Post-FOKI

Hmm…has it really been 16 weeks?

Much has changed, but how fast its gone!

I have copied the goals portion of my original Pre-FOKI to highlight my progression, as well as what has remained the same.  (The black writing is the original).

My Goals for this Course

Professional

Most of the jobs that I have held to this point have been somewhat rewarding, but mostly have served as a means to an end– putting myself through school. However, when I consider a life-long career, I know that I want to be doing something that allows me to actively engage in what I’m most passionate about. For me, this has always included reading and analyzing literature. Additionally, being able to share what I’ve learned as an avenue towards for helping others to gain perspective and the tools that they will need to succeed academically and, on a larger scale, in all of life, is tremendously rewarding. For this reason, I am enrolled in my first year of the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program at NC State University. I hope to gain practical experience and strategies from this course that will enable me to be a better educator for my future students.

Over the course of the semester, I switched jobs. I transitioned to a receptionist in a Physical Therapy office. I didn’t really do the same kind of writing that some of my previous jobs had required, but I did learn shorthand and the beauty of brevity when scribbling notes for the therapists! I also have been working on balancing efficiency and accuracy to a greater degree as I schedule patients, check them in and out, and collect copays. Transitioning between this kind of work and a coffee shop hasn’t really been easy, but overall has been a beneficial experience.

I still am not formally teaching in the classroom, but worked independently with some students this semester. I feel like, having had a semester of taking education courses, tutoring, and having the chance to interact with seasoned educators, I have a gained a better understanding of what I am getting myself into. My ALP Project made me want to teach literature more than ever as I saw what a difference the sharing of ideas makes.

Literary

During undergrad, I had the opportunity to read what I thought was a very diverse sampling of authors and genres. However, in hindsight, we didn’t really dive into or even dabble in any type of Young Adult Literature.  I guess it was considered too juvenile. It would have been nice to have the option, but I do not remember any courses offered in the field. As I said, I did read a lot during my own adolescence, but have not explored any YA material published in the last few years. I am excited to explore these works, and to expand my understanding of what is unique to YA Literature as well as how it is similar and connects to other genres with which I have more experience from the last four years of study.

This semester I read a significant number of nonfiction books. As I mentioned, I’ve always been kind of drawn by nature to fiction. I don’t think I ever would have picked up No Choirboy–or realized how emotionally I could connect with the issues that it presented–if it hadn’t been required. I’m not saying that nonfiction has replaced my loved for historical fiction by any means, but I’ve enjoyed the exposure.

Not to be redundant, but  I can say without a doubt that I have read far more “teen” reads during our semester together than I ever did as an adolescent! It’s been interesting to hear some of my little sister’s perceptions of books we’ve read that I recommended to It kind of makes me wonder how I would have responded if I’d read them when I was actually a teen. Would I have been more shocked/skeptical/moved?  I’ll never know…but it’s interesting to consider.

Many of the texts we read this semester were written in the last few years, unlike so much of what I studied in undergrad. It has been really interesting to consider merit versus popularity. I feel like I am a more well-rounded reader now, and have been introduced to some new and very relevant texts (ie. graphic novels).

Honestly, I do find myself sometimes questioning how many YA novels will stand the test of time. I am still a pretty big fan of the classics, and I think that (with a few exceptions) they’ve stayed in the cannon for a reason. After this semester, though, I have gained a lot more respect for modern writers who are focused on a teen audience. They have so much to say, and many say it so well.

Virtual

Because I have a limited virtual presence prior to this course, I already feel as though my virtual self has evolved during the past week by leaps and bounds. I understand that grasping current technological trends is invaluable to helping make literature relevant to students. Currently, I’m most interested in better appreciating how Twitter is useful privately and professionally, and what the overlap between the two will be for me and students. I am also about the possibility Second Life opens for sharing information and ideas in a safe and remote setting.

Wow! I would definitely say this has been the area that I have grown the most in if I had to choose. Sometimes the hardest part about our class was honestly getting all the technology to work and checking multiple sites to ensure that I was on track. When everything went smoothly, I felt far more connected to our class and the learning process because of the virtual aids. Voice Thread scared me at first! By the end of the course, I comfortable recording myself. I now know how to use iMovie inside and out, and have uploaded videos to YouTube for the first time.

Navigating Second Life and using an online forum to conduct class was way more interactive than listening to pre-recorded lectured in other online classes. Hearing people’s voices–rather than just seeing what they have typed–truly does make a difference. I think that blogging and having a Twitter for academic purposes helped me to imagine how I could I might use these tools, or similar ones, in my class one day.

Synthesis

The process of writing my Pre-FOKI showed me a lot about myself. Firstly, although I have done a significant amount of writing about literature in the past, I haven’t really significantly considered my relationship to it, or how that affects my goals, both professionally and personally. Pausing to do so reminded me of why I am in school and why I am enrolled in ENG 579—that it is for a purpose bigger than meeting a degree requirement or merely earning a degree.

Secondly, when I thought about what a “Virtual Self” even meant, I realized that some of the educational strategies that worked for me may not work be effective when sharing with my students. While my teachers didn’t necessarily utilize a lot of technology in English classes during my adolescence, and that didn’t bother me, in the 21^st Century it would be a shame not to use all of the available resources.

I definitely feel like I have gained experience with some relevant technological tools after this semester! Too, I feel more comfortable that I won’t be violating author’s rights after our discussion of fair usage.

In retrospect, I remember a number of my friends complaining about always feeling a disconnect between real life and the experience of reading literature. I think this the main reason they didn’t enjoy English courses—because they felt that they had little to do with anything that went on outside the classroom. This is a tragedy, but one that I think can be changed through using more ttechnology in instruction.

I think the virtual interview with Jonathan Maberry–where I got to talk with a real live author–was perhaps the coolest example to me of how we are able to use the internet and technology to add to the literary experience. I look forward to enjoying and sharing more of these kind of experiences with classes in the future.

