tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post7808455226465192224..comments2023-11-23T09:51:07.448-05:00Comments on A Literary Odyssey: Reading with Teenagers.Alliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18420476898132383974noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-37320367411596328692011-09-26T13:36:40.793-04:002011-09-26T13:36:40.793-04:00I love this post. What a wonderful feeling it must...I love this post. What a wonderful feeling it must have been to be in that classroom on that day. :)Katyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14176612881975170987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-28226241753991050812011-09-22T21:10:35.966-04:002011-09-22T21:10:35.966-04:00I love that you have a day set aside each week jus...I love that you have a day set aside each week just to read in class. You would have been my favorite teacher for sure!<br /><br />It's also great that you allowed your kids to pick their own book to read in October rather than assigning one book for the whole class to read. My favorite reading project was when my English teacher in my Junior year gave us a summer reading assignment where we had to read a book of our choice from the Modern Library's Top 100 list and then give a presentation. I loved that and I enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts on the book they had chosen to read. <br /><br />I picked Sophie's Choice, by the way, and I loved it.Kaylahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02554159799948830921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-85420351927031278342011-09-20T04:35:36.216-04:002011-09-20T04:35:36.216-04:00The extra reading time sounds so gratifying--it...The extra reading time sounds so gratifying--it's so great to see reluctant readers finding books that they enjoy and identify with. There's so much great YA and MG stuff out there now that there's a little something for everyone. :)<br /><br />Congrats on making a difference to your class.Stephanie @ Read In a Single Sittinghttp://www.readinasinglesitting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-4675203806540542202011-09-18T03:13:27.520-04:002011-09-18T03:13:27.520-04:00This is a really inspiring post, and I think it...This is a really inspiring post, and I think it's sad that some students didn't care what they were reading as long as it was 250 pages. I wish I had a teacher like you, when I was in high school. I was caught reading books while the teacher was lecturing several times in class. LOL. Having time to read would have been awesome. :)Darlyn (Your Move, Dickens)https://www.blogger.com/profile/00979296421309409564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-73110449448614333752011-09-17T22:51:29.243-04:002011-09-17T22:51:29.243-04:00Allie, you must be a wonderful teacher. Your story...Allie, you must be a wonderful teacher. Your story could be straight out of one of those teacher-changes-students'-lives type movies. How cool it must have been to see the kids considering what to read and then reading it. They may have a long way to go, but it sounds like they're getting a good start and have a great guide.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429588794754369453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-51376134395564276272011-09-17T16:11:31.890-04:002011-09-17T16:11:31.890-04:00What a great story! I'm glad you're studen...What a great story! I'm glad you're students seem to be enjoying their books. We never had that at school, and I wish we had. Most kids, even in honors and AP classes, wouldn't read the books but just rely on Cliff Notes. (We didn't have much online book info back in my day. Haha!) I enjoyed reading them though, so it wasn't much of a problem for me.Kristihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07343557750428307066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-79140360746180767052011-09-17T15:33:05.636-04:002011-09-17T15:33:05.636-04:00That's what happens when someone relies on sch...That's what happens when someone relies on school for their education. I prefer books to be my teachers although I have had a pretty good education so far (there's no way anyone in my classes would have confused China with Japan or make any other obvious mistake). <br /><br />Reading in class sounds great! I assume they have no idea about your blog, otherwise they wouldn't be so shocked about you joining them!Ioanahttp://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5485273-ioana?ref=headernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-72905977716782992011-09-17T15:09:53.277-04:002011-09-17T15:09:53.277-04:00I don't know what I'm more shocked by, the...I don't know what I'm more shocked by, the fact that some students don't understand that both China and Japan or that some students didn't care what they read as long as it hit the minimum exactly. <br /><br />I am glad that they asked for 10 more minutes of reading time. I'm thrilled that you are trying to instill a love for reading in them. <br /><br />Chemo is rough (my aunt and grandmother had to go through it). But I hope that it helps your father in law. Thinking happy thoughts.Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10826716134008160506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-44904935154959173592011-09-17T14:33:28.297-04:002011-09-17T14:33:28.297-04:00That sounds like my school experience. It was piti...That sounds like my school experience. It was pitiful. I didn't learn anything and while I wouldn't have asked about Japan and China, I definitely wouldn't have known about, say, Hong Kong and China. Nor could I even place all the US states on a map. Yeah, horrible education, in many ways!