The House You Pass Along the Way

The book The House You Pass Along the Way was interesting. It was definitely an easy read and I did enjoy reading it. I thought it was an interesting story that intertwined two very important and pertinent topics to many of today’s middle school students: sexuality and race. The idea of interracial marriage is an important one to discuss in my opinion too because I would like to hope that most people are ok with this idea, but I am not naive enough to believe that everyone loves it.

Another interesting thing about this book was the relationships between Staggerlee and her siblings. For the most part, I think that she felt compared to her siblings and felt it was not fair that they be expected to act the same way. This idea would definitely be important to middle school students. Even if they do not have siblings that they live with and deal with on a constant basis, students always have to go through some level of comparison. Staggerlee dealt with this well for the most part in my opinion and she made it apparent that regardless of what others thought of her, her family, her siblings, or their past, she was going to be her own person. This lesson is so vital for everyone to go through, and middle school students often are trying to understand themselves, their peers, and the relationships that go on between their peers.

Also, I loved how the house in the story was so vital to the characters. That Staggerlee’s father left for a while, but he eventually came back. It just reminded me a lot of how I feel about the house that I grew up in. It made me who I am. So much has happened in the house and I would love to come back to live in a house just like that when I grow up and have kids of my own. People get attached to places, and I love that this is so well represented in the book. Places are meaningful.

I loved the article, “Who Can Tell My Story,” because it discussed the nature of language as a mode to communicate and tell a story. Language has been a common theme in my life lately and the more I hear from people and classmates, the more it fascinates me. Language is so much more than talking. It is culture, it’s communication, it’s telling a story, and it’s about relating to others. I also loved that Woodson wrote this, and told more of her personal story in it. I was interested to learn more about her as an author and a person and I think that knowing that she had experienced so much hatred and judgment from others made her story behind Staggerlee and her family that much more real for me. Real life stories make an impact and when people can write from places of knowing feelings that characters feel, it is so meaningful. People everywhere can benefit from walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, and stories are one way to do just that. Jacqueline Woodson definitely accomplishes this feeling in her book The House You Pass Along the Way.

Woodson, Jacqueline. (1997). House You Pass on the Way. New York: Penguin

Group.

(2003). Who Can Tell My Story? In D. Fox & K. Short (Eds.), Stories Matter: The

Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children’s Literature (41-45). Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Before I started the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I’m not going to lie, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I would be able to relate to a main character who was high school freshman, living on a reservation, and who was a guy. And I’m not really sure if I could per say, relate to Junior, but I did almost immediately want him to succeed. As soon as Mr. P came to his house after he was in out of school suspension, and he warned him that his only hope was to get of the rez, I was hooked. I was unsure of how I was going to think about the rest of his journey, but as soon as he got to Rearden High School, I was rooting for him. I wanted him to make friends, get the girl (Penelope), and kill his old school in that basketball game. I wanted him to show his “friends” back home that you CAN succeed and do well if you decide to leave the reservation. I wanted him to know that he had made the right decision.

So much about the Native American culture shocked me in this book. I have never really learned a great deal about this culture before now, and the only things I really did understand seemed to be so far from what was represented in the book. This became especially true when I realized that Alexie was Native American. I was shocked to learn that most of the Native American literature in the past has been written by non-Native Americans (Reece 1997). I’m not really sure if I loved this book or not, but I’m thankful for it. Granted, I know that this is only one perspective on this giant culture that is vastly different for everyone that lives on a reservation, but I’m glad that this was presented to me.

I’m not totally sure if I would use this in a classroom or not. As a middle school teacher, there are some points in the book that I would be uncomfortable discussing in a classroom setting. I think as a high school teacher, this book would be great though. I liked how it kind of pushed the envelope a little (vulgarity in some parts) and basically survives because it portrays stereotypes. I think that for teaching irony, idea of friendships, going against the grain, standing up for what you believe in or culture I would take parts of this book and use it in class. I think that this could also be beneficial for students to see the use of stereotypes in literature. Thus, some of the issues of racism and stereotypes that Reece discussed in the article could be seen in this book and I think that students would appreciate seeing a different side of racism.

Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group USA.

Reese, D. (1997). Native Americans in Children's Literature . Using Multiethnic Literature in a K-8 Classroom, 156-184.

LGBTQ post

The novels The Misfits and Totally Joe were incredible! They were quick reads, entertaining, and the characters were very relatable. Even as a college graduate, I felt myself being taken back in time to South Forsyth Middle School. Joe, Bobby, Addie, Skeezie, Colin, Aunt Pam and even the notorious bully, Kevin, suddenly became members of my own language arts class. I think that this was the beauty of these books. I almost immediately connected with the characters. I was quickly reminded of how I was embarrassed by silly things, how important my friends were to me, how some teachers really did impact my self-esteem, and how fellow students had potential to make or break an entire year in middle school. Image was everything, and the need to belong somewhere was real.