Too, because of the blogs of classmates and the networking on Twitter, I feel like I’ve joined a community of educators who all share tips and strategies on what’s working for them to achieve their goals.

ALP

Wow…this semester has flown by!

As I completed the embedded video for my ALP, I reflected upon the goals I set originally. I would say that the project was a success. What I wanted most was to make connections between literature and life that would inspire responsible actions.

Why?

Because ideas matter.

Ideas have consequences.

Thinking about the vast concept of social justice, it’s easy to become overwhelmed–even depressed. There’s a lot of problems out there. There’s domestic abuse, neglect, poverty, violence, discrimination…only to name a few. Can you really do anything about them?

Mother Teresa thought so. She argue that responsive actions don’t necessarily have to be earth-shattering in terms of magnitude in order to make a difference:”We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

Zlata Filipovic is one such person–one child–who was able to have a tremendous impact upon the world’s awareness of the situation enduring by residents of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. How? Through merely keeping a diary that she was willing to share.

I selected her book because I believe it is an excellent example to teens of how their voices matter and are worth being heard. I chose a book club format because I was really interesting in fostering a forum for the sharing of ideas. The four girls who participated amazed me in the ability to relate and to have compassion! Here is my video which summarizes what we learned collectively.

Book Club Website

 

On a side note: Many thanks to Hannah, Jenna, Caroline L., and Caroline F. for their enthusiasm. I enjoyed our time together so much. I feel like they did, too…at their suggestion, I am pleased to say we will be continuing  Book Club! Any ideas for our second read?

In terms of evaluating the project, I do feel strongly that my question– –is very relevant to teen’s in a world that is increasingly interconnected. Being able to empathize with others, even kids growing up across the globe, is not only a moral duty in my opinion, but also has very practical benefits now more than ever before. Without a level of knowledge, which can be aided significantly through reading, I think it is tough to advance to a state of empathy.

In terms of design, I solicited Hannah’s opinions on what she thought would be the best fit based upon the group of girls in the Book Club. She helped me plan and invite everyone. I pitched a few different books to her, and Zlata’s Diary seemed like the best fit. The girls themselves asked if we could have a second discussion meeting. I’d only really planned on one.

Lastly, I would like to address the issue of student work and responses. My initial plan was to incorporate a writing component.This obviously did not really happen. The only real writing that took place on their end of things consisted of brief responses and listing exercises to generate topics for discussion during our book club meetings. I didn’t give any “homework,” so to speak.

Ultimately, I decided against having the girls produce a type of written work that captured what we learned because they seemed far more interested in doing something practical and hands on. Bluntly, the bake sale really exited them–and me–more by the end of the project. I felt that asking for both was probably too burdensome when I considered their schedules.

Mutlicultural Literature

Initial Thoughts

What does “multicultural” really mean?

It’s undeniably a world term these days, particularly in the field of education. I will confess that I sometimes worry that it is tossed around a little too frequently, and used by people as justification for anything new or different without really considering meaning or implications. Reading Aronson’s “Slippery Slopes and Proliferating Prizes” and Pickney’s “Awards that Stand on Slid Ground” certainly made me dig deeper into my own definition of the term.

I believe that literature has been a reading has been component in digging deeper into my own culture. Too, many of the books that have been my favorites over the years (Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, A Thousand Splendid Sons) were books that enlightened me to the realities of groups.

Before I read the articles, my thoughts about literary awards based upon the ethnicity of the author were mixed. By and by, I was pretty open to them. It seems like a good idea to highlight the achievement of groups that have often been ignored.

Furthermore, my gut feeling is that whoever is giving out an award certainly has the right to stipulate the criteria of the recipient. When I chose to enter a voice competition in high school, I knew what the criteria was. I knew that the winner would be chosen based upon their ability to creatively perform a piece of music, and that the difficulty of the piece would be considered in the judging process. When I entered a spelling bee, I knew singing the letters of the words—even if I was singing them well—would be irrelevant if I didn’t have them in the right order. In other words, different awards judge different things. With two left feet, I wouldn’t bother entering a ballroom dancing competition. I don’t really feel left out. Neither would I feel secluded because I can’t enter the Mr. World pageant…

Maybe these are extreme examples, but the principle of certain awards being for certain types of people—and not open to everyone—guided my decisions when I applied for privately funded scholarships for college. That is the whole reason why scholarship websites (such as Fastweb ) are so popular. You make a profile in order to see what scholarships are out there and which ones are relevant to you. By default, then, there are many that will not be available to you. I didn’t bother applying for awards for students from Hispanic descent in the same way that I didn’t apply for ROTC scholarships. I guess I didn’t question rather or not it was fair that I couldn’t apply to either. It’s just the way it was, for better or for worse. As Pickney says, “we don’t live in an ideal world.”

Oversimplification?

However, I think what makes people nervous about the Coretta Scott King Award (CSK) and ones like it is the fact that one’s ethnicity is not based upon merit, talent, or any personal decision at all. When I really thought about this as I read through both of the articles, I must admit I wasn’t quite as confident as I was initially. With hard work, I can change a lot of things, including my perspectives. I cannot truly change my ethicity or my gender (without some pretty serious steps), though. I suppose even awards for just girls or boys, then might also be see as unfair…

While, on one hand, I continue to see no problem with awards that are designed for one type of person, it does seem to me that in literature, there are some potential problems. What happens if a white man writes a book about the experiences of a black woman? Should he be considered for the Coretta Scott award? Conversely, does a book written about a white man by a black woman make the cut even though the content doesn’t really portray the African-American experience?

I don’t really have the answers. I imagine the selection committee probably want the content to match the aims of their award as well. Still, I find if kind of odd that the artist rather than their work are judged. As Aronson puts it, “By insisting on testing the racial identity of its winners, the CSK shifts its focus from literature to biography. Who you are, which box or boxes you check on the census form, comes first.” It does seem to me that the finished product is what should matter in an art form that I believe is about breaking down barriers. I did find it interesting when I read Aronson that he had a similar concern. I like his idea of supporting awards such as based upon topic or theme of the text itself, though, rather than the author, such as the Lambda Literary Award.

