Week 8, Blog Post 8
In conclusion… The summer and this course on adolescent literature are coming to an end, and I definitely have takeaways. But because I believe conclusions, like good-byes, should be brief, I’ll give you just the two biggest takeaways. The first big takeaway this summer is the importance of finding the space to be a teacher who reads, where being a teacher who reads means reading books that belong in the hands of my students and therefore knowing which students' hands they most belong in. My other big takeaway is that the passion I have for representation and discussion and critical thinking about the world around us (especially the world around us that doesn’t look like us or talk like us or think like us) is represented in YA books. The work I want to do in the classroom, the conversations I want to have, they’re already started in the space of YA books. But what does this mean for my students? Well, they’ll see a reading community in their classroom, they’ll see bookshelves and book talks and book boards, and they’ll see meaningful books that lead to meaningful projects. They’ll see that I support them as individuals, as readers, and as members of a reading community. They’ll see that I’m excited for books… and for them. I think what I need and want now is more ideas, activities, and experiences. I want to keep this momentum and excitement. And, of course, I need (and want!) to read more YA books from my to-read list/annotated library. A few that I plan on purchasing and reading in the near future are: Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes; Akata Witch (series) by Nnedi Okorafor; Throne of Glass (series) by Sarah J. Maas; Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed; The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang; Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration by multiple authors; We Are Okay by Nina LaCour; and The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner.
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AuthorI'm a high school English teacher looking to share with students, parents, and peers some of what I'm learning in the classroom as a teacher. Archives
October 2018
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