One of the most impactful moments in these books for me was how Joe’s parents handled the news of him coming out. Granted, it wasn’t a shock, but still, they were supportive, respectful, and made sure that he knew that their love for him did not change. So often, the press, media, etc. tell stories of parents badly reacting to news like this, so it was refreshing to see a positive example of supportive parents. I also loved the relationship that Joe shared with his Aunt Pam. I hope that every student, regardless of sexual orientation, can have a caring understanding adult like that in his or her life. Of course, I am definitely not naive enough to think that this is a reality for even half of the population. But, I think that this is a reason why Joe was so sure of who he was.

Bullying was another big theme that I noticed again and again. I recently had a conversation with one of my best guy friends and he revealed how the bullying he had experienced as a seventh grader continues to affect him and the way that he sees himself. I love that in Totally Joe, bullying was combated so fiercely. I also appreciated that the book was not a “fairy-tale” ending so that their party won in the election. I think that this was more true to real life. It is not easy to fight for what you believe most of the time. But, that shouldn’t stop you from fighting. I think that a lot of middle schoolers would benefit from learning that.

As for the articles that we were supposed to read, I couldn’t help but get upset with some of the accusations that the authors were making. I hate that students have succumbed to society’s view of “heteronormativity” and that there are practices, which promote thinking like this, but I found some of the examples that were listed as a little much. The rock painting incident for example: the students SHOULD be punished for using language like that, but to say that this was “metaphorical rape” was a little much. And, to be honest, I was frustrated that they would insinuate something like this from school rivalries. As a future teacher, I know that I will definitely have a strict rule about using terminology such as “that’s so gay” just like I will not tolerate “that’s retarded” being mentioned in my classroom. I think that as teachers, we cannot combat all of the negativity that is in society, but of course, I will definitely fight for the freedom of ALL students to express themselves, LGBTQ students, and straight students. I also think that our culture has become MUCH more accepting in general. There will always be people who are “stuck in their ways” and who will disagree with everything, but there are also LOTS of students, teachers, and administrators who are fighting for equality. So, don’t assume that just because I am not LGBTQ myself, I don’t want to help end bullying, or inequalities within the school system and beyond.

Sorry, that was totally a rant.

I did however love the article about self-censorship. I think that it brought up a lot of interesting points. And I appreciated that it provided more literature opportunities for school libraries. Even if I personally won’t be teaching students about the different lifestyle choices that are around all the time, I want to be able to have resources for students who do have questions. And I’m glad that I have a place to start reading for myself (I wouldn’t ever refer a student to a book that I haven’t read myself). Students will have questions, and I want to do my best to provide them with a place to ask them. And I’m sure that I won’t have the answers that they are looking for, but I’d like to be able to point them in the right direction.

References:

Blackburn, M. V., & Smith, J. M. (2010). Moving Beyond the Inclusion of LGBT Themed Literature in English Language Arts Classrooms: Interrogating Heteronormativity and Exploring Intersectionality. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(8), 625-634.

Howe, J. (2001). The misfits. New York, New York: Atheneum Books For Young Readers.

Howe, J. (2005). Totally Joe. New York, New York: Atheneum Books For Young Readers.

Stewing, J. (1994). Self-Censorship of Picture Books about Gay and Lesbian Families. New Advocate, 7(3), 184-92.

I'm taking the challenge.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma was incredible! I loved reading it, and it has honestly challenged the way that I have previously thought about food, purchasing food, and what is happening in American culture in general. I would be lying if I said that I haven’t been presented with this information before, and I’m not sure why I was so impacted by Michael Pollan’s words. My younger sister is a vegetarian, and has been for the past 6 years. I have always admired her ability to fight for something that she believed in, but I have written excuses off in the past. Now, I’m not planning on giving up meat entirely, or even going cold turkey on fast food (hello, I am a college student with very little money!) but I will definitely reconsider some purchases in the future.

One of the reasons that I loved this book so much was all of the extra side bars in it. For whatever reason, I never felt like this book was too long or difficult to get through, even though it is a longer book. The sidebars presented a lot of information that was important to the overall thought processes behind the book, and they challenged me to think deeper about my own life, how I was raised, and eventually how I want to present the idea of food to my children and students. I never felt condemned by any means while reading it; I just really believed that Pollan wanted us to become more aware of what is happening in America. And I think that it is for this reason that I will make my students read this, or at least part of it. Awareness. Had I been aware of the information that was presented in this book, then I think my lifestyle would look a little differently now.