Finding the Middle Ground

While I can see the validity of many of Aronson’s claims about the dangers of ethnic based awards, I have to say that he takes them too far. I don’t know if he is being extreme just to make a point, or if he is entirely sincere in places. For example, the portion about how awards with race as part of criteria will only benefit those of that particular race or community doesn’t make sense at all to me. He says, “as long as the prize is essentially a community honoring and encouraging its own, it is not clear how the rest of the public is meant to react.” Huh?

I don’t know about you, but when I come into contact with what I consider good writing, then I will react. It doesn’t matter who wrote it. The text speaks for itself. Sure, the experiences of the author effect what they put on the paper, but if they can convey these experiences powerfully it shouldn’t matter if I am from their community or not. However, this brings me to my final point: I have to come into contact with their writing in order to have a reaction. Awards like the CSK  Award can bring attention to works that I—as a white woman—might not naturally be exposed to, depending on how much effort and emphasis I place upon being mutliculturally literate. As Pickney points out: “a key aspect of awards that hold ethnicity as a criterion for winning is the exposure they afford to black and Latino talent.” While these awards aren’t designed for someone like me to “win,” I still think I, along with readers of every ethnicity, can benefit from the literature they celebrate.

Graphic Novels

“Huh? What Does That Even Mean?”

When I first heard the term “graphic novel,” I am a little embarrassed to admit that I assumed that this meant “graphic” as in containing really mature content. Maybe I was thinking of “graphic” as tied to words that you often see next to in, in movie ratings and such. Maybe I just have a dirty mind. I’m not really sure.

Then, when I heard they were more like long comic strips, and I assumed that they were for meant only for children/teens. It does seem like the appeal especially well to young adult audiences. I’ve learned that they actually aren’t limited either in terms of marketing or content, though, to just children and teens.

I can’t really say that graphic novels are my favorite genre, but they may grow on me. So far I have read just one, and I don’t plan on selling it/getting rid of it at the end of this semester (which I admit I do with some course books I know I’ll never touch again). Maybe I like being able to imagine the characters to look like whatever I want them too, I’m not sure.

Foreign or Familiar?

However, when I think about it, perhaps I do have some background in reading texts that incorporate a lot of images.I loved read Illustrated Classics as a child. Yes, they weren’t much like Solanin, but it seems to me that textually, they have the same goal of telling a very gripping story through both text and image. This may sound nerdy, but I sometimes flipped through Encycloepeida’s. I think when I was learning about things entire new–that I couldn’t relate to or picture in my mind at all–that pictures were particularly engaging for me.

Today, I still do a lot or reading and looking simultaneously. When I think about it, something about texts with images actually does feel more accessible and easy to fit into my every day life. For example, I have never minded waiting in doctors offices as long as they have a good magazine selection. I won’t pay for them, but I’ve been known to thumb through them in checkout lines. Advertising thrives on words and images. I’ve never really bought an outfit based upon the way someone wrote or said about it. A website feels boring and dry to me if it doesn’t have some kind of graphics/visual element. Lastly, although I really do try not to judge a book by it’s cover, but if I’m being honest, when I’m looking for reading materials at the library, their appearance on the outside–which often includes a photo or painting–does play some role in my selection.

Stand-alone or Supplementary?

Speaking of the library, on a trip there this summer I glimpsed a copy of The Kite Runner on the new releases shelf. I wondered what it could be doing there. A favorite of mine, I knew the publication date was 2003. Maybe the librarian was confused or didn’t get her coffee that morning? When I picked it up, I saw that it was an entirely different edition than the one I was familiar with. It had been revised and was now a graphic novel (I didn’t know that’s what it was called at the time, but that’s certainly what it was).

Here’s an interesting review of the results from a website designed to foster a love for reading in boys: http://bookzone4boys.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-kite-runner-graphic-novel-by.html.

I find it interesting that some authors begin with the drawings and that these shape the story, such as Inio Asano, author of Solanin.  Others, such as Khaled Housseini, write and then have illustrations added later. I wonder rather something is lost, or perhaps added, when someone other than the author does the illustrating. How is credit given? Are there now two authors, or an author and an illustrator? It seems like these sort of questions will become important as graphic novels continue to become popular.

The Forgotten Stepchild?

Too Harsh a Term? 

Is calling nonfiction neglected a little melodramatic?

My first intuition is to say yes. After all, there’s nonfiction books filling up shelves and shelves of virtually every library bookstore I enter. There’s bestseller nonfiction titles. Most textbooks in schools are factual. Somebody’s has to be reading them! A ton of people get the paper everyday (not that I’m one of them). Maybe nonfiction is alive, well, and getting more than its fair share of attention.

However, if I’m being completely honest, I have to consider how much I myself read. Although it is more now that it was during my teen years, I can’t say its a large percentage of my unassigned reading. Too, I have to consider what I know most of my friends read in their spare time. Hmmm…not such a simple discussion anymore.

For some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on, when I was growing up I liked books more if I knew that they weren’t entirely true. It seemed more exciting to explore imaginary stories versus ones that actually happened. I would have certainly referred to myself as an avid reader, so why did I avoid the nonfiction section? Maybe I secretly wanted to read just for the heck of it–not with the obvious goal of learn something.

I’m not really sure. When I was reading outside of school, though, I know I tended to select books that were historical fiction.

Fact vs. Fiction

This brings me to another point: I didn’t mind if the books were based upon true stories–but I liked them to be narrated with the kind of moment-to-moment sensory descriptions that often seemed lacking in the kinds of history textbooks I was exposed to early on. I didn’t really like (and still don’t run towards) Sci-Fi-like genres. I was most drawn to situations and scenarios that could have actually occurred the way they were described (although there were exceptions).

I didn’t want a summary or a list of the main points. I wanted to know how people felt and what they saw, rather or not their personal perspectives were entirely accurate or captured everything there was to see.

