Response Paper 5, Prompt # 4

Response # 5, Prompt # 4 – Open Topic

          My Reflections on 699B:  Throughout the course, I have tried to approach each text with the eye (and brain) of someone between the ages of ten and eighteen. That would have been a challenge, any way you sliced it. I think it’s safe to say that, even when I was that age, I really didn’t know and/or understand how others my age thought or what they liked. To that end, this course has been so helpful and beneficial, providing me with some valuable tools for my (fingers crossed) career as a teacher. What follows are some of my thoughts on the different aspects of this course, its goals and what I was able to take away from it:

1. Learning how to evaluate literature for classrooms: I appreciated the manner in which the text for the class presented materials, ideas, reading lists and suggestions for every topic covered. I will keep at least two of the recommendations in my “toolbox” and use them for most every assignment, both as a student and a teacher. One, make friends with a librarian – a straightforward concept, but one that I needed to be reminded of. I love the vast expanse of information, literally at my fingertips, that the internet affords. Bucher and Hinton included a section in every chapter (“Expanding Your Knowledge with the Internet” dialogue boxes) that bears out my point, but the authors did an even greater service when they made such a simple statement: “Educators can find a ready partner in most public libraries to help provide materials and services . . .” (63). I always enjoyed my visits to the local library, from my earliest recollection, and I took for granted the wealth of knowledge at the librarian’s fingertips. Now, however, I see the error of my ways – the library is treasure, and the librarian is the map. If I am at a loss for resources, be it finding a new book or assistance with a revised curriculum, one of my first stops will be the library. The second tool that I’ve already grown to appreciate is the idea of collaboration with other professionals. No man is an island, so why expect students to learn about literature (or for that matter, any subject) in a sort of vacuum. I think one of the many benefits derived through collaboration is context, be it a phrase in a novel or a point in history. For example, as I read the Benedict Arnold biography, I called to mind all of the hours I sat in various history classes – not one of them developed Arnold as an actual person and not just a footnote in American history. I learned his name, but I never had any real understanding or context of his actions. By the same token, I memorized battles, dates and commanders, but it was just data. Collaboration with other professionals, whether it be with the art teacher or the science teacher, can only serve to improve the students’ grasp of each class’s content. For example, if I teach Brown Girl Dreaming, I have a wonderful opportunity to fold in a discussion of racism from an historical perspective. I also have a chance to engage students in a conversation about the events that frame that perspective. If I’ve done a decent job of that, my students will be able to take that knowledge, along with a new depth of understanding that they may never have had, to their history classes down the hall (or to their lives out the door).
2. “Teach This” responses: All of the writing assignments helped me fine-tune my skills (grammar, citations, creative thinking/writing and critical analysis, for example). For me, though, the three “Teach This” responses were most beneficial. It allowed me a vehicle through which to apply some of the ideas from Bucher and Hinton, like the considerations for evaluating young adult literature, but it also allowed me to meld together different aspects of expository, descriptive, persuasive and narrative writing as I did so (32-5). I enjoyed being able to develop strategies, activities and assignments for each of the three genres under consideration. We were not only given enough structure for each section to formulate these mini lesson plans, but enough leeway to be creative in our responses. With each strategy, I found myself weighing ideas that had me asking if I was making the book interesting, while at the same time challenging (56). As a result of the “Teach This” assignments, I find myself eager to test out some of those strategies. Some of my suggestions seemed to resonate with my classmates, and that segues nicely into the blog . . .
3. The Blog: My work experience with blogging has been to gather intel on the bloggers (I’m currently employed as an intel analyst for the federal government). With that in mind as my level of exposure to, and use of, blogging, I was a bit hesitant to participate. Strangely enough, it was the idea of collaboration that won me over. One, I appreciated the way each person adopted a voice that was both supportive and judiciously analytical. With such a wide variety of topics chosen by everyone, it was as though I had five other instructors – and each person took their job seriously. Once a response was uploaded to the blog, I couldn’t wait to read everyone’s comments to everyone else. The blog served as a thoughtful and engaging diagnostic tool, and my classmates used it with reason and logic. Two, the blog was a great way to connect with others in class. I loved the individuality that came through with each post; this in turn helped me get to know the class just a little bit better. I think it helped build a rapport that would otherwise not have been possible, given everyone’s hectic schedules. Three, it gave everyone an opportunity to have their words and ideas tested – a sounding board, if you will. Four, the blog memorializes our responses, which transforms them into resources. If I need to revisit a book that Emily or Alex wrote about, I need go no further than our class blog. Five, the blog is an ideal way for all of us to become more conversant with our level of IT skills. For me, in particular, the real test came about when I had to re-format a .pdf to a .gif, in order to upload a photo.

All in all, ENGL 307/699B has been a really cool way to achieve the goal of obtaining the intellectual and practical skills needed to read and teach young adult and adolescent literature. 

Work Cited

Bucher, Katherine, and KaaVonia Hinton. Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.