Another part of this book that I loved was presented at the very end. The afterword will DEFINITELY become a part of my curriculum. It was empowering. Even as a middle school student, I think that every single person that read this would feel as if they had could make a difference. And I really do believe that middle school students are searching for places to make a difference, to matter, and to fight for something that is important to them. So, this book lends itself very well to letting students become passionate for a good cause. If anything, I feel like it was a call-to-action to make better decisions with the new awareness that he presented.

I was interested by the chapter that discussed childhood obesity, and calorie intake. I would love to present this information to my students in a way that is non-confrontational, and for the most part I think that Pollan did an excellent job. I also feel like I would be a little uncomfortable tackling this issue when it could so directly be affecting the students who are sitting in my classroom. I would never want to alienate students, but I do think that this topic is one that they should know about—whether or not they are dealing with childhood obesity.

After reading this, I had a discussion with one of my roommates about the high fructose corn syrup commercials that have been on television during the past couple of years, both the anti and pro usage of the media. I found myself becoming frustrated with people who are fighting to tell people that the corn syrup isn’t bad. I understand that your body does treat it similarly to sugar, but I feel like the underlying message behind some of those commercials was that people need to continue to eat food with corn syrup in it. There was one commercial that I remember coming to mind with a woman walking in a corn field. Ha!

Simply to make my students aware of what they are actually eating, the significance of what they are eating and where all of it comes from, I am definitely going to use this in my classroom someday. And in the meantime, I’m planning on taking advantage of the resources that are available to me while I’m living in Athens. What a great place to start making healthy, local, and organic decisions. Thanks Pollan, for challenging the way that I think about food.

the history of science

I was hesitant to start A Really Short History of Nearly Everything because it does look so much like a textbook, and the last thing I want to do in my spare time is read another textbook. But, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was easy to read, and I could read it in small chunks. Because there was no plot to the book, rather it was a collection of small “vignettes” and it did read like a slightly more entertaining textbook, I ended up reading it in five minute intervals throughout the week. I definitely appreciated this because I could read an entire “story” in the book while I was waiting on a bus or something like that.

My two areas of specialization in the program are science and social studies, so this book was a perfect mixture for me. It told “stories”/ the history of how scientists and researchers came to the conclusions they did. I also liked that in many of the stories, it discussed the implications of their findings on the rest of the world. The history side of me was fascinated by the background given and the science side of me loved reading how everything worked. The book itself was also entertaining to look at because of all of the illustrations. It was much less intimidating to pick this book up because I knew that it wasn’t just text, but I could get through it so quickly.

I also couldn’t help but put my “teacher hat” on while reading through this book. I’m genuinely excited to have added this book to my personal and someday classroom library. It is a great supplemental text and the ideas are explained in simple enough terms that students could use it as a quick review over the subject matter we are learning about. Like I said, it would also be less intimidating for them to have to read over a couple of pages in this book rather than reading a chapter out of a regular textbook when it comes down to reviewing.

All of that being said, I don’t think that I’m going to run home every day from school to open this book up, but I am really excited to own such a valuable resource that I can bring into my classroom someday. This book is a great example of why I was originally excited about this literacy across curriculum class. I wanted practical resources and example activities for my future classroom. While I absolutely LOVED The City of Ember, The People of Sparks (I recommended them to everyone I know) and I greatly appreciate Charles and Emma for what it made me re-think through, I don’t think that I would use these books in my classroom curriculum because I’m not sure of how I can use my time effectively enough to have book discussions in a science classroom while also trying to cover all the material/ standards I can. This book however, will absolutely stay with me in the classroom!

Neither a Hero Nor a Villain.

Evolution is a tricky subject that many people are still trying to figure out for themselves. As a graduate student, I am still not sure where I stand on the spectrum of evolutionary thought. I would consider myself a Christian, and I have grown up with the label of “Jesus freak” through all of high school and undergrad. I still wear that title proudly. That being said, I have never even given a second thought to evolution, and Darwin in general until this year. To be honest, the only reason that I have thought more about these topics this year is that I know as a future science teacher, I know that I will have to have some sort of opinion, and I need to understand how to be unbiased in my presentation of the Theory of Evolution. I know that I want my students to be able to form their own opinions, and I want to display many different sides to the evolution debate. I want my students to know that it does not have to be a battle of science vs. religion. So, Darwin has never been a person that I thought much about. I have had a picture in my head of what he was like: a cranky old man who had bad experiences with religion and was nothing more than bitter towards the church. In the novel Charles and Emma my preconceived notion was proven wrong.