I do wish that I had been guided towards the kind of nonfiction that is still creative and imaginative in  style, though, because I like to think I would have enjoyed it as well. A parallel to this kind of writing, in my opinion, would be the historical district of Williamsburg,Virginia. It is a full-fledged reenactment of what life was like during colonial times, but isn’t just a museum. As they like to say, “History Comes Alive.” There are real people there who dress, speak, and assume entire identities so that visitors are taken back in time rather than merely instructed about the past. My little brother, for example, was never particularly interested in history, would listen to the blacksmith tell stories about what his everyday life while he hammered away on a piece of metal, sparks flying. He didn’t mind touring the governor’s mansion if he got to see replicas of the firearms British soldiers used.

Does gender matter?

Aronson raises a qustion that I think does come into play: do boys and girls enjoy or tend to read the same kind of books? Not easy to answer. I think it depends. It does seem that oftentimes adolescent-aged boys particularly are interested in concrete details while perhaps some of the girls like more flowery descriptions.

For example, most guys in my classes in high school  complained any time we were required to read poetry, while many girls owned up to liking at least some of it. I wonder, though, how many of their statements of disgust were really just prompted by going along with the popular male opinions in the classroom. Would any have been willing to admit to enjoying it, even if they had? Or would they have been to afraid that doing so would make them less of a man due to social conditioning? During college, I met plenty of guys who read poetry who seemed to have been doing so for years. I can only assume, then, that:

A) Some kept it hidden, and/or ;

B) Boys in my school had a disproportionate aversion to doing so.

What’s a Teacher to do?

No teacher can really eliminate the influence of peer pressure entirely. However, I think initiating dialogues that address common (mis)conceptions about different genres–be it that nonfiction is boring or that poetry is girly–can be a good first step. Next, we can select and introduce texts that prove the contrary and hopefully invite students to find other similar titles. A sidenote for Cris: Rot and Ruin was one of those starting block books for me. I’m much more likely to give zombie books a chance than I was before 🙂

ALP Proposal with Lite Review

Introduction

For my Action Learning Project, I am interested in exploring the ways that we as teachers can use nonfiction to encourage our students to develop a lifelong interest in social justice. Without a doubt, the teenage years are  a highly formative stage of life. Interior and exterior changes abound. Additionally, it is a time that students (hopefully!) cultivate the ability to step outside of their individual experiences and put themselves in others’ shoes. This skill of empathy, which is a necessary component in justice advocacy, is also one that is integral for engagement in the literary process (Jocson, 2009, p. 281), (Spires, 1998, p. 297).

There are two primary goals I want two to accomplish in my project:

1)   I want to expose students to current realities that they may not fully appreciate in an age-appropriate manner.

2)   I want to give students the chance to better appreciate nonfiction through identifying connections with their own experiences through autobiographical writing and creative expression. Although this may seem to be a time-consuming task, I think that it will maximize the impact of the texts.

Project Design

I am organizing Book Club with a small group of middle school students. I am currently getting their input on exactly what they are interested in reading. We will probably stick with a personal account of someone affected by a social issue that the kids want to know more about. I will give them a writing prompt prior to the readings designed to briefly capture their initial thoughts on the subject, as well as to gage how much they already know about it. After we all finish the readings, they will respond to a second prompt that shows how the reading informed them as well as any connections they made to the characters involved.

When considering how to structure the project to best get the kids both interested and actively learning, I drew from several theories we have discussed in ENG 521. Particularly, the Critical Literacy Theory and the Reader Response Theory were most pertinent and helpful. I am asking the students to process nonfiction from several different perspectives, and to talk about various kinds of meaning. Too, I want them to be able to articulate if/how they connected to it emotionally.

Taking the knowledge from the theories and directly applying it to a real-life project corresponds to the outcome of developing a Professional Self. Because I will be reading the material myself, and completing the same response assignment that I have the teens complete, I myself hope to better value in diversity. Additionally, I will be analyzing the actual text critically, allowing my Literate Self to evolve.

I want to build a site similar to our Wiki which shows exactly what we read, and summarizes what both of the prompts and responses were, as well as provides a background in the social issue we discuss. For the mutlimedia component, I hope to interview a few of the kids if I can get parental consent, and integrate these videos. This process of building the site will continue the development of my Virtual Self.

Why Social Justice?

My interest in social justice began during my teenage years. For me, early adolescence was a time when I faced the reality of the tremendous divide between the rich and poor to a greater extent than when I was a child. This wasn’t the only social issue that concerned me, but it is the one that stands out the most in my memory.

When I traveled to Ecuador, the summer before my freshman year, I was shocked at some of the living conditions there. However, when I came home and started high school—my first experience with public school—I began to recognize how many economic disparities existed in my own backyard. When some of my classmates didn’t have access to computers for homework, or had trouble buying the materials for projects, I saw how privileged I had been my entire life without ever stopping to realize it.

Furthermore, it dawned on me how much harder some kids had to work than others to succeed in school because of varying physical—and even emotional—resources. It was obvious some kids parents either weren’t around or didn’t care much at all about how their children performed in school. Sometimes the stories I hard about how they acted when they were present made neglect seem preferable. Some girls even had kids of their own to look after!

That year was a pretty big wake up call for me. Although I’d known for a while that those type of situations  existed somewhere and for someone, I never realized how widespread or common they were, or that they were relevant to me in any way. I hope the lessons I learned to the contrary, as well as the ones I continue to learn, will shape my pedagogy as an English teacher. As Jocson notes, “the value of empathy in teaching for social justice cannot be underestimated” (2009, p. 281). Hopefully, my project can help foster greater understanding of both self and of others that the students in the book club can carry with them, in turn promoting socially just actions.

Following is a more extensive look at how some of the articles I have recently read  informed the design of my project.

