Roll of Thunder

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a novel I read in middle school I think. And it is one that stuck with me for a while. When re-reading it for this class I had forgotten a lot about it but I remembered as I read it. This novel is good for middle school age because it can teach compassion at an early age. Reading novels like this at a young age helped shape who I am today. Teaching this novel, I think, would be pretty easy and a great experience.

The Color Purple

I enjoyed the conversation we had on The Color Purple. I specifically found it interesting that it led to a discussion about how teachers are very limited in what they can teach to students about novels like The Color Purple. Yes there are parts that may make us uncomfortable but I think that's a good opportunity to teach students about maturity. I believe it is possible to discuss matters such as rape and domestic violence with high school students. Sure there will be some that are extremely uncomfortable with it, they don't have to speak up. They could be aloud to step out of the room if need be. And yes there would be some students who would make a joke out of it. That's a good opportunity for a teacher to show them that that's not the right way to handle that. But this is not the world we live in. There are too many politics involved and parents that want to try to shelter their kids. But while we are preventing kids from being able to to discuss things such as violence in a safe, controlled environment, they are out videoing themselves fighting just for fun.

I was shocked to hear some of the things that are not allowed to be discussed in a classroom. Some of those things were taught in my high school classes. I am amazed at what has changed over the last 10 years. I was gonna mention this in class but I didn't really get a chance. I recently saw a video posted on Facebook of a high school student speaking out against his teacher. He was criticizing her for only handing out packets of work for them to do and he said that she wasn't teaching them anything. I think at one point he called her lazy, but I'm not sure. Now maybe this teacher was lazy or just didn't care. But maybe, she was confined to just handing out packets of work because that was the only way to stick to the strict guidelines on what should be taught. It saddens me that students think most teachers don't care to teach anything with substance when in reality it's the government's method of standardization that is holding them back.

I hope when I am a teacher I can find some balance between what I want the students to learn and what the government says I can teach them. I know it'll be tough, I see the struggles other teachers face.

Second Thoughts

Coming into this assignment I was a little undecided on a novel. I chose "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent" without reading it yet. As I started reading I decided it wasn't good for this assignment so I am now trying out "In the Time of Butterflies". I think this will be a better choice as I have heard that it's been required high school reading before.

History lesson

After reading the first 11 chapters of A People's History of the United States, I am surprised by all of the new things I've learned. I knew that Indians weren't treated fairly. But I didn't know exactly how awful it was for them. These are things not taught in American history classes. Generally it is usually glossed over. Early pioneers are painted as hero's. I think this book should be required reading in high school. We should all know these things. Not to bring dishonor on our country but as a reminder. We should remember the bloodshed of the past so that we are not doomed to repeat it. Throughout the history of our country we have learned to be more tolerant of people that are different. But we still have a long way to go. Knowing all of these new things abou the founding of our country will probably shape the way I read literature. Reading literature from those times will have more meaning. Or I will look differently at the situations. I may have more sympathy or I may have less depending on the context.

How we read

When I read a story I put myself into. It's like a movie playing in my head. And for the most part I can see things from all characters' perspectives. I can easily understand the motives of the characters. But I don't always do well with interpreting the author's motives. My deep understanding of characters probably plays a huge role in how I interpret the text as a whole. Other people might read to find a meaning in the story. They see the characters as tools to get a point across. Because we read differently, we might get different meanings from the text.

Cultural, social and economic backgrounds also play a role in how we interpret a story. For example, my main take away from the story "Envy" is how not having a father around all the time effects a child (more specifically a young girl). But someone who may be from the area (or similar area) that the story takes place might see other important points in the story. Also someone from a different social class might understand the character's situation. They may feel sympathy but they cannot truly know what it's like for them in that situation. Also cultural background plays a role in certain situations. Most cultures have had significant events happen in the past. So when a story is written that is based on one of those events, someone from that culture would relate more to the story. They will find a different meaning than someone from another background.

I hope this makes sense. It's makes sense in my head but putting it in words on paper (or computer in this case) is a bit difficult. :)