In Which I Explain (i.e. Defend) My Love of Young Adult Literature

I would like to think that I’m a big girl now. I have a car, own a house, and pay all of my bills. I do my laundry and clean. I’m beginning my eleventh year of teaching, and will be starting the work towards a PhD in just a little over a week. I have a husband and two little kids. Yeah, I feel pretty grown up most of the time. And I’m okay with that.

But despite the cold hard facts of adulthood slapping me around daily, I still hold on to those teenage years through the literature I read. Now, let me be clear. I’m sure there are other English teachers that enjoy the novels they teach in class. They might even consider it a favorite. And I’m sure there are probably a good number of teachers and parents alike that have been persuaded to read something their kids have read after hearing rave reviews. “It was cute,” they might say. But give them a Janet Evankovich or Stephen King and you have yourself a mature adult reader, content to lie in bed with a little book light and skim through the pages until their eyes get too heavy to stay open.

This is where I differ. Give me something from the contemporary adult best-seller list and I’m asleep or, at least, moved on to better things after the first chapter. Give me a young adult novel, on the other hand, and get out of the way. I’m the walk-down-the-hall-reading-and-bump-into-people-because-I-have-to-finish-this-chapter-before-my-next-class-begins type. The sit-on-the-bathroom-floor-while-my-deodorant-dries-and-read-one-more-paragraph-before-I-have-to-leave type. The let’s-put-the-kids-to-bed-early-tonight…no…I-just-want-to-read type. Give me a young adult novel and I’m hooked.

This 180 has even taken me by surprise. In high school and college I was all about the classics. Offer up some Shakespeare, some Chaucer, skip the Melville, please, and replace it with a side of…hmm…maybe some Dickinson, and you had one happy little nerd. Now, I would rather scan the young adult aisles for the newest vampire series.

No, I don’t have Peter Pan Syndrome, nor do I have Freaky Friday Fever; I just love young adult books. They really delve into their characters. They fill their plots with exciting details and leave you hanging at the end of the chapter, wanting more, having to read on just to find out what happens next. Teenagers don’t want to read about how a humorous detective solved the impossible mystery. They want to read about something that could happen to them, or that they’d like to happen to them – something cool, mysterious, maybe a little dangerous. They want to picture themselves in that character’s shoes, imagining that the vampire and werewolf are fighting over them, or that the hot new witch is in love with them.

Probably the biggest factor for me is that they aren’t afraid to be fantastical. They can throw you into a world of vampires, werewolves, dragons, and wizards and you don’t think twice. You accept it as the norm, like it could be happening right now in the house across the street. That’s what I adore about young adult literature, specifically the urban fantasy genre. It’s just so free and spontaneous — not tied down to structure.

Again, I want to clarify for those who might be taking my statements as book bashing. I’m not saying that adult novels are flawed in any way. And it’s not that I haven’t or won’t read something from that category. It’s just that I prefer to not. You might think I’m crazy. You might even laugh. But I really don’t care. If you need me, I’ll be lost in a world of homicidal faeries. Well, right after the witch makes it to her next birthday without turning dark and offing her boyfriend. And that will probably keep me busy until the flesh-eating water horses come out to race. Feel free to join me.

Can Social Media Stop Bullying?

The Missouri State Teacher’s Association has filed a lawsuit against the state in an attempt to fight a law that prohibits the use of social media communication between students and teachers.

This was, of course, of interest to me since I just blogged about using Facebook in the classroom. I even have an article published on eHow explaining the uses and benefits of such. I can’t claim expertise in this area, since I have yet to make use of this tool in my class. The only students I have as Facebook friends are those that have been graduated for several years. But I still believe, when used responsibly, that it’s a good thing.

The Washington Post said,

“[Schools] are right to be concerned [about cyber bullies and the sexual predators that scour the Internet, but] in a media universe where young people are often most engaged and motivated online, these laws only handicap learning and innovation.”

I have to agree. Using social media can definitely invite unwanted remarks. Name a publicly-known case where someone has had inappropriate contact with a young student, or where students have bullied another student into depression or suicide. Sadly, everyone can think of at least one, I’m sure.