The Injustices We See

In her article “Teaching for Social Justice,” Sarah Ringo describes how seeing bigotry’s demoralizing effect on her husband prompted her to advocate for social justice within her classroom. Just after they moved to Boston, he was arrested and interrogated after playing basketball in a neighborhood near their home following a murder. Despite the fact that police did not really have a description of the killer from witnesses, he was held in custody with a number of other African-American males. She describes how he was ostracized and “re-named” as “the Other” by the police as well as frightened citizens for no reason other than his ethnicity. Minorities commonly experience similar profiling (as well as perhaps “majorities” in environments where they become the “minority”).

Through initiating discussions of situations like Michael’s, educators can facilitate an environment that encourages self-advocacy. Additionally, (and perhaps most relevant to my ALP because of the students that I plan to work with) discussions of diversity and discrimination are beneficial for students who may not have experienced prejudice directed towards them or their families. If we are unaware of injustice, why would we seek to change it?

Making Connections Between Life and Texts

Storytelling, as well as reading memoirs and biographies, can serve as starting blocks for change. Ringo writes about how much she learned from the writings of Malcom X, James Baldwin, and Richard Wright in addition to her husband’s personal accounts. She strongly believes that literature is one tool that can help students to “imagine” what it would feel like to be treated as minorities often are. Teens certainly have an active imagination, so it makes since that we should utilize their creativity to advance their academic and moral development.

In my own experience, I was remember connecting emotionally to slave narratives I read in an American Literature course, although I have certainly never been enslaved. These were actual people who were torn away from their families and communities, who had no say so over what they did with their lives. The couldn’t refuse whatever their master demanded. The injustice was no longer just a fact–there were faces to go with it. I could better connect to these faces than I could to more abstract or impersonal statistics regarding slavery.

Too, when I was a teenager, I ate up any kind of fiction or nonfiction book in diary form (perhaps because I kept so many diaries myself). I remember one about an immigrant girl’s struggle to live the American Dream being very eye-opening, as was Zlata’s diary, an account of a teenage girl growing up in Sarajevo during the siege. Would I have been able to remain as resilient as these girls were given their situations? I wasn’t sure. The books made me wonder, though–which I believe was a very good thing.

Like Ringo’s, almost all of the articles that I read to inform my project recommended self-educating through reading biography and nonfiction. Hiller Spires discusses how NC State University implemented a policy requiring students who scored below a certain level on standardized verbal testing to enroll in a course designed to foster academic success through writing. Many of the assignments were responses to works of nonfiction. She articulates the faculties’ emphasis on the  relationship between reading, writing and holistic growth: “We believe that as students derive a sense of self through autobiographical readings and writings, they have the opportunity to create a foundation on which to build as they continue to develop their academic voices in conjunction with other academic reading and writing endeavors” (1998, p. 298).

Spires goes on to give examples of actual writing form ENG 101  that assume students have read the works of men and women who have overcome significant obstacles. She, too, mentions Malcom X, as well as Maya Angelou and Eudora Welty (1998, p. 299). I think that reading this kind of nonfiction is valuable because it communicates to students that no matter where they come from, they can achieve success.

From Connection to Response

When we read about other people’s struggles (or even hear about them verbally in our classrooms), Elizabeth Dutro refers to the process as “bearing witness.”  She notes Holocaust Literature as one example of the type of text that communicates valuable lessons while conveying powerful emotions. Incorporating discussions of difficult and even traumatic narratives is useful, then, because it leads to discussions about what it means to be human. What rights do we have? When are they violated? What difficult moments or choices helped shape individuals and cultures?

As a teacher, she notes the necessity of being willing to speak and make connection between literature and your own life when appropriate. This will foster a sense of community that allows students to connect with you and realize that you are a multifaceted individual with an actual life outside of school (gasp). Too, it opens the door for them to speak honestly.

In “Dark funds of knowledge, deep funds of pedagogy,” Lew Ziplin notes that the kind of pedagogy that makes “meaningful connections with ways of knowing in learners’ lives beyond school” (2009, p. 317) is the only option for teachers whose goal is the promotion of social justice. This means that teaching only western/traditional texts may not cut it for classrooms composed of a high percentage of minority students, or students from varying socio-economic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds: “Curriculum based largely on power-elite cultural capital, no matter how skillfully taught, tends to alienate cultural ‘others’” (Ziplin, 2009, p. 318).

If we cannot incorporate a mature discussion of the types of life experiences students encounter into their literary experience, even when doing so may initially cause painful memories to flare up, they won’t find literature to be relevant. Spires notes that the converse action—acknowledging the legitimacy of what students bring to school with them—empowers: “By creating classroom conditions that teach students to acknowledge what they already know and hold it sacred as they continue to negotiate new academic environments, we affirm that our students’ lives, their knowledge, and their language are legitimate and valued” (1998, p. 297). This perspective matches the transformative approach to learning in our course framework–which includes reflection and the challenging of previously held beliefs.

Kaywell advocates requiring students to describe the effect of texts on their perspectives through keeping Reader-Response journals when studying nonfiction. In addition, she recommends incorporating individual research, collective sharing, and a flexible final writing-based project that allows an element of choice and creativity.

Thus, teachers can introduce a “reciprocal process” (Dutro, 2011, p. 208), in which students learn through not only reading, but also writing. For example, she taught a lesson on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay just after a student in the school committed suicide, and then assigned a writing assignment designed not only to promote the development of their writing skills, but also to help aid in their individual healing. Thus, testimony and witnessing can become  circular modes of engagement.

Concluding Thoughts

All of the articles seemed to agree on one idea: no single method of teaching nonfiction will work to engage every student. A highly structured and universal curriculum shouldn’t be the goal, or work the most effectively. Being resourceful enough to utilize whatever is most likely to be speak to your audience of the teens–being willing to meet them where they already are, and then usher them forward–is crucial.

For example, Korina Jocson explores the unique research done by teachers in California classrooms. Through encouraging students to participate in a poetry competition, teachers promoted greater awareness of social issues as well as writing and literacy development. She says: “To begin from a reader-and writer-response standpoint provided a place where students could see themselves and relate the sociocultural contexts with which they are familiar” (2009, p. 282). In other words, becoming a writer of “literature” themselves broke down the barrier students felt between themselves and the literary works the were being assigned. Rather than perceiving themselves as “the Other”—a group isolated and even excluded from academia and other social institutions historically—they became active participants. Through the opportunity to meet personally with renowned authors, they saw the possibility for achievement and success.

