Re: Helllllllllllllllllp please!

[SommerWind410@aol.com]

Trisha~
I'm sorry to hear you're getting the third degree over your  selections.  
Having just finished a tales of horror unit (which included a  short focus on Poe 
and a handful of scary urban legends), I was  surprised not to get any phone 
calls this year from the fairly protective  parents in my straight-laced 
district.  (Usually, I get at least  one.)  
 
Of the suggestions made so far, I have to agree  that _Stargirl_ would be an 
excellent choice for what you are  looking for.  I'm not familiar with some of 
the other  titles mentioned, but I will think on this and get back to the 
list with  any other possibilities.
 
In the meantime, out of curiosity, I think I am going to have to google  that 
company.   :-)
 
-Cathy 
 
In a message dated 12/8/2006 11:59:37 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
trisha.mackenzie@gmail.com writes:

I'm having a crisis of confidence after 16 years.  I'm still  standing, but I 
have been pummeled the last two weeks regarding reading  selections in my 8th 
grade classes.  I'm new this year at a very  high-achieving school.  Because 
I'm new, I'm expected to hold the line a  30 year veteran established until 
I've proven myself, I guess.  A parent,  who by the way owns/owned a company 
called Positive Books for Children, is  unpleasantly challenging the established 
curriculum -- she's angry that the  tone of the books and short stories so far 
are "violent" -- 
 
We're just coming out of a unit on Poe (Tell Tale Heart, Fall of the  House 
of Usher, The Black Cat, Annabel Lee, The Raven) -- prior to that  Seedfolks 
and a Depression era novel that I don't like called Nothing to  Fear.  Prior to 
that -- Marigolds by Eugenia Collier, Ransom of Red  Chief, The Day I Got 
Lost, and lots of poetry. 
 
So.
 
Can I please tap into this group's broad experience, and ask for titles  of 
short stories and novels that YOU think have a positive, uplifting tone for  
that woman -- and for me that have depth, analytical possibilities, and a  
multitude of teaching opportunities.  I'm not asking for much, am I?  

Oh . . . and we start Elie Wiesel's Night in early February.  That  will 
thrill her.
 
Thanking you in advance.
 
Trisha