But the Post is right, here. Social media is an innovative method of developing communication between a teacher and students. They spend so much time using it already. I think that if you are careful with, all will be fine. Get district permission. Get parental permission. Get yourself a separate account and require students to do the same. Get rules that clearly state the consequences of using the account for purposes other than school. If we can teach students how to appropriately use media and encourage its use in a positive way, maybe it would cut down on the number of negatives. When they spend their time using media for educational purposes, the time available for unethical uses decreases.

Looking Ahead: “The Scorpio Races” novel to be released in October

Last month, I wrote an incredibly long post about my thoughts on Maggie Stiefvater’s end-of-series novel, Forever. This beauty wrapped up the “Wolves of Mercy Falls” trilogy. If you are a supernatural-paranormal-urban fantasy type of reader and need something amazing to dive into, this is the series for you. Though it didn’t have the fairy tale happy ending that I prefer to be spelled out in superior detail (this is something I’ll get into further in a later blog), it was still a good ending. And it certainly made me want more from Mrs. Stiefvater.

Well, lucky for me, her new novel, The Scorpio Races, will be coming out on October 18. Will I get my perfect ending this time? We’ll see. But even if I don’t, this novel is sure to be another excellent story from this young, vibrant writer. If you are interested in learning more about the novel, Stiefvater created a stop-motion trailer to tease you into becoming even more impatient for the novel’s release.

In the meantime, check out the world of Mercy Falls and her previous novels, companions, Lament and Ballad.

I’ll Be Watching…and Visiting

I can’t even remember how many times I’ve wracked my brain trying to come up with an alternative to successfully help a failing or low performing student. “What else am I supposed to do? How can I get them to do their work? It’s not like I can go home with them.”

Well, maybe I can.

According to the Washington Post, Jason Kamras, a math teacher turned D.C. schools official, is suggesting that home visits can be beneficial to the triangular relationship between parents, student and teacher. The idea is to show up, unannounced, at a student’s house and check to make sure the student is doing well. You can sit down and talk, better explain homework assignments or just say hello. The goal of this visit is to prove that you, as the teacher, care about the student both in and out of school. This should, in turn, improve trust and communication between all three parties.

It sounds good, in essence. However, I just don’t know how well received the visit would be. I know how paranoid I can be thinking about a friend or family member just showing up at my door when my house isn’t guest-ready. And sometimes (okay, most times) I’m just excited to get away from school because I need a break from it all. Do these families really want a surprise visitor, especially a teacher? Probably not. I mean, I guess it depends on location and economic status, but I doubt most families are waiting impatiently for their child’s teacher to show up.

I do think that there are times when email and phone conversations are not enough. Communication that lacks the option of facial expressions or tone of voice can often be misinterpreted. But I can’t say I’m really buying into the home visits.

Returning to the Olden Days of Education

I’m currently trying — and very desperately, I might add — to write an article on basal reading. It’s not going well. My introductory paragraph has not been coming together, so I stopped to research. I found quite a bit of recent news about how basal readers should be avoided. After reading the information, I’ve come to a conclusion…and it involves a revelation in my mind. I’m really sorry, and slightly embarrassed, that I didn’t realize this until just now. After years of educational brainwashing about how students are all different learners, I’ve been blinded by the idea that I have to differentiate in order to teach well. The fact is, I don’t.

Basal readers, in case you’re not sure what they’re all about, are books set up in a structured way so that students read and then practice those skills. Think Dick and Jane. This type of instruction dates back to the 1800′s.

My research and writing (or attempting to write) has made me question why learners are so different. Why can’t I teach the way they did 50 years ago? What makes today’s students so different? The only thing is…wait for it…society. That’s it. That’s the only difference in students of today and students from the 1950′s or earlier. It’s all politics. Today’s kids are the same as kids from any other time. It’s the families and government that have changed.