Although I’ve heard many people support the view that adolescents are so egocentric that they have little time left to consider the feelings or viewpoints of others, I think that we should not underestimate them. If we can help them to recognize the realities that many of their classmates are facing, I do think some of them will care—and hopefully pursue behavior that betters everyone.

Resources

Dutro, Elizabeth (2011). Writing Wounded: Trauma, Testimony, and Critical Witness in Literacy Classrooms. English Education 43 (2), 193-211.

Jocson, Korina M (2009). Steering Legacies: Pedagogy, Literacy, and Social Justice in Schools. The Urban Review, 41 (3), 269-285.

Kaywell, Joan (1994). Using Young Adult Problem Fiction and Non-Fiction to Produce Critical Readers. The Alan Review. Web.

Ringo, S. (2008). Teaching for Social Justice: Experiences and Epiphanies. Multicultural Perspectives, 10(4), 229-233.

Spires, Hiller A (1998). Leveling the Playing Field through Autobiographical Reading and Writing. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42 (4), 296-304.

Weiss, Julie (2011). US Economic Inequality is Rising: What Can We Do about it? Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. Web.

Zipin, L. (2009). Dark funds of knowledge, deep funds of pedagogy: exploring boundaries between lifeworlds and schools. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 30(3), 317-331.

YA Literature: The Promise and Peril

Young Adult Literature: “What does that even mean?!”

“So what are you taking this semester?

Typical question.

One that I’ve probably gotten literally hundreds of times every semester for the past 5 years.

When I’ve told friends (and random conversation-makers) that one of my classes this semester is “Teaching Young Adult Literature,” it has been made clear to me that a big percentage of people have no idea what that means. Generally, most seem of skeptical of the topic as worthy of academic study, especially on the graduate level.

One girl exclaimed: “Seriously? So you do you read like Twilight and stuff?”

I had to laugh.

Still, the question of what sort of books fall under the blanket of “Young Adult Literature” is a legitimate one, especially for a future teacher.

Some Factors for Consideration

If you had asked me to articulate what made a book YA a couple of months ago, I would have probably stuck with the first qualification that Roxburgh lists in his discussion: I the book was written from the point of view of a teen and/or depicted some time of coming-of-age struggle.

However, as he goes on to point out, a number of books portray the lives of adolescents but are not classified as YA:“Most observations about the subject matter and the age of the protagonist and the point of view from which a story is told only describe the young adult novel; they do not define it” (5). Perhaps their length, structural complexity, or mature content sets them apart.

It seems to me that the latter can be somewhat problematic because standards of appropriateness vary between cultures and even between families that live next door to each other. Furthermore, just because a novel isn’t overly graphic doesn’t necessarily mean that it is meant for or will appeal to an adolescent audience.  On the flip side, if dealt with in a sensitive manner, sometimes graphic content that represents something significant is really useful and can resonate deeply with teens.

2 Novels: Young Adult or Not?

Take Elie Wiesel’s Night, for example. For those of you who have never read it–your eyes will be opened. It begins during his childhood, and chronicles his families expulsion from their village and his struggle to survive two death camps. From the perspective of a young boy, it questions what it means to survive and to endure. In terms of style, I remember very little other than that it was written in a way that is fairly straightforward and compact. It was the plot and overall message that stuck with me.

Wiesel depicts horrific situations in which inmates are murdered brutally and others where they themselves fight–and kill–for a loaf of bread. This book, which tackles tough questions such as the existence of God and the prevalence of evil and suffering in the world is required reading in some schools, and can be easily accessed on many YA bookshelves in public libraries. Thus, educators seem to think that young adults can handle and should be exposed to this kind of literature, perhaps in order to keep similar atrocities from every occurring again.

“The night was gone. The morning star was shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of the Talmud, the child that I was, had been consumed in the flames. There remained only a shape that looked like me.” – Chapter 3.

Another novel that resonated deeply with me was Khaled Husseni’s The Kite Runner. Like Night, it relates a young boy’s coming of age through some very horrific situations, and his continued growth into adulthood as he battles redemption for the guilt of betraying a best friend when he needed him most. gives a Middle Eastern perspective on Afghanistan’s  past, present, and future, as well.

For me,  This novel was engaging both in terms of characterization, plot and subject matter.

Although it begins with Amir’s childhood and some of the most pivotal moments occur during his adolescence, I wouldn’t really consider it YA Lit and I haven’t seen it marketed that way. I did see it made into a comic book that was in the YA section, but the original text has always been in the Adult Fiction genre wherever I have seen it. I know of several colleges who used it as their required summer reading for freshman. In my opinion, the fact that it is located in the Adult Fiction section of the library communicates something.

A few possibilities come to mind:

1) Length.

2) Perhaps Housenni wanted it to be taken “more seriously,” and marketed his novel accordingly.

3) The rape scene is too graphic or too mature. In the discussion of appropriateness, then, books that contain graphic elements, even when presented sensitively, are excluded from the YA genre. I’m not saying this is a bad thing; I’m not sure at what age we want our students to be confronted with rape scenes. I’m just wondering if there are certain topics, even when presented sensitively, seem to be no-no’s for YA literature.

Artistic Considerations

Additionally, Housseni’s written language was beautiful as an art form. I’m shocked that English isn’t his first language. He definitely puts my writing to shame! His protagonist is a writer, as well. One of the themes of the novel is therefore art’s significance in Amir’s struggle to work through his childhood memories. For him, to write about his past is to not forget it. Although finding beauty or meaning amidst brutality might be seen as trivial, it is the only way he can make sense of his experiences of retain hope for his people’s future:

“I write fiction,” I said, thinking of the dozen or so short stories I had written in the leather-bound notebook Rahim Khan had given me, wondering why I was suddenly embarrassed by them in this man’s presence.

