Edward were werewolves.

Unfortunately, the main characters are about as boring and one dimintional as B+E. I chose this book as brain candy but continually had to force myself to pick it up.  It was just dull.

The basic overview is as follows. Grace is in love with the wolf outside her house. She only sees him in the winter. One time the wolves bit her. She loves her wolf anyway. He has yellow eyes. One day she found a naked, bloody boy outside her door. He had the same yellow eyes. Can you tell where this is going. Are you bored of my writing yet.

It's just so unfortunately formulaic; I'm bored even remembering it. There is one amusing part where three teenagers steal a vile of meningitis and infect their friends with it...too bad I only laughed because it was so stupid. There are just so many more engaging fantasy or paranormal reads out there; don't bother with this one.

One out of five Bella Swans.

In Defense of Escapism

It happened just last week:  I went down to the high school library and checked out a copy of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. 

"Are you kidding?" the librarian asked, "You have so much reading to do!"  (She knows the amount I read for grad school well, considering I complain about it to her 24/7.) 

"I know, I know.  I just need something to read to get my mind off all this reading."

It sounds ridiculous, but reading is my main form of escape from the trials of daily life, even when those trials are...reading.

In Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century, Cole presents a brilliant defense of many types of "lighter" or "low-brow" reading, including that of the romance novel. 

"If we exam[ine] literary female images in history, we can deepen our understanding of this longing and female attraction to contemporary romances, stories in which female sexuality isn't oppressed and demoralized and in which characters fall head over heals [sic] in love.  Consider the historical silencing of women's voices in literature and images of women in masculocentric literary works traditionally dominating English language arts classrooms...No wonder girls long for literature portraying women in happier circumstances and ending on a happy, yet predictable note..." (168-169). 

***Feminist disclaimer here:  obviously not all girls long for literature that is happy and predictable.  Some prefer hard-hitting, serious literature.  Some prefer both.  Some prefer neither.***

But it's true that many of my students who are young women gravitate toward romance or chick lit.  And it's also true that they often get teased for reading such, as the stereotype is that such books are poorly written, predictable, trashy, fluff, etc.  Some of them probably are.  But does it matter?

Many moons ago, on our classroom blog during my last year of undergrad, I wrote a post defending Twilight.  My argument was that, even though I personally thought Twilight was drivel, at least students were reading.  And, I proposed, mightn't students then move on to "deeper" literature?

Since then, I've read a study that suggests that low-brow literature actually isn't a gateway to more academic literature, but I can't for the life of me remember where I found it.  Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Regardless, I've changed my thinking a bit since writing my original Twilight post.  I think that, even if romance books aren't a gateway to other literature, it doesn't really matter.  I personally want to read a variety of books from many genres, but who am I to say that others shouldn't stick with what they enjoy?  A woman I babysit for has shelves upon shelves of Harlequins and similar.  In all her bookshelves, I've never seen a book that's not a romance.  But this woman is a reader; no one could deny that.  She still experiences different perspectives, expands her vocabulary, gains empathy...all that I value in reading.

In high school, this was the one we passed around

I love Cole's closing statement on romances:

"Whether we value romance or not, if we don't respect teens' [or adults'!] interest, we can't expect them to respect ours.  The romance genre, more than any other, gives women a voice and provides a statement about the historical subjugation and objectification of women" (182). 



Certainly, I can value a person's reading interests even if they are different than mine!  Cole continues her chapter and the next by defending humor, sports books, and historical fiction.  She just keeps hitting it out of the park in this textbook.  Now, if you need me, I'll be curled up on my couch escaping from my homework through teenage werewolves in love.

Teaching Notes for Blue Lipstick

The following are some ideas for teaching Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits.

Grandits, John.  Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems.  New York:  Clarion       Books, 2007.