Think about it. Take a look at couples in their 80′s and 90′s. They are all still married, unless their spouse has died. The women stayed home and took care of everyone. They cooked, cleaned, sewed clothing, raised the kids. The husbands went to work and made money to pay the bills, always helping to discipline the kids when necessary. Families had one car, one bathroom, one meal time and one meal. Everything was easy. Today the divorce rate far exceeds the percentage of couples who are in it for the long haul. No one is home at the same time. Fathers leave, and women are working two jobs to take care of their kids. No one is home to care for them, make them meals, take their temperature when they’re sick, read to them before bed. The government says those kids are special; they need extra help to learn. Wake up and smell the cow patties, people. It’s not the kids that have changed; it’s everything else. It’s the government trying to make excuses for why we’ve fallen behind student performance in other countries, and parents trying to avoid the fact that their selfishness might be hurting their kids.

I learned how to read with the Dick and Jane books. Why can’t my students do the same? Why do I have to spend so much time trying to create the next best thing when I can do what taught me to read? I will continue to believe that there is a time and place for allowing students to apply their interests and special abilities to assignments. But I shouldn’t have to do that all of the time. Can I get an “Amen!”?

Maryland mother kills son over school issue

Have you heard this?

A single mother in Maryland killed her 13-year-old son and then committed suicide. Why? Her son, who requires special educational assistance due to autism, was going to enter seventh grade this fall. The woman, Margaret Jensvold, wanted to remove her son, Ben, from the public school system and send him to a private school that focuses on teaching kids with special needs. The public school system will sometimes offer tuition assistance to help families afford the private school, but only when they believe that the private school will have better resources for the student. If the public school can help, they will not pay to send the student somewhere else.

Well, the school denied Jensvold the tuition money, so instead of sucking it up, she shot her son in the head, left a note for her sister claiming that she couldn’t handle the school issue and then killed herself.

I think, for religious and moral reasons, that suicide is wrong, but to kill your child because of your own selfishness is just too much. There are people that have had their children taken away from them because they had no money, no home. Think Jonathan Kozol’s Rachel and Her Children. But you don’t see them trying to off their kids. They will hang on to them until the government pries those little babies from their fingers.

This story is just so appalling to me. I’m not necessarily siding with the public school, here. Often, schools are just looking for ways to avoid spending money, but their decision wasn’t the end of this lady’s world, surely. Her son should have been her world, but she destroyed it.

Here is the original article:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2011/08/kensington-tragedy-blamed-montco-school-system

Facebook in the Classroom

Excuse me for not keeping up lately with my blog, but I’ve been busy prepping for the new school year (boo hoo!) and finishing up a big batch of freelance writing (yea!).

I love when my freelancing escapades intertwine with my big girl job, and a lot of my recent articles have. One of the most intriguing articles I ended up writing was about the use of Facebook in the classroom. Yeah, that’s right, how to use Facebook to aid your classroom teaching. Honestly, I thought it seemed pretty crazy at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how extremely awesome it could be. Facebook is used by tons of people, over 750 million to be exact. I would say that at least 75% of my seventh graders already have Facebook accounts. And if I was persuasive enough, I bet the ones whose parents don’t allow their children to join would allow it for me. I’m not saying that I’m going to “friend” 65 seventh graders come this fall. In fact, I think it’s much better used in high school or college, but it is certainly one of those little idea bubbles floating somewhere in the back of my mind.

So, I figured I’d get back into blogging mode by writing this little blurb and sharing the link to my article, here. Out of my intense curiosity, please let me know if you would actually try this. If you have already tried it, let me know how it went.

Such technology!

“No Testing” Rally Hits Washington

Back in March of this year, President Obama said:

“One thing I never want to see happen is schools that are just teaching the test because then you’re not learning about the world, you’re not learning about different cultures, you’re not learning about science, you’re not learning about math. All you’re learning about is how to fill out a little bubble on an exam and little tricks that you need to do in order to take a test and that’s not going to make education interesting.”

Right on, Obama.

According to the Huffington Post, Obama also said that students should take fewer standardized tests and, instead, use other less stressful methods to assess performance. The HP also wrote that the Obama administration wants to set a more effective standard, saying that “by 2020 all students graduating from high school should be ready for college or a career.”

That’s great! That requirement makes a lot more sense than the current goal of 100% proficiency on standardized tests by 2014.

The problem is that nothing has changed. We had even more tests to administer this past school year than before, and many states have implemented teacher merit pay systems based on those very tests that Obama claimed are harming our schools.