As the book portrayed Charles Darwin as a devoted husband, loving father, and avid scholar, I could not help but have respect for him. In a time of raising children to be a job of the nanny and housekeeper, I love that Charles and Emma raised their children on their own and it was evident throughout the book how much they dearly loved their children. How much of this was true to his personality, and how much was added to this biography for the sake of literature? One very small part of the book that really struck me was that Charles Darwin answered every letter he got about The Origin of Species. The book states that he “took each letter seriously” including the letters he received from critics (195). My respect for Darwin has definitely increased after reading all of this. He was much kinder than I had ever pictured him being.

While I am glad that I did read this book because it opened my mind to the idea of Charles Darwin in general, I did not like the book at all. I thought it was uninteresting and extremely slow. I can appreciate what the author has done with it, and I see the purpose of the book, but I can honestly say that I would not have wanted to read this as a middle school student in the least. I think that I will remember this book to tell students about in the future so that if they are questioning similar things that I struggled with (thinking that Darwin was a horribly bitter man…) then I would advise them to read this in order to gain a fresher opinion of him, but I would never ask students to read this book for a class. Had I not had to think about this topic just last semester, I would have been frustrated to read this book. I think that the topic of evolution is a touchy one and a difficult one to comprehend. So, I think that students should not have to read this unless they are seeking the information on their own.

I appreciate this book for many reasons. One of these reasons is that in the book, there are multiple excerpts from Darwin’s journals and notes. From a scientific mindset, it is interesting to see how Charles Darwin took notes and observed things even from his own children. Even if people do not agree with Darwin’s thoughts, it is undeniable that he has contributed so much to science and was good at what he did. I also like that Emma played such a strong role in the book. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it would have been for her to love someone who had opposing views to hers about religion, and I have a very high respect for her. In the past, Charles Darwin has been represented either as a hero (to the scientific community) or as a villain (to the religious world) and I liked how this book made him a person. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a mad who had thoughts, made observations, fell in love, and had connections within the scientific community.

As a reader, there were many points in the book that I struggled through. As a historian, I appreciated the references to everyday life, living with the reality of illness, and even historical events and people such as Jane Austen, the craze of séances, and Lyell. And as a future science teacher, I very much appreciate the book Charles and Emma.

Reference:

Heiligman, Deborah. (2009). Charles and Emma The Darwins’ Leap of Faith. New York:

Square Fish.

The City of Ember and The People of Sparks by: Jeanne DuPrau

I’m really surprised that I hadn’t ever read these novels before. I love reading books about dystopian futures, and I thought that I had read as many of the young adult literature I could find on them. My sister and I have been on the lookout for a new series once we finished The Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner. So, I was surprised to know that this series had been out for a while. (Ironically enough, my younger sister had already read them and forgot to tell me about them).

Overall, I really enjoyed the books. They were really entertaining and I think that lots of middle school students could relate to the characters in many ways. From Lina’s desire for adventure, or Doon’s search for importance in society, middle school students seem to crave these feelings as well. I really liked how they shared the “protagonist” role within the storyline because it serves to not alienate a gender. Both male and female students can find someone to relate to. I think it was also crucial that at different points during the book, both characters had feelings of being useless and felt as if they were not listened to: either as Lina told the guards about what the mayor was really up to, or Doon trying to convince the people of Sparks that he did not ruin all of the tomatoes. As a future teacher, I really want to make a point to let my students know that they are heard and their opinions are important. I never want my students to feel powerless, or that they don’t have potential.

This book could also be a quality tool for encouraging students to build friendships. Not only do Doon and Lina build a friendship, but because of this relationship, they save their entire town twice during these two novels. It is definitely a story of how important those relationships are. There is a strong need of cooperation and a sense that everyone has a purpose. Another interesting theme that I picked out of it was that everyone has a talent. Throughout both books, it seemed that every character either found something that they enjoyed doing/ were talented at, or it stated it very clearly. For example, Doon discussed how much he loved bugs and looking at the microscopic world. Mrs. Murdo discovered that she wanted to help with Doctor Hester because she enjoyed learning from her throughout People of Sparks. Lina loved to run and explore new places; she loved her family (Poppy and Mrs. Murdo); and she enjoyed drawing and being creative. Even the librarian, Edward Pocket, had a place in the city of Sparks.

I think that I would like for my students to read these novels in my classroom someday, but I don’t really know how I could best do that in a science classroom. One idea could be to have them read these books while we begin studying electricity and they could construct a similar project that Doon puts together at the end of People of Sparks. But, I’d definitely recommend these books to people to read. I really enjoyed them!