I was watching "Where the Boys Are," one of my favorite movies. It is a classic film that showcases the moral values of the generation in which I was raised. Teenagers today don't know what they're missing.
Dressing up to go on a date. Does anybody do that anymore? Seems like kids just hook up, meet in groups, and then pair off as the mood hits them. I used to like getting something new to wear, layering on the makeup, and even wearing pantyhose and heels. Preparing made the evening feel like a promise of something special.
Saying no. Yep, girls could do that and still be popular and find love. Guys expected it, and were ok with it. What could be easier? Kids today rush into sex before they even know each other's last names. I get it that this is the 2000's and people should feel free of guilt to do what feels good. But there are so many unspoken strings tied to sex that kids don't actually face until the act is over. There's nothing wrong with sharing minds and goals before sharing bodies. Is there?
Innocent fun. The cops rolled their eyes at the influx of kids and did what they could to keep them safe. There were no riots, murders, drug/alcohol overdoses, gang rapes, girls gone wild videos, etc. These kids were pulled into the police station because they jumped in a mermaid pool at a local restaurant. Good clean fun.
I don't know. Was life back then really so easy? Do the movies glamorize a fifties that never really existed? Life is hard for kids anymore, especially if we judge it by the movies that are made for them (gore, violence, and more gore). Maybe we need a little more "Where the Boys Are." I know that I enjoyed the escape this afternoon. Now, time to watch my other favorite, "Dirty Dancing." That too is a classic film that showcases the moral values of the generation in which I was raised.
Hmmm.....
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Strong Women in Literature - My Heroes
Book recommendation time! The following are some of my favorites. They share a commonality; the women are strong and the stories are real.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
I'm sure you've heard of this book, even if you haven't read it. Over the years, I've collected most versions published in the English language. It is not a book to be avoided because the subject is the Holocaust. It is a book to be embraced because of the optimism Anne felt for the human race despite the oppression she and her family experienced at the hands of the Nazis. I taught this book to my seventh graders for many years, and I was always amazed by their reactions to the story. Many of the kids were surprised that Anne was so open about her love/hate relationship with her mother. I remember reading it and thinking about how Anne's experience so echoed the difficult relationship I experienced with my mom. My kids were uncomfortable with this strained relationship; I think because her words hit too close to home at times. One year I was completely frustrated with a class who insisted Anne was a lesbian. I wasn't about to get into a discussion about blooming teen sexuality; I remember telling them to stop watching afterschool talk shows and relating their salacious topics to great literature. Instead, I encouraged them to absorb the wealth of Anne's wisdom. Here are a few gems for you:
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.”
So go ahead. Pick up this book and read it. If you're lucky, it will change your life. Anne Frank is my hero.
So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
This story takes place at the end of WWII when a Japanese family that has been stranded in Korea must return as refugees to Japan. Their father has been imprisoned (some have claimed he was a war spy), the brother separated from the family, and the tiny frail mother must get her two daughters home. Despite the harrowing journey and near death escapes they experienced, for me and my students the story really started when they settled. They were poor, rejected by their country, and suffered in ways my students couldn't begin to imagine. The harassment the girls faced as poor people in a private Japanese school and the determination they had to be educated despite the bullying, gave my students valuable insight into the importance of an education and how blessed they were to be receiving one. It's a wonderful and touching story. The sequel, My Brother, My Sister and I , finished the story. I love this book and the messages it sends: education is important, love one another, family loyalty, and peace on earth. There's some controversy that this account is total fiction, without an ounce of truth. Hmmph. Some people also believe the Holocaust never happened. Read it and decide for yourself.
On a side note, I heard the author speak at my school. This tiny, soft-spoken woman kept an audience of antsy middle school students hypnotically engaged in her talk. Some were near tears as she described the emotional torture experienced during her school years. All wanted to read her book at the end of the talk. I remember being required to send home permission slips so parents could consent to their child reading the book. No one ever declined permission. (In fact, Adam T., your mom sent me the nicest note thanking me for introducing your class to this book.) At the end of reading the book, students in one of my classes each wrote a letter to the author. She responded to every student with an individual, personal letter. Yoko Kawashima Watkins is my hero.
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Patillo Beals
I was first introduced to this book by a Black History Month edition of Read Magazine, a periodical used in our school to supplement the reading anthology. I doubt the school orders the magazine anymore due to its contents not being test related and mandated budget cuts that eliminate all the good stuff. But, there I go again, dragging out the soapbox. Anyhow, back to the topic.
This book examines the integration of Little Rock High School by one of the survivors from the group dubbed The Little Rock Nine. It's an important book and an unforgettable story. When I first read the excerpt, I was shocked that at my age and with my level of education I was woefully ignorant of the nitty-gritty of the Civil Rights Movement. I had never heard of the Little Rock Nine. I made it my mission to teach this book and/or share the moving excerpt every year with my students. There is a lack of curriculum concerning the Civil Rights Movement in our educational system; there is so much more to this history than Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks. Maybe if more Americans understood the complexities of the movement, our society would be in a better place today. Anyhow, the soapbox is wobbly. Back to the book.
