Re: [Middle-Lit Digest] Vol. 3 No. 185 Messages: 3

["Trisha MacKenzie" <trisha.mackenzie@gmail.com>]

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who offered reading suggestions.
This is definitely a place with shark-infested waters . . . a small
group of parents dislike all my suggestions, but having nothing
positive to offer.  I very much like the lit circle idea -- used to
use it years ago, in a galaxy far, far away in a much poorer school
who had more books than I've ever seen.  The book list here is quite .
. . narrow.   I felt a lot better Friday after a long chat with my
wonderfully supportive principal -- and then volley #2 hit over the
weekend.  I'm pretty sure that there are only 4-5 parents complaining
-- but somehow through anonymous letters (so convenient, aren't they?)
they're making it look like many more.

I'll answer individually to those who wrote with suggestions -- thank
you, thank you so much.  It's been a nerve-wracking week.

Gratefully,
Trisha

On 12/11/06, middle-lit-owner@interversity.org
<middle-lit-owner@interversity.org> wrote:
> Middle-Lit Daily Digest
> Volume 3 : Issue 185 : "text" Format
>
> Messages in this Issue:
>   200612/21 : Re: Helllllllllllllllllp please!
>     Alisha Dullavin
>   200612/22 : Re: CSI grammar guy
>     SLYONS731
>   200612/23 : Re: Helllllllllllllllllp please!
>     Nancy Vait
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 07:39:18 -0800 (PST)
> From: Alisha Dullavin <alishadullavin@yahoo.com>
> To: middle-lit@interversity.org
> Subject: Re: Helllllllllllllllllp please!
> Message-ID: <20061210153918.78870.qmail@web52009.mail.yahoo.com>
>
> Wow..sorry to hear that you're going through so much madness. I taught 8th grade last year, and we ended up reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. It was challenging for my students. It was packed full of analytical possibilities.
>
>   We also read a very light book called Hoot by Louis Sachar. It's not as challenging but it is very lighthearted.
>
>   Another good one that I've found is called Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska. It's about the daughter of a strict Orthodox rabbi. Her family immigrated to the US. Throughout the book she struggles toward independence through education, work, and love.
>
>   Two other books that were optional were Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis and Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. I'd have to ask others on the list about these two titles. I never read them or got to them in my class.
>
>   Sincerely,
>   Alisha
>
>
> Trisha MacKenzie <trisha.mackenzie@gmail.com> wrote:
>     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
>
> .·´*
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Access over 1 million songs - Yahoo! Music Unlimited.
>
> [Attachment of type text/html removed.]
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 10:56:18 EST
> From: SLYONS731@aol.com
> To: middle-lit@interversity.org
> Subject: Re: CSI grammar guy
> Message-ID: <c6c.6a3c399.32ad8822@aol.com>
>
> Would you please be so kind to share this with me?  It sounds  interesting
> and I would like to try it in my seventh grade class.  Thanks.
>
> Shirley
>
>
> [Attachment of type text/html removed.]
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2006 11:53:30 -0800 (PST)
> From: Nancy Vait <vait3@yahoo.com>
> To: middle-lit@interversity.org
> Subject: Re: Helllllllllllllllllp please!
> Message-ID: <20061210195330.59568.qmail@web54008.mail.yahoo.com>
>
> Hi Trisha -- I just returned from two days of writing
> curriculum and saw your post.  A couple years ago I
> remember finding a YA booklist with suggestions that
> were "positive and uplifting" with classics geared
> toward the parent you describe.  I can't find the
> list, however, either online or in my own files.
>
> Here are a whole bunch of questions.  Do you have a
> district or school list of required 8th grade books?
> Are you held to teaching certain titles, like Night,
> which IS a powerful book but, you're right, probably
> will set this parent off again?  Who in your district
> or building will back you or offer you some guidance?
> You mentioned in an earlier email that your staff is
> forward thinking.  What do the other English teachers
> do with this problem?  Have you talked to your
> principal?  This doesn't seem like something that you
> should take on by yourself.
>
> Clearly, this parent wants choices for her child.
> Okay . . .  But clearly, you cannot and should not
> change your entire curriculum to meet her demands.
> You might put the question back to her and ask her
> what books she would consider suitable and choose from
> those as an alternative.  I've done that with a couple
> parents in past years and it helped defuse the
> situation.  As others have written, I've either had
> these students work independently with a reading guide
> which I found online, or I've run lit circles.  This
> woman sounds like someone who finds power in
> confrontation.  Definitely offer alternatives.
> Definitely have supportive arguments for books like
> Night.  I think you can find them at the ALA or YALSA
> sites.  Someone on this list will know.
>
> Good luck on this, Trisha.
>
> Nancy
>
>
>
>
>
> --- Cari Spitz Ashford <minnashford@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Flipped
> >
> > Debbie Parker <debracparker@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > CITY OF EMBER
> >   THINGS NOT SEEN
> >
> >
> > Marji Morris <mmorris@salemschools.com> wrote:
> >   oh, boy, what fun you're having.i can only imagine
> > the quality of the
> > fiction produced by the parent's company.
> >
> > i went through something like that many moons ago
> > with lord of the
> > flies in a 7th grade honors class. what i ended up
> > doing was developing
> > alternate lessons on other books that the kids could
> > read if their
> > parents objected to what the class was doing. i kind
> > of put them on
> > independent study--except i gave them vocab lists
> > and assignments. i
> > guess it was more like alternative study. they left
> > the room to
> > read/work when the rest of the class was discussing
> > the book. not ideal,
> > but one possibility. you could give this kid swiss
> > family robinson or
> > some old (challenging) classic.
> > other alternatives--
> > stargirl
> > walk two moons(whoops, grandma gets shot)
> > Neither of these are as challenging as the books
> > you've been reading.
> > any good literature deals with conflict. ya books
> > (and adult books) have
> > a lot of REALISTIC action. right now i'm stumped.
> > what about doing literature circles and pick a
> > theme, such as wwii or
> > prejudice and offer choices. then the parent/kid/you
> > could put your kid
> > in one that wasn't so objectionable to the family?
> > m
> >
> >
> > Trisha MacKenzie wrote:
> > > 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
> > >
> > > .·´*
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------
> > Thanks to the folks who help keep Interversity
> > (and Middle-Lit) going:
> > http://interversity.org/benefactors.html
> >
> >
> >
> >   Debbie Parker
> > debracparker@sbcglobal.net
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> > Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people
> > who know. Ask your question on Yahoo! Answers.
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
>
> End of [Middle-Lit Digest] Vol. 3 No. 185 Messages: 3
> **********


--
..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
        ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
      ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Trisha -:¦:-
    -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*