“Ah, a storyteller,” the general said. “Well, people need stories to divert them at difficult times like this.” -Ch 11

Aronson similarly argues that in times of extreme turmoil, such as the September 11th attacks, we realize why art and creativity matter. They have the ability to bring out something that will endure beyond and outside of our sometimes painful realities: “[The arts] stand offering young people a way to grow and to appreciate what human beings are capable of creating” (35).

This function is not unique to YA Literature by any means, but it is a component. As Aronson himself points out, YA is just literature written with its target audience in mind. It therefore “offers art and ideas in a fashion that communicates especially well to teenagers” (96).

Before I agree wholeheartedly, I will say that this definition may be a tad simplistic. It tends to lump all teenagers into a single entity. As we have seen from other course readings, observed in our own lives, and the students on the video for the Melinda awards demonstrate, they are very much individuals. However, I do agree that adolescence is a period marked by rapid growth in change, both in body and mind. Therefore, it makes sense that there are many common issues that a lot of teens will be exploring or grappling with that can be addressed artistically in an effective way.

The Moral Question

I wouldn’t classify myself as the kind of strict moralist who advocates censoring books to the extent that we only provide positive role models for kids. Honestly, that would be too simple, and I think more than a little annoying. I think seeing “bad” characters can be quite useful, as well. I myself have read some books where I was so annoyed with the speaker that I mentally vowed to never become like them!

This being said, as a future teacher, I do agree with the dual principle of art as Instructive and Delightful.  We should provide relevant literature that is reflective in some way of their lives while also enriching their view of themselves and the world. I do not think that we can take responsibility for how students respond to difficult ideas in books upon ourselves. In other words, do I think that teenage girls who read about a protagonist with an eating disorder or who cuts  will necessarily develop the habit? Certainly not. Will someone, somewhere, who craves attention or already has poor self-esteem? Maybe. I can’t really answer that, truthfully, because it is far more complex than a simple cause-and-effect relationship.

I really like the metaphor that Aronson uses about the YA reader undergoing a process of alteration as they advance toward adulthood. He says they are “molting, shucking off one skin, one self, and finding a new one…every day” (95).

Teens are developing the framework that will guide the path of their lives during adolescence.  Is this promising or perilous? Honestly, maybe it is both.

We can’t really control outcomes because every student will make their own decisions. With this in mind, I believe that incorporating more quality YA Literature into the curriculum would be a positive move because it does seem to resonate with its audience particularly well. Isn’t that our goal in teaching literature in the first place?

Works Cited

Aronson, M. (2003). Beyond the Pale: New essays for a new era. Maryland & Oxford: The Scarecrow Press.

Aronson, M. (2004). “How are children affected by the books in their lives? (Children’s literature).” World Literature Today, 78(2), 14(3).

Roxburgh, S. (2004). “The art of the young adult novel.” The ALAN Review, 32(2), 4-10.

Literary Quality

Is Literature a Subjective Experience?

 “The language was brilliant and the interplay between the past and present was seamless.”

“I couldn’t put it down!”

“New favorite author.”

I found it funny how many times I would come to a literature class in undergrad ready to vent about how boring an assignment was only to hear other students make statements such as these. The books that I didn’t like could probably be placed in one of two categories:

A)   Ones that I recognized were thoughtful or effectively inventive, but that I disliked for personal reasons (i.e. subject matter, tone, period of history discussed, ect).

B)   Ones that I not only disliked, but struggled to appreciate on any level. Some of the authors certainly did take the kind “risks” (120) Aronson believes are necessary in great literature. However, let’s face it: sometimes risks fail.

This is where the discussion of terms such as “quality,” “merit,” and “distinguished” become tricky. Reading is a very individual experience. Yet, in my opinion, good literature challenges us to more fully participate in something outside of ourselves. Thus is serves both private and collective functions. Young adult students who presented during the 2011 Melinda Awards seem to agree. When describing Jonathan Maberry’s Rot and Ruin, one said that this is precisely what drew her to the novel:  “it was such an original take…it gives you a whole new perspective.”

When I reflect on books that fell under Group B for me, ones that didn’t necessarily stir my thoughts or interests at all, I cannot deny that some of my classmates were very moved by the same text. Thus, it’s hard for me to say that these texts were ineffective despite my (dare I say it?) extreme dislike for them. For someone with a different background or set of interests, the very same book might be a different story (no pun intended).

The Popularity Factor

This brings me to another question that Aronson explores. If something is of excellent quality, will it necessarily be well-liked ? On the flip-side, if something is well-liked does that mean it is due to excellence?

I don’t think you can answer “yes,” necessarily for either question. I would like to say that the enlightened American teenager of today could recognize superior writing. However, I know that some of the most renowned works of literature could not even be published during the authors’ lifetimes for various reasons, and others received only minimal attention by readers. Sometimes we gloss over things that are still “quality.” Furthermore, certain books that were immenseley popular just after publication die out. Perhaps they had a sensational kind of quality, but no enduring resonance.

Furthermore, social conditioning and an acquired appreciation are factors in the discussion of what contributes to quality.

For example:

I work part-time as a barista. My espresso is excellent quality; I know what to do to ensure that each shot comes out rich, smooth, and with just the right amount of Crema at the top. Most of my demographic, though, does not drink or like straight espresso—even if it is prepared well. It is just too “bitter” or “strong.” They’d prefer a mocha or frappe any day of the week (both contain espresso along with milk and sugar).

Maybe it would be different if I worked in an Italian café. In my opinion, additives may mask the way coffee is meant to taste. People are missing out! However, do I try to coerce them to buy a drink I know they’re not going to like? Probably not if I want them to keep come back to my shop. I may, and do, though, suggest options that I think will enrich and expand their palate.

To Instruct or Delight?