Melba's description of the actual integration of the school is riveting, from the mothers' organization determined to stop them to the National Guard sent in to protect them. The abuse these youngsters experienced once registered at the school made many of my students burst with emotion as to how/why they did all of that just to go to school. "Ms. S! I'd be too afraid to do that!!!!" Me too, kids, me too. Melba Patillo Beals and The Little Rock Nine are my heroes.
All of these books have appeared on one or more lists of banned books for schools. I'm glad that I read them, and I'm thankful that the admins at Havre de Grace Middle trusted me to teach them with diplomacy and compassion.
Now, I challenge you to meet my heroes in books you will never forget. These are quick, compelling reads. It's July. There's still plenty of time to get in some quality summer reading. Enjoy!
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
I'm sure you've heard of this book, even if you haven't read it. Over the years, I've collected most versions published in the English language. It is not a book to be avoided because the subject is the Holocaust. It is a book to be embraced because of the optimism Anne felt for the human race despite the oppression she and her family experienced at the hands of the Nazis. I taught this book to my seventh graders for many years, and I was always amazed by their reactions to the story. Many of the kids were surprised that Anne was so open about her love/hate relationship with her mother. I remember reading it and thinking about how Anne's experience so echoed the difficult relationship I experienced with my mom. My kids were uncomfortable with this strained relationship; I think because her words hit too close to home at times. One year I was completely frustrated with a class who insisted Anne was a lesbian. I wasn't about to get into a discussion about blooming teen sexuality; I remember telling them to stop watching afterschool talk shows and relating their salacious topics to great literature. Instead, I encouraged them to absorb the wealth of Anne's wisdom. Here are a few gems for you:
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.”
So go ahead. Pick up this book and read it. If you're lucky, it will change your life. Anne Frank is my hero.
So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
This story takes place at the end of WWII when a Japanese family that has been stranded in Korea must return as refugees to Japan. Their father has been imprisoned (some have claimed he was a war spy), the brother separated from the family, and the tiny frail mother must get her two daughters home. Despite the harrowing journey and near death escapes they experienced, for me and my students the story really started when they settled. They were poor, rejected by their country, and suffered in ways my students couldn't begin to imagine. The harassment the girls faced as poor people in a private Japanese school and the determination they had to be educated despite the bullying, gave my students valuable insight into the importance of an education and how blessed they were to be receiving one. It's a wonderful and touching story. The sequel, My Brother, My Sister and I , finished the story. I love this book and the messages it sends: education is important, love one another, family loyalty, and peace on earth. There's some controversy that this account is total fiction, without an ounce of truth. Hmmph. Some people also believe the Holocaust never happened. Read it and decide for yourself.
On a side note, I heard the author speak at my school. This tiny, soft-spoken woman kept an audience of antsy middle school students hypnotically engaged in her talk. Some were near tears as she described the emotional torture experienced during her school years. All wanted to read her book at the end of the talk. I remember being required to send home permission slips so parents could consent to their child reading the book. No one ever declined permission. (In fact, Adam T., your mom sent me the nicest note thanking me for introducing your class to this book.) At the end of reading the book, students in one of my classes each wrote a letter to the author. She responded to every student with an individual, personal letter. Yoko Kawashima Watkins is my hero.
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Patillo Beals
I was first introduced to this book by a Black History Month edition of Read Magazine, a periodical used in our school to supplement the reading anthology. I doubt the school orders the magazine anymore due to its contents not being test related and mandated budget cuts that eliminate all the good stuff. But, there I go again, dragging out the soapbox. Anyhow, back to the topic.
This book examines the integration of Little Rock High School by one of the survivors from the group dubbed The Little Rock Nine. It's an important book and an unforgettable story. When I first read the excerpt, I was shocked that at my age and with my level of education I was woefully ignorant of the nitty-gritty of the Civil Rights Movement. I had never heard of the Little Rock Nine. I made it my mission to teach this book and/or share the moving excerpt every year with my students. There is a lack of curriculum concerning the Civil Rights Movement in our educational system; there is so much more to this history than Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks. Maybe if more Americans understood the complexities of the movement, our society would be in a better place today. Anyhow, the soapbox is wobbly. Back to the book.
Melba's description of the actual integration of the school is riveting, from the mothers' organization determined to stop them to the National Guard sent in to protect them. The abuse these youngsters experienced once registered at the school made many of my students burst with emotion as to how/why they did all of that just to go to school. "Ms. S! I'd be too afraid to do that!!!!" Me too, kids, me too. Melba Patillo Beals and The Little Rock Nine are my heroes.
All of these books have appeared on one or more lists of banned books for schools. I'm glad that I read them, and I'm thankful that the admins at Havre de Grace Middle trusted me to teach them with diplomacy and compassion.
Now, I challenge you to meet my heroes in books you will never forget. These are quick, compelling reads. It's July. There's still plenty of time to get in some quality summer reading. Enjoy!
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