That’s why over the weekend, an enormous rally took place in front of the White House, protesting the continued and increasing use of standardized tests. Even the pre-rally sound system check voiced concern as it called, “No testing. No testing. 1-2-3.” Teachers across the nation are at their limits with the broken promises of politicians who praise teachers’ efforts in educating students for life, and then pass laws and policies that make it impossible to do such a thing.

As a teacher feeling these pressures, it is quite frustrating to think that no matter what they claim, no politician is truly for teachers.

How did education get to this point?

Financial Aid for Illegal Immigrants

New Mexico, Maryland, New York, Texas, Connecticut and, now, California.

What do they have in common?

They have all, in some form or another, passed laws allowing illegal immigrants to apply for financial aid for college, according to the Huffington Post.

Really?

How many citizens of this country miss out on college because they can’t afford it? How many people are told they cannot receive financial aid due to income limitations? Too, too many. But, instead of using this obvious reserve of cash to help United States citizens hoping to improve their economic possibilities, our government is opting to give away money to people who have entered the county illegally, do not pay taxes and are simply taking advantage of our country’s kindness. You want to be a part of this country? Then, register and contribute.

Come on, all you government officials. You are killing this country. You are making it impossible for our own citizens to succeed by trying to be a friend to people who do not care about us. If you want to be friendly, stop sticking your collective government nose into the business of other countries that didn’t ask for help and help your own people.

We have people losing their jobs, their homes. People are out of food, out of options. But, dammit, we’re going to help those illegals so they like us. Or maybe it’s just that they’ve recognized the naivety of the US.

Wise up!

More Parental Involvement Needed? Not Always.

In a recent statement, TN Education Commissioner, Kevin Huffman, said that the parents of students living in the rural areas of Tennessee need to be more involved in their children’s education.

With a load of family in Tennessee, many of which live in said rural areas, I know all about the people that inhabit that beautiful state. I know about the secret back roads, the moonshine-makers rigged up in the sheds, the classic lives of hard-working, country-loving folks. I get it. I’ve seen it. Some of my relatives live it. It’s no surprise.

Huffman’s statement is the surprise. Tell me why, all of the sudden, these students are important. Why, just now, am I hearing about this problem? The rural lifestyle has been going on since well before Huffman and I came into this world. Where has he been?

I don’t believe that these parents have given up on their children. I don’t believe for one minute that they could care less what becomes of their progeny — quite the opposite. It’s just a lifestyle. Heck, I’ve seen it in the school in which I teach. I’ve had many “sons of a third-generation farmer” (borrowing from Craig Morgan) walk through my classroom door. Some have been below average, some average and some are well above the other more citified students. But, let’s be honest: these kids are going to take over the family business some day, and certain aspects of school just don’t make any sense for them. Is typing with the correct form going to help? I doubt it. Is physical education really important? Not for them. I’m pretty sure they get more of a daily workout than most people. Basic math and science? Those can help someone in the field of agriculture. Reading and writing? Most definitely, but Shakespeare, Dickens, Keats — in all of their spectacular literary glory — probably aren’t going to divine the secrets to better potatoes, unless a new study reveals that singing sonnets to your seeds helps yield a more plentiful crop.

It may not be what these students would have chosen for themselves if God had placed them with another family, composed of sky-scraping, business-minded urbanites, but they are loved just the same, and often more so. These students develop a need for the country. It becomes a part of them. Actually, it becomes them. They are where they live. They are country, and you can’t take that away from them.

This is where the irritating (so irritating, I don’t even like to say it) No Child Left Behind Act, once again, shows its flaws. If we are going to be concerned about the country bumpkins of the world, then why are educational policies written only for urban schools? If these rural students are going to be classified as at-risk, too, then shouldn’t we be including them in the law? And, in case you forgot, NCLB places all the responsibility — sorry, “accountability” — on schools and teachers, so why are we blaming the rural parents? We don’t hold urban families accountable.

Education has so many double standards, race issues, sexism…on and on. Let’s get over it. A student is a student is a student. Teachers, you take what you have, do what you can and pray that each child continues to grow, despite what the idiotic education nation tries to say.