Author Information

·         Book and magazine designer who lives in New Jersey

·         This is his second book of concrete poetry; his first, Technically, it’s Not My Fault, was an ALA Notable Book

·         Identifies as a concrete poet and children’s author

Summary of Plot and Characters

            Grandits’s first book, Technically, it’s Not My Fault, follows a boy named Robert as he shares his life and complaints about his sister, Jessie.  Blue Lipstick is his Jessie’s side of the story.  Jessie expresses her high school life through concrete poetry (words that make pictures and patterns).  She plays volleyball and cello and occasionally fights with her parents and younger brother…not to mention her English teacher.  As she writes her poems, she begins tearing down walls she’s put up, or at least letting more people over to the other side, “I mean, a girl’s got to have some standards.”  She learns that even the popular, pretty cheerleaders like Andrea are regular people—most of them, anyway.  And even though blue lipstick isn’t her color, she’s going to wear it regardless.

Historical Placement/Relevance

            Blue Lipstick encapsulates the experience of adolescents in the early 21^st century.  Their joys, heartaches, and school & family dramas all make an appearance in this short but poignant book of poetry.  Students would enjoy this text because it obviously relevant to their lives now—something they often search for in their readings.  This would fit in perfectly with a poetry unit and appeal to those students who are artistic.  In our school, the art department does blackout poetry, so I could see them collaborating with the English department to do concrete poetry as well.  Or, since these poems could also be created using technology and different types of software, the computer programming classes could get involved.  The options for cross-curricular instruction with this book go beyond the norm of English/History or English/Science.

 

Annotated Bibliography

“A Brief Guide to Concrete Poetry.” Poets.org. 2004.

            http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-concrete-poetry

            This website gives a brief explanation of concrete poetry and puts it in a historical context as well.  I would use this in my introduction to the concept.  Furthermore, this site cites e.e. cummings and Dylan Thomas as two of the first poets to use concrete poetry, and these are two poets we already study.

“Five Reasons Why We Need Poetry in Schools.” Edutopia.  8 April 2013. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-reasons-poetry-needed-schools-elena-aguilar

            Sure, this is a blog post, but it’s one by a leadership coach who makes a great claim for why we should teach poetry in schools.   Since buy-in is so important for students, and they often ask “why are we doing this?!” sharing these reasons could be helpful.  I especially like number 3: “Poetry opens venues for speaking and listening, much neglected domains of a robust English Language Arts curriculum. Think spoken word and poetry slams… Shared in this way, poetry brings audience, authentic audience, which motivates reluctant writers (or most writers, for that matter)” and number 4: “Poetry has space for English Language Learners. Because poems defy rules, poetry can be made accessible for ELLs -- poems can be easily scaffolded and students can find ways of expressing their voices while being limited in their vocabulary. Furthermore, poetry is universal…”

Furnham, Adrian. “Writing as Therapy.” Psychology Today.  29 August 2013.

            https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sideways-view/201308/writing-therapy

            Dr. Furnham explains the value of psychotherapy, or “the talking cure” and how this translates into processing through “the writing cure.”  He specifically notes poetry, writing that “Poets have encapsulated great pain and pleasure as well as awe and awefulness [sic] in sparse beautifully crafted words.” He explains the psychology behind it, noting that “Writing is also often redemptive. And it helps because nearly always it involves some commitment to change.” I would have students read this to help them understand the psychology behind therapeutic writing and also to include some non-fiction into this unit.

“Visual Poetry App for iPhone & iPad.” Image Chef.  2015.

            http://www.imagechef.com/ic/visual-poetry-iphone.jsp

Since our school has iPads, this app would be the perfect way to integrate technology into our poems.  Students could choose between drawing out their concrete poems by hand or using this app to do it digitally.  This may be one way to include the computer programming classes.

Other Topics I Plan to Explore Further:

·         Writing as therapy

·         Best young adult poetry books

·         Making concrete poems digitally

·         Sites that show examples of concrete poems—many links are broken on the main sites for this

Review of Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This

*This review was written for another class (and is technically still a rough draft), but I've found his book so helpful that I want to share it in every medium possible!*

            By now, most English teachers are familiar with Kelly Gallagher.  His books Readicide and Deeper Reading are well respected in the profession.  His newest work, Write Like This, is sure to be no exception.  Teachers should come into this book prepared for a plethora of authentic writing prompts, samples, and ideas.  Indeed, Gallagher’s philosophy on writing can be summed up in that one word:  authentic.  He stresses the importance of teaching the types of writing which students will use throughout their adult lives.  Gallagher addresses each of these types of writing, using Common Core State Standards as a guide, with aplomb. 

