Text Book Toggles

It seems the main theme in my classes for the week is text books. I find this pretty amusing because all of the problems that we've discussed facing the students in our classes are the same problems that face me with the text that I have been assigned for the classes that I take, even in college. Except you have to pay much hard earned cash for them and oh, the pain of having to read all 500 odd pages. I hate it... as much as the younger student does, that pain will never go away for me. As a matter of fact, a textbook, any text book, is one of my artifacts for this class, that's how much they have influenced my dislike of them!

On the other hand I know, with the help of supplemental text, these books can be a haven for those who do not like to get caught up in details and pictures. There are some who read solely for information only. The people I know like this never developed the love of reading that comes from the enjoyment of reading to like it. This is sad to me and another reason to teach reading skills throughout school. I didn't realize the movies in my head had a name, or that there should be an internal voice while reading text silently. These are traits that develop, not just happen. My situation is that I just don't remember developing these things because for as long as I remember they were already there, so I never understood when people didn't just posses these traits. It confused me.

The excitement of being a Language Arts teacher for me lies in the fact that I can help people develop these skills. I can show them that there are skills and I am not just a born reader! This is even more exciting than it was to begin with!

A litte Reflection

Oh my GOODNESS! I can't wait for the discussion of The Book Thief (yeah, I'm the nerd already finished). I can't remember, well, yeah I can, Harry Potter. But in that reference, I looked this book up on line to help try to find a quote that I loved from the book and ended up reading reviews, histories, the bio of the author and critics quotes about the book. One was quoted as saying, "I hate to call this Harry Potter and the Holocaust but that's how much I enjoyed reading this book." As twisted as that is I understand his comparison. I enjoyed it that much as well. I'm sure Jonathan won't have to read the book, I read so much of it to him.

On that note, I knew no other book could measure up to The Book Thief. So that is the situation I face when I contemplate this Searching for Alaska book. I am cynical going in. I love the classic coming of age stories and because of this I am weary going into the next book. For this reason, low expectations, I will probably like it. It is the same with movies. If I don't have expectations there is no bar to drop, no level to reach. I already assume you will be on the bottom to me. (and Yes, I know what ass-u-m(e)ing does).

The other day in class we did a fish bowl (I almost wrote round robin - classroom curse words). I really enjoyed this with the piece that the Pro. chose. It was complicated and I spilled my brains all over the pages (and there were only three...pages, that is). When I was finished the words were marked, questioned, underlined, boxed in, crossed out and mulled over. I ended up enjoying the piece (I think it was called She Unnames Them). Anywho, rules of the fish bowl being: Four people come to front and sit "at the table" (mind you, there is no literal table, they just sit like they are across from one another at one). ONLY these people talk, if a though strikes someone in the audience they tap one of the people in the circle. The tapped exits gracefully and the conversation newbie enters.

It worked out great! I learned loads. I was one of em' who did not know about this Plato and a cave and the shadows....whoa! What? So there was something to look up. Then there was this Swift fellow, which we were told was Jonathan Swift. I had no idea (still) how he fit into the situation. The point being that the collective of the class could bring to this piece of literature what I could not alone bring up to myself. I don't have all the experience, I only have some. The whole is greater than its parts and all that jazz. BUT it's true! This was great proof of that. I consider myself a strong reader (for the most part, I struggled at the two highest levels of lexile.com) but even as I did have my own take on it there was so much more to take in.

There are also times when I remember getting lost in a text and talking it out with my peers would have helped, but talking is restricted and collective thinking is stipulated to clubs. I could have used a fishbowl a few times in school. Instead I had to figure it out on my own, I wonder if I actually did?

A view of My Classes...

I am really enjoying this class so far. It's like the best book club in the entire world, not only that but we, as students, are bouncing ideas of what we like and what does not appeal to us - Like McDonald's, I'm lovin' it!

A few bring ya' up to dates... I'm taking nine hours again. That seems to be my cap as a Grad student. This semester they, my classes, are all the same general thing, they are all about reading. I'm excited, it's three versions (three professors) teaching me using different techniques. I'm gonna' enjoy this and I hope to take from it techniques I want to use to teach my class.

The whole point of this blog is to tell you why I didn't like Zachary Beaver, which makes it sound like I didn't like a person, but it's a book.

The plot was too much, too many things goin' on in the book. These are some of the conflicts just to name a few: Loneliness on many accounts, war (set in the Vietnam era), small town life, best friends, only child, broken home, alcohol, coming to terms with faith, etc. Too much for me to care about it all. Some authors can pull it off, don't get me wrong, but your involved enough in the main problem so the rest of the conflicts don't really get in the way. This lady didn't pull it together enough for me to get too interested! I was disappointed.

So now it's on to The Book Thief. Oh my goodness it's a can't put it down. I've never read anything so rivetingly written. I love the narrator - really, in general it's a great idea of a book and I'm only fifty pages in. Come on, I can only imagine how great it really gets. I'm in love... so far.

I'm obviously a picky reader so I'll keep you posted on the books that intrigue me... if you're interested.

First Impressions...

Here I am, back at it with another class! Oh boy is this one exciting me! It's teaching adolescent literature and for those of you who know me you know how I thrive on that very thing. We had to pick a book this week and explain why we chose that book. Out of the sea of lit. we all know there is , why did I choose When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.

Here goes.
It was the font and the color of the font for the title that drew me to this book. After I picked it up the black and white photo on the cover made it seems even more ominous to me, appealing. Who is Zachary Beaver? I suddenly wondered and the medal on the cover made me think that most people who had read the book had liked in it. In some way it had appealed to them.
I turned it over and read the story outline it gave. Hmmm, okay, interested. So I bought it. Now, whether I liked what I read is another story.