Back to School...
After being away for two weeks, I was ready to start back today. It was even refreshing to be around the kids, well most of them anyways. They have so much energy, especially during days like today where they too havn't seen each other in a while.
It was interesting to see the reactions of the kids when they got their exams back. Some appeared to be really concerned while others had looks of indiferrence and disinterest. It's those kids you just have to wonder about...if everything is ok with them and their family, or if they are going through something serious at home? It's very easy to become so wrapped up in your lessons and daily activities and overlook kids who in many ways are crying out for either attention or help. Over the years, I've taught kids who have had to deal with close family deaths, pregnancies, drug and alcohol addiction, and suicide attempts. They don't really teach you how to handle and deal with these real life problems in college...but sadly, these kids may not have anyone else to turn to outside of a teacher or counselor at school.
I'm looking forward to having a good spring with them. We're starting the 2nd semester with Huck Finn (which can be challenging with the dialect and racial issues), but I've had an aweful lot of success with the book over the years, and I really think that it is one of "the masterpieces" of American Literature-a must read for every high school kid! We also have to get the kids ready to take their OGTs in the spring...which can also be a rather stressful time for both the kids and their parents. And off we go....
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
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2 comments:
I've never read Huck Finn--I guess I should! I've been spending my recent summers trying to make up for the education I never got by reading books I had heard were classics. I've enjoyed some of them:
All Quiet on the Western Front--took me a while to figure out the story was a) told from a German perspective and b) was acutally about the FIRST world war! I did like it though.
Brave New World--liked the imaginative beginning, but then the story got a little odd for me.
To Kill a Mocking Bird--good story. I can see why it is such a "classic."
The Catcher in the Rye--I know there's a lot written on the psychological level about this kid, why he thought everyone was so phony, how he thought he was "all that," but I didn't really care for it much.
One summer I read all Steinbeck. Grapes of Wrath, Winter of our Discontent, The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row--just about everything but East of Eden.
Do you have any suggestions (besides Huck Finn) for my summer reading this summer? (I go to used book stores or library sales and buy the paperback editions for $.25!
Since you asked...
The Color Purple- a powerful story about a young black girl who is abused as a child but perseveres through life and ultimately triumphs as a role model for all...language is a bit rough, but definitely has a great message!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- again, rough language, but definitely a good read. Randall McMurphy and his fellow patients at the insane asylum is a Christian allegory...that also is a brutal attack on societies that oppress its citizens
Death of a Salesman- I love this play...probably because it sadly reminds me of my father- who too is a dying breed of a salesman from yesteryear...Willy Loman is one of the classic tragic heroes attempting to live the American Dream, but ultimately comes up short.
Scarlet Letter- not a favorite among my kids...but again, it certaily has its place in American literature...considered to be one of the first great American romance novels. Hawthorne's main theme here focuses on sins of the heart/ passion (affair of Hester and Dimmesdale) vs. sins of the soul (Chillingworth's vindictiveness and revenge)
If you interested in the Vietnam War at all...The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is simply awesome...some very poignant stories about the psyche of various soldiers who confront battle and death...O'Brien is a Vietnam vet himself, so many of these short stories are autobiographical in nature.
And of course...you gotta read Huck Finn, man!
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