Should we ourselves change after reading? In my opinion truly distinguished books will usher us toward greater insight. Does a moral have to be spelled out, or neatly packaged into a concluding chapter with a didactic lesson? In fact, that usually comes across as manipulative and is off-putting. Do authors have agendas? Sure, we all do. Nobody likes to hear, “I told you so,” though, least of all an adolescent audience that is likely already tired of adult advice. I had to laugh (and agree simultaneously) when Aronson defended the Printz committees’ dislike of direct instruction, saying: “If we wanted to give an award for the best printed sermon, we would have done so” (Aronson 120).

Actually, usually the implied insight, the conclusions that they author does not neatly dole out but stirs us as readers to come to terms with using our own reasoning abilities united with what they have told us about the world as constructed in their text, is what I think is more effective.

Lucy Christopher doesn’t say that we all have the potential to engage in taboo actions. She doesn’t scream that society is corrupting, or that we are the product of our childhood experiences. She doesn’t support or deny the idea that love has the power to redeem. However, as Gemma comes to know the complex character of Ty, we get glimpses of a wounded man who behaves inappropriately yet is motivated by a firm belief that he is doing good. We start to wonder just where the line between passionate interest and dangerous obsession lies. When we see the juxtaposition of his stealing and saving her life, we cannot help but grapple with what makes a villain different from a hero.

Similarly, the Shavonne that Shawn Goodman gives us cannot be easily reduced to a type. She suffered a childhood without maternal love, but she takes ownership for mistakes that have hindered her from being a good mother to her daughter. She protects the other kids from brutal guards like Ms. Chui, but also sometimes chooses to ignore injustice because intervening will not be in her personal best interest. She is not a savior figure, but I at least grew to respect her in her struggle to change her life for the better.

Concluding Thoughts

Perhaps this is an egocentric view of reading, but Horne notes that teen readers, too, “want characters they can relate to, stories with which they can connect” (4). Watching the Melinda awards, it is blatantly obvious that adolescents search out this sort of literature and see relatability as a “distinguishing” factor. They don’t want to be dismissed or have their opinions devalued because of their age. They don’t want to be told what to do, but challeged to evaluate their motivations is alright. They appreciate authors who recognize their growing ability to view literature and life critically. When praising Rot and Ruin, for example, a student said what distinguished it in her opinion was the fact that “The voice is honest, doesn’t try to downplay the way that a teenager thinks.”

In her discussion of teen input into the selection of titles for the Printz Award, Horne adresses the ways in which the existent framwork sells students short. She points out that “the idea that teen readers can’t be relied on to make serious evaluations about the writer’s art and its effects,”  and the resulting fear of “formalized teen input into the Printz process” that would “inevitably dilute the discussion of literary merit with notions of popularity” (Horne 2) are serious misconceptions that contradict the nature and purpose of the genre.

I agree with her. Young Adult Literature should empower students to engage and to care. If they have more input then they will in turn have greater ownership, and will be encouraged to continue to explore literature—hopefully the kind that promotes socially responsible actions resultant from critical analysis.

 Works Cited:

Aronson, M. (2001). Calling All Ye Printz and Printzessess. In Exploding the Myths: The truth about teenagers and reading (109-122). Maryland: Lanham.

Horne, C.  (2002). “Beautiful” … “Fresh” … “Distinguished” Books: Teen Readers Take On the 2002 Printz Awards.  Voice of Youth Advocates. 25(5), 340-357.

2011 Printz Awards Footage:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/12780506

Second Bookcast: Something Like Hope

With all of the knowledge of movie-making and YouTube-uploading that I gained by trial and error from the last Bookcast, this felt like a cinch! Just kidding…but it did feel much easier by comparison.

I read Shawn Goodman’s powerfully moving novel Something Like Hope. It focuses on the circumstances that have brought Shavonne, a 17-year-old girl embittered by years of pain and abuse, to a juvenile detention center and chronicles the conflicting feelings she has when faced with the chance to get her life back. I was deeply effected. Her story is not only heartbreaking, but is sadly very similar to the harsh reality some youth, both in Raleigh and across America, face. Goodman has worked for years as a school psychologist and an advocate for juvenile justice reform, and his background shows in the writing.

I didn’t summarize much of the plot in my Bookcast, but focused on how the story reminded me of one of my favorite poems.

It also reminded me that people who genuinely care and are willing to do whatever it takes to intervene can make a difference.

First Bookcast: Stolen

Creating my first bookcast was quite the adventure! I have never uploaded anything to YouTube or put together videos with a mixture of picture, audio, and sound, so I feel like I have learned a lot this Labor Day Weekend.

Honestly, I initially selected Stolen because it was easily available and free–it was one of the titles that the public library had on shelf during a weekend when I knew I had extra time for reading.

I didn’t expect to be hooked the way that I was by the plot.

It is the story of Gemma, a bored and disillusioned high schooler on vacation with her parents. Hungry for excitement and change, she meets a mysterious and alluring stranger in the airport who drugs her and takes her to isolated region of Australia. Despite multiple attempts and schemes to escape, she is held against her will.

She is not physically or sexually abused at any point. Rather, Ty, her abductor, ironically also becomes her provider whose goal is to “save her” by showing her the beauty of a life lived simply and free of social constraints. He eventually concedes that if she still wants to leave after a trial period, he will send her home. As time goes by, however, and she settles into a routine, Gemma cannot help but appreciate the glimpses of good she catches inside of his tutored and wounded soul.

I won’t give away the ending. I can’t say that I didn’t predict it to a certain degree, but I still found it satisfying.

Particularly, I was fascinated by the juxtaposition of love, fear, resentment, and dependence. At one point, Gemma writes: “That’s what I hated most. The uncertainty of you. You’d kidnapped me, put my life in danger, but I loved you, too. Or thought I did. None of it made sense” (289). These are emotions that anyone who has been involved in an unhealthy or abusive relationship can relate to. Hope you guys enjoy my Bookcast:

Thanks to my family and friends for agreeing to pose for the pictures. I used iMovie to assemble the video. My sister, Margaret Land, wrote and played the song in the background and I used Garage Band to record it. The definition on the first slide comes from <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stockholm%20syndrome&gt;.