            Chapter one begins with a probing question: “Do your students write well enough to become police officers?”  Gallagher explains that candidates for the California Highway Patrol must take an exam that specifically focuses on writing and is composed of questions quite similar to the ACT’s reading and writing portions.  Real-world applications are key for Gallagher, who argues on page 15, “My sense is that the writing requirements of most schools actually serve to limit our developing writers.  If we want young artists to develop their skills, we must move them beyond the narrowly prescribed school writing discourses found in most school districts and stretch them into areas that can be readily applied in the real world.”  He categorizes these real-world writing purposes into six categories:  express and reflect, inform and explain, evaluate and judge, inquire and explore, analyze and interpret, and take a stand/propose a solution. 

            An incredibly valuable tool Gallagher uses to argue the importance of these six writing purposes is a newspaper.  He argues that one can find any of these types of writing in a newspaper and gives examples of such.  He then breaks down his chapters into each type of writing.  For each writing purpose, he gives the reader many writing prompts that address both standards and these real-world writing types.  In addition to the prompts, he gives examples of his writing as well as student writing.  He includes tables with such student examples, although it’s obvious that these examples are the crème de la crème.  My one criticism of this and other teaching handbooks are that the examples tend to be much more sophisticated than the average high school student.  Rose’s Lives on the Boundary tends toward this as well.  It would be refreshing to see some examples that aren’t quite so advanced. 

            Since reading this book over the summer, I have used it innumerable times throughout the school year.  The most consistent way has been through my classroom blogs.  Last year I began blogging as a way to practice low-stakes writing combined with technology.  The posts simply took the place of paper writing assignments, however.  This year, I took Gallagher’s prompts and compiled them into a page on our classroom blogs.  I made a list of four to five prompts under each writing purpose, and I then assigned students two of each writing purpose.  Now, each time they do a blog post, my students choose whichever prompt interests them most.  This keeps them practicing authentic writing. 

            Teachers who don’t blog with their students can still benefit greatly from Write Like This.  The dozens of prompts are adaptable and could be used for many types of low-stakes writing and even for formative assessments.  Just as Lucille Schultz found that students do better when they are given developmentally appropriate writing assignments, Gallagher has supplied prompts that adolescents will find interesting and engaging. 

Openly Straight: A Review

Oh dang this book was good.



So we've got Rafe, a gay teen from Colorado who is totally just fine with being gay.  He's not harassed, his parents are (maybe a little too) supportive, and he's even had a kind-of boyfriend.  But one day, Rafe decides he's tired of the labels and enrolls in a boarding school in New England.  His parents let him because his parents are ridiculously awesome.

Side note:  I've noticed in YAL the parents are either Lorelai Gilmore Super-Cool or they are menacing, evil villains.  No in between to speak of. 

But anyway.  Rafe decides that he's tired of being known as "that gay kid."  He's over labels.  So at his new boarding school, he conveniently doesn't mention he's gay.  He doesn't lie...at first.  He just takes advantage of heteronormativity.  And it's great.  He has a totally new group of friends, and his label is gone.

Except not.

He quickly is given a new label:  jock.  But that's okay too because he sort of enjoys being a jock. 

However, it's not so easy to hide such a big part of himself.  Especially around Ben.  Of course, there is a love interest.  But that love interest also does not know that Rafe is gay.  I won't spoil what happens between the two of them, but I will say I loved how it was handled. 

Konigsberg has created some great characters here.  I loved the dialogue and thought it was just a bit more teen boy realistic than, say, John Green's.  And they were still so funny and so honest.

The themes of identity and how we label people and how we're all a bit more obsessed with ourselves than anyone else is were right on.  The sexual exploration was addressed with aplomb.  Most kids I know who enjoy contemporary, realistic YAL would really enjoy this book.

I book talked it and students seemed to be interested, especially with the boarding school part.  I admit to being a sucker for boarding school stories as well.  In talking to my kids I gave this a PG-13 rating due to language and some sexual themes.  On Goodreads, I gave it 5 stars.  Due to the lack of a rating system for my blog I'll make one up. 

