For Your Consideration

I've decided that this year I will give my students a parting gift. I totally borrowed Mrs. Daulton's idea of the bookmark. I want them to read this summer, and I'm hoping that this will serve as a subtle reminder. To further this purpose, I am putting a list of five books on the front that I'm encouraging the students to read before they start school in the fall.

Young Adult books can be enjoyed by adults as well. They are good for a quick read, and many well-known adult authors, James Patterson, for example, write YA books. YA is also divided into two categories: 4-7 grade and 8-12 grade. While the 4-7 stuff can be a whip down, the 8-12 stuff tends to be very adult in nature. Generally classified as "Teen", these books can hold the attention of an adult looking for something fun to read. The Hunger Games, for example, is "Teen".

You'll notice that lacking are some of the super-popular books, like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. This is because most students have heard of these books, and they have either read them or already have plans to read them. I wanted to pick books that the students may not have heard of or may not know much about.

So, without further ado, here are my recommendations for 2012:

Night by Eli Wiesel
I am always disturbed by the number of my students who have no idea what the Holocaust is. They may have heard of it, but they have no true grasp of the brutality and suffering that went on in the camps. Wiesel's story is haunting. Violent without being unnecessarily so, it sticks with you for a lifetime.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
While most of her stuff is based on fairy tales, Breathing Underwater goes in a different direction. It is the story of a couple in high school. As their relationship evolves, his true nature comes out. What makes this not your typical abusive relationship story is that it is told through a series of journal entries he writes. Reading his twisted justifications for hitting her is eye-opening. I'm hopeful that if one of my own students finds him/herself in a similar situation, they will recognize some of the warning signs and get out.

Split by Swati Avasthi
This is a novel about what happens after you get out of an abusive home. How do you break the cycle when violence is the only thing you know? This novel looks at that situation, and again, I'm hoping my students will recognize warning signs in their own lives before it gets to be too late. I also want those who may be living in a violent home to realize they can get out and break the cycle.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
This one is very male centric, and it kind of reminded me of The Lord of the Flies. However, it is a really good story, and unique. The few students who have read it say they can't put it down.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers
This story of a kid who is on trial for murder is a dark look at jail and how it effects your psyche.

Red Rider's Hood by Neal Shusterman
It's a fairy tale revamp, but with gangs and stuff. It's also very dark ... very, very dark.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
More for girls, this story appeals to those who liked Twilight but wish the writing had been better. Clare is a much better story teller than Meyer, with more depth to her characters and less gratuitous love-stuff.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
See the explanation for City of Bones. It's the same justification.

Romiette y Julio by Sharon M. Draper
It's what it sounds like ... a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with gangs and violence - just like the original. The girls especially dig this book, and it's a great way to introduce them to the idea of Shakespeare without scaring them. Plus, it introduces them to an author that they usually end up liking.

Future Prediction

Like any good educator, I hate lockers. They are obnoxious noise-makers that breed congregating and lolly-gagging. They are pits of darkness that suck up homework assignments, binders, and library books. They are waste receptacles and a good place to stash the stuff you don't want adults to see.

However, while I hate them, there are students who should fear them. These students are usually immature and irritate their peers beyond all reason. They are the students who are going to end up in a locker.

Bradley is one such student. He is incredibly immature for an 8th grader. He whines and moans and asks questions just for the sake of hearing his own voice. But if I think he's annoying, his peers barely tolerate him, and the line between tolerance and fed up is getting thinner and thinner. He plays pranks that a 3rd grader would find amusing ... sweeping kids' feet so they trip, pulling out chairs, hiding backpacks, etc. His peers made the mistake of laughing the first few times, and now they have created a monster they can't get rid of.

So, I would like to lock in my prediction for Bradley's future at his high school: sometime before he graduates, Bradley will end up in a locker.

There is a legendary tale at my school of a student who would do things like shove other kids into the walls in between classes then run into the teachers' lounge crying about the big bully who was trying to hurt him. The other students could not stand this kid. One afternoon a teacher was walking down the deserted halls when he heard Darth-Vadar-like breathing coming from a locker. Someone had gotten so tired of this kid's shenanigans that he shoved him into the nearest open locker, slammed it shut, and snapped the lock closed. Administration had to track down bolt cutters to get this kid out.

Therefore, Bradley, I am pleading with you directly. Mature some over the summer. Realize that the seniors will find you even less funny than your immediate peers. They will not hesitate to stash you away in someone's personal waste receptacle. And if you're lucky, they will be kind and make it a full-sized locker.

Do you get it now?

Reteaching ... it is my nightmare. I have a well-thought-out and planned schedule that I like to follow. My little calendar is all filled out with units and lessons, carefully scheduled around awards ceremonies and state testing, and I don't like to deviate from it. That being stated, there is always the reteach. There is always going to be some kiddo who doesn't get the skill that I need him to get. I never plan for the reteach. By now I should have learned my lesson, but I haven't. So, I could ignore it and move on, hoping he'll get it by osmosis along the way. (That would certainly fit into my planned calendar.) However, this almost always never happens, and I'm under obligation by my district's grading policy to stop and go back ... to RETEACH. This is so not how I wanted to spend the precious little time I have with these babies.

But Jimmy, who answered a question about symbolism with this gem: Mrs. Mallard's heart trouble is a symbol of her heart trouble, needs the opportunity to try again ... but first he has to go through the learning process ... again.

It throws off my whole week.