<br /><br />I'm glad you're having such a good experience with the reading though! That's awesome.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07026099426503180472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-5148825930484317542011-09-17T12:06:13.336-04:002011-09-17T12:06:13.336-04:00My high school English teacher always assigned one...My high school English teacher always assigned one day a week for us to read in class. I'm pretty sure it was to make sure we actually spent some time reading the assigned book but everyone looked forward to it. Also, he would brew a pot of tea. I always liked that. He was a fabulous teacher.G. Trudellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11581128366461801916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-79347561604663012062011-09-17T09:04:50.888-04:002011-09-17T09:04:50.888-04:00I'm sorry you've had a hard week, but I am...I'm sorry you've had a hard week, but I am so impressed with you and your teaching -- it must be so gratifying to know you're getting those kids reading! And I'm EXTRA impressed that you're reading Moby Dick -- wasn't that going to be a group read at one point? I still have a copy I haven't touched, sigh. Someday. . . .Karen K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13483190930383406559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-84368574332705920312011-09-17T02:02:50.039-04:002011-09-17T02:02:50.039-04:00I know how you feel. I'm a tutor at my college...I know how you feel. I'm a tutor at my college and I know what it's like to struggle with students. I also tutor students with writing skills, and I can't tell you how many of them have come in wanting me to just about write their paper for them.<br /><br />But it's great that your students are so excited about reading. I would kill for some time just to read, a time free of guilt that I should be doing something else, lolBecca A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11142425697063892170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-5453139705985395362011-09-17T00:44:11.585-04:002011-09-17T00:44:11.585-04:00That sure does sound like a great moment :) I'...That sure does sound like a great moment :) I'm glad you got to experience it!Jillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07629286727932554109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-7242108088465601642011-09-16T23:16:13.557-04:002011-09-16T23:16:13.557-04:00awwwww, seriously awesome story, although I'm ...awwwww, seriously awesome story, although I'm so sorry to hear about your father-in-law and the laundry waiting for you.Rebecca Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06062252252301802298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-23550958574674815162011-09-16T23:08:06.053-04:002011-09-16T23:08:06.053-04:00Love this. And this is what I'm doing with my ...Love this. And this is what I'm doing with my ESL students too. So cool to be able to read with them.<br /><br />I love that they were shocked you were reading! :)pickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01906861942472773405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-18983353580532222702011-09-16T21:56:56.174-04:002011-09-16T21:56:56.174-04:00I LOVED Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! And ...I LOVED Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! And good for you for having reading time in your class. I wish we had that when I was in high school.<br /><br />And you and I have already had the discussion about how someone can be in 10th grade and not know how Japan is its own country. *shakes head*SarahBethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07807338988005426647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-18842173097486659912011-09-16T20:48:19.467-04:002011-09-16T20:48:19.467-04:00I haven't been out of high school all that muc...I haven't been out of high school all that much longer than you, but I can't believe your students didn't know some of those things! (Chine & Japan!!) Actually, the ability to strengthen English skills is one of the reasons I have for believing that all kids should be taught a foreign language--the younger the better. I remember when I took Italian in college, there was confusion over when to change the vowel on a particular word--it changed if it was used as an adjective but not as an adverb. The problem some of my classmates had was knowing the difference between adjectives and adverbs. But to be fair, I'm not sure how well that it is taught--I didn't have grammar in school past 7th grade. (My English classes focused on writing & reading. I had some awesome teachers, too--I'm not complaining there--it's more the curriculum they are expected to work within.) Yay for the reading successes, though! Hopefully this enjoyment of reading thing will rub off!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6543330341390707771.post-88187027495234192232011-09-16T20:47:40.297-04:002011-09-16T20:47:40.297-04:00That's awesome. I'd have loved to read in ...That's awesome. I'd have loved to read in class -- and see the teacher reading. My sophomore year teacher had a box in the room where we could anoymously share our creative writing. She would read aloud from the box each Friday, for the entire period. It was a great way to inspire writing. One of my favorite memories from school. :-)Jillianhttp://jillianreadsbooks2.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com