So, Openly Straight gets 5/5 Lorelai Gilmores!

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts: The Crossroads Edition

Lately I've fallen in book-love with Christine at Bookishly Boisterous.  She does a fun segment called Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts so I'd thought I'd join this week.  Behold, 10 things:

1.  I've never seen the movie Crossroads with Britney Spears, but I wanted to see it so badly when I was a kid!  Alas, my mom thought Brit Brit was a bad influence.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/22/Crossroads_poster.JPG

2.  Despite my lack of 2002 MTV movie knowledge, I am at somewhat of a crossroads personally.  By now it's out that my husband and I are moving to New Orleans in May, and I have all the feels about it.  Mostly, I am excited beyond measure.  But also I am sad.  And anxious.  And so far jobless come May.  Our families are here, and they are wonderful.  It seems a little nuts to be leaving them, along with my secure job, for the great unknown.  But if we're ever going to do it, now's the time.

3.  Due to my personal crossroads of late, the Parks and Rec finale made me cry even harder than I would have normally.  Parks and Rec had become my favorite show, and the finale was just so, so perfect and lovely.  I felt like I was losing friends.

http://www.glamour.com/images/entertainment/2015/02/parks-and-rec-finale-w724.jpg

4.  I am almost finished with Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg.  Best book I've read this year.  I'm so invested in the characters and never want to put it down.

5.  For the Adolescent Lit class I'm in I'm supposed to be doing an action research project, but I haven't actually started the research yet.  This brings me to 6...

6.  I have SO. MUCH. WORK. to do before graduation.  Every time I think about it I have to pop an Ativan.  Three classes, two comprehensive exams, and my full time job.  May, come quickly.  But also slowly because I'm already behind.

7.  Here's a photo of my classroom library before I had to take away the comfy chairs (intense disciplinary action, I know): 

8.  Here it is now: 

9.  So often I complain about reading boring books for my major, but I've actually discovered two of my favorite books through lit classes:  My Ántonia and All the King's Men.

10.  My dog is so cute, y'all, like so cute.

11 of the Best Contemporary Young Adult Books

Reading chapter three of Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century gave me the idea to come up with my own list of best young adult books.  In chapter three most of the books listed are young adult "classics," so my list is specifically contemporary...the things that are great right now.

11 of the Best Contemporary Young Adult Literature Books:

Looking For Alaska by John Green is Green's first and, in my opinion, his best.  The characters are so solid, so funny, and more believable as teens than in some of his other books. Best to go into this one knowing nothing at all.

Every Day by David Levithan is something completely different.  Our protagonist doesn't have his or her own body, he or she inhabits a new body every day and has to live out the day as that person.  Things are going just fine until our protagonist falls in love with Rhiannon and tries anything possible to be with the girl he or she loves.  The only problem...our protagonist looks different every day.  Can Rhiannon love someone who's a black girl one day, a white boy the next?

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell- the sweetest love story in quite a while.  Deliciously 80s with some family abuse issues that will resonate with many kids.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray- Oh man, this book is funny.  Great satire, rowdy adventure, and a delightfully diverse cast, including a positive trans* character!

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta- Depression hurts so many.  This books heals.

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern- more from her, please!  Love these protagonists, one with CP and one with OCD.  Resilience and ostracism and loneliness and first loves all done deftly.

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara is perfectly named.  Also deals with depression and trauma and is just so serene.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is historical fiction about WWII and packed full of adventure.  I love the strong female friendships as well.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver was a pleasant surprise for me.  Just when I thought I was over dystopian young adult literature, Oliver changed my mind.  Love is a disease in this novel about teenagers...hmm...

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan- I know, another Levithan, but his gay-friendly world just makes me smile and long for that as a reality.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie- The cartoons, the masterful observations...it's already a classic.

***It should be noted that I observe a lack of works here by writers of color and also a lack of strong, main characters who are people of color.  I am reading a diverse array of literature, but I can see that it's not enough.  Definitely something I'm working on.

