Today’s guest blogger, Adara Robbins, is 8th grade teacher at YES Prep Southwest, a public charter school in Houston, Texas.
My students and I during after school study time.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
It’s a tough question. But imagine trying to answer if you didn’t know what your life would look like tomorrow – much less years from now. This my students’ reality.
My 8th graders at YES Prep Southwest face the constant stress of poverty. They can’t be sure where they will sleep tomorrow. They have to take care of younger siblings, leaving limited time for homework. They have few, if any, books at home. With so much uncertainty, it can take a lot of work for them to visualize a future where they will succeed and attend college.
But they will. By the time my students finish high school, 100% of them will be accepted to a four-year college – it’s a graduation requirement.
Many of my students come to me up to five years behind their peers academically. As their teacher, I guide them through a demanding curriculum that brings them up to grade level and inspires a genuine love of learning. Neither could happen without having great books to give them.
In the gym with some of my outstanding female students.
Because of First Book, my kids have the books they need to become strong, confident, enthusiastic readers. They’ve grown academically. They get along better with one another. They love and constantly ask for more books. My students are simply happier when they start their day reading.
They also work extremely hard. They attend school from 7:30am to 4:30pm, often staying late for extra help. Their tenacity and determination inspires me to do a better job every day.
All over the country, teachers like me face the challenge of helping kids living in poverty read, learn and succeed. Your support of First Book gives us the resources we need to help kids change the course of their lives. Please consider making a gift today.
The post My Kids Need Books appeared first on First Book Blog.
“There will always be discrimination everywhere about everything because pointing out others’ differences masks people’s own insecurities.” -8th grade girl
The intensity of the themes in To Kill a Mockingbird can get pretty tough to handle when you’re reading it for the first time at 13 or 14 years old. This is why teaching the historical context is so important in order for our young adult readers to gain a better understanding of the novel. I was surprised, though, that I was the one who got a lesson about discrimination from an 8th grader’s perspective. These kids have such strong voices that need to be heard. This is why I’m sharing this teaching/learning experience with all of you.
One of the corresponding lessons in TKAM is learning about Black Tuesday, the Great Depression, the Dust Storm, and Jim Crow laws. We read a selection in our textbook about a list of segregation laws and how they were enforced. After reading, we discussed some issues that could help us connect how different characters in the novel may have felt during this time period. I thought some of their responses were insightful. It made me think of looking at the world through their eyes, so I asked a few critical thinking questions about their own views on discrimination. A couple of questions brought some very interesting responses.
1. Do you feel there is discrimination at our school? In what ways?
2. What has your experience with discrimination been? How has it made you feel?
- · “I’m an athlete and in GT (Gifted and Talented – advanced level) classes. People think I suck at sports since they assume I’m a nerd.”
- · “Just because I’m white, people automatically assume I’m wealthy.”
- · “Some people think that all Muslims are terrorists. It upsets me because I wear the hijab, and some people judge us from that one thing.”
- · “My personal experience with discrimination has to do with my race. I am Mexican, but have light skin, freckles, and I don’t speak Spanish. Many of the Hispanic students (and adults, too) say that I’m not a ‘true Mexican.’”
- · “Some students think I’m the smartest person in class because I’m Asian, but I’m really not that smart.”
- · “I have been discriminated against based on my sexual identity, musical choices, intelligence level, and favorite hobbies.”
- · “I have been discriminated against when I went through a voice change in 6th grade. People made fun of my high voice. Now I’m the choir manager for my Advanced Choir group.”
· This one is a personal favorite of mine:
“There will always be discrimination everywhere about everything because pointing out others’ differences masks people’s own insecurities.”
This girl is so right! Discrimination exists because people believe they are superior to others. Not only that, but it’s obvious to this young teen that narrow mindedness prevents any progress to the development of positive social change.
What this girl said about discrimination really embraces one of the major themes in the novel. It even sounds like what Scout would say reflecting on how her father would pass on his moral values to her:
“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” ~To Kill a Mockingbird
Thank you, my dear GT 8th graders in English I, for teaching me what it truly means to "stand in borrowed shoes."
Had a terrific visit last week with the St. Peter 8th grade English classes. The students were wonderful listeners and had great questions. They had all read Chasing AllieCat, so it was much, much fun to get to talk with them! Thanks, Ms. Hughes!
Time is flying past!
It's April 10 already! And look at the ground! Freya's happy--she was crazy this morning, playing "Grab Mom's warm stuff and run." (Question of the day: How many exclamation marks can one writer use in one short blog post?)
Time is flying! I'm not keeping up with my days...I put out fires at school, work on the details we need to iron out for our trip to South Africa, try to keep up grading and reading ahead of the students, and try to squeeze in a little writing and a little cycling.
South Africa approaches, and it's getting more and more exciting as it does. Will keep you posted...might have more news by the end of the week! (There--I had to end with another exclamation point, of course).
"Sometimes I wonder if my mom is BRAIN DEAD. Then there are days when I know she is. Like today." So begins the diary of Nikki Maxwell, 8th grade, Westchester Country Day School.
Nikki's mom just doesn't understand that Nikki needs an iPhone, and entry into the CCP (Cute, Cool & Popular) group...not a diary. Unfortunately, the closest Nikki is getting to entry into the CCP, is having her locker next to uber popular Mackenzie Hollister. Mackenzie is a classic mean girl who wields her lip-gloss, and shoots off zingers about everyone else's fashion faux pas. School is a bit tortuous for Nikki, who cannot afford designer duds, techie gadgets, and fab vacations.
So Nikki is excited when she sees signs for the Random Acts of Avant-Garde Art contest. She is an artist, and the $500 prize could be used for her phone! But when Nikki hears that Mackenzie is entering the contest, she freaks out and ends up signing up to be a LSA (library shelving assistant) instead. Why bother competing against Mackenzie? She always wins.
What Nikki doesn't expect, is to make 2 great friends in the LSA program. Chloe and Zoey are book fiends who are geeked about having the chance to get to NYC to attend National Library Week. Maybe Nikki's artistic talent can help her new friends out.
Readers will *love* Nikki's illustrations in this diary format book. With a slight manga style, pictures of everyday school life are hilarious and engaging. Nikki has a fresh voice, and while I was reading Dork Diaries, I couldn't help but hear the voice of Six from the show Blossom! There is plenty of current slang, name dropping of celebs, and techno speak. It will be interesting to see if there are any changes in the final product especially in regards to a certain celebrity who is in a bit of legal trouble!
Today's tweens will eat this one up! The combo of illustrations and diary format is sure to please . In this age of Wimpy Kid, the format is a winner, and Nikki is so entertaining. A perfect beach read.
Hi Stacy!
Sounds like a great book! If you want to, you might want to check out my book reviewing site.
-Elena
I just ordered this book for my middle school library for the fall. Great review!