Book Talk: Like No Other

I love book talks!  I got the idea from teacher superstars Dr. Katherine Mason and Penny Kittle and have made them a weekly staple in my classroom.  The idea is to show kids what you're reading, introduce them to new books, and basically get them excited about what's out there.  I choose high-interest young adult literature that I've recently read and, on Fridays, I start the class with a book talk.  I've posted an example below.  After I book talk a book, it goes in my classroom library along the back wall for kids to check out.

If I ever forget the kids remind me, and I definitely notice that the books I book talk get checked out more often than the other books in my library.

I highly recommend book talks.  The best way to encourage reading in your students is to be an enthusiastic, vocal reader yourself! 




ps. I kinda sorta like WSU, if you hadn't noticed.

Alternative Book Report: The Actual Assignment

Here's what my kids are up to.  They've chosen their books and will be receiving the assignment today to start thinking about their projects.  I've attached a link to this document in my "Downloadables" page. 

YAL in the 21st Century- Chapters 1 & 2

The official textbook of this class is Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century by Pam B. Cole.  Every two chapters I will post a response to what I've read and answer some discussion questions.

The first chapter of the text is composed of personal stories of adolescence told by authors of young adult literature.  I found Lois Lowry's tale of the Japanese bus driver who decorated the bus for the American children, only to have them tear the decorations down, incredibly moving.  I empathized with the driver for the pain he must have felt after trying to show kindness and also with Lowry as she failed to stand up and speak out.  Many of my childhood memories are of similar moments:  times when I felt something was wrong, but assumed I was too young (or I was simply too cowardly) to speak up.

I remember one particular incident in 8th grade where some girls were making fun of a friend of mine and, not only did I not speak out on behalf of my friend, I actually joined in the mocking.  After all, these girls were cheerleaders.  I had a chance for cheerleaders to like me.  Later I wrote a note about the encounter to my friend, only making the situation worse.  I still look back on that time with shame.  My friend showed incredible maturity to still treat me with kindness.

Chapter 1 ends with an article called "Mrs. Seeton's Whistle" by Jerry Spinelli.  This poignant essay responds to the question "Do you think being a kid helped you to become a writer?"  Spinelli answers with such a rich tribute to childhood that I caught myself tearing up by the end.  His quote "Thank goodness there are plenty of kids out there content enough to let their kidhoods expire in their own good time" particularly moved me.

I was a kid who was content to let her kidhood expire in its own good time.  Sure, I often wished I were older, but I was very cognizant of what I was and was not ready for as a kid and adolescent.  I remember my first kiss at the age of 16.  Many of my friends were already sexually active and, if that was right for them, I have no judgment.  Only they can know that.  But I knew I didn't desire such things yet.  All I wanted was my long-time crush to kiss me.  And one night, he did.  Right in our small town park on a balmy summer evening after the movies.  It was as innocent as a first kiss can get, and, as I drove away, hoping he didn't see my eyes stuck wide and the grin plastered on my face, I knew that I was growing up at exactly the pace for me.

I sticky-noted and flagged the heck out of chapter 2, called "The Young Adult Reader."  This chapter is full of statistics on teen readers, as well as sections on teen reading habits and needs.  I was particularly struck by the comment that reading is a social act.  As teens are about the most social creatures on the planet, this is something I try to use to my advantage.  I have seen them seek out suggestions from their peers; I have seen "non-readers" pick up The Fault in Our Stars because everyone else had read it.

The "Authentic Reading Opportunities" section really hit on what I try to do as a teacher.  Although close reading is essential, I really am cognizant of the question "Am I letting kids just read?"  Worksheets for every chapter, pop quizzes all the time, round robin reading...these strategies are not authentic and often take away the joy of reading for a kid.  I can tell when I'm yammering on too long about a section of a book because kids will tell me.  "Can we get back to reading?" they'll whine.  Well, yes.  Of course you can.

Alternative Book Report- Written Portion

In my previous post, I mentioned that, for my students' alternative book reports, I will expect them to create both a reading and spoken portion.  One option for the written portion is the newspaper front page.  This is not an original idea by any means, but I think it can still be valuable for practicing different forms of writing.  Here's an example I would show my students for The Winter People.