Readers Sketch

Preschool (Age 5)   

Sitting on my mom’s lap, with a book in hand, in a large tan-colored rocking chair next to a full-length window are where some of my earliest memories with reading were formed. I would lean back on the warmth and comfort of my mom’s chest and turn my listening ears on. My mom’s voice was calm and soothing, and relaxed me with a story every night before bed. My small hands would lay over the tops of my mom’s hands as she held the edges of the thick paper paged books. One of my favorite books to read, The Rainbow Fish, was often the book gripped between our hands. I would run my fingers over the depicted sparkly scales that felt colder to the touch than the rest of the scales that lined the fish's back. My mom would continue to flip through the pages at a steady speed (or else we might never have gotten through the book) reminding me that “there will be more sparkly scales to touch on the next page”. We would read book after book until my eyes felt heavy and my head began to fall. I often would fall asleep before getting to the end of our second or third short book (or maybe fourth? who knows… I was asleep!). This stage in my reading experience was where I developed a joyous and comforting relationship with literature.

First Grade (Age 7)

Flashforward… and reading is now homework. Twenty minutes a day. Every day of the school week. At this point, reading was no longer fun. It didn’t bring joy anymore, and it had become another school task I didn’t want to do. I didn’t get to choose the books I had to read for twenty minutes either… oh no… they’re assigned ones. The assigned books that Mrs. Larson sent home with me covered a wide variety of genres. Some of the books made me laugh, some made me cry, and some were simply unamusing. This was the stage of my reading experience where I developed a hint of resentment for books.

Second Grade (Age 8)

It was the beginning of April and I had finally found a book series that I really enjoyed, The Boxcar Children. My mom had read this series herself when she was younger and thought I too would find joy in the books. She had suggested them to me because I “had to read a book every month this year for school anyway” … and as of that point in time I “was slacking”. She was absolutely right though. I loved these books as soon as I began reading them. I found myself in all the comfy areas of my home, getting lost in the adventures of Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. Hours would pass and daylight would fade, as I was warped into the stories. I imagined I was a part of all the main character’s endeavors, even the scary ones. This book series sparked my imagination and curiosity. I would consistently wonder about the events that took place in the novels, and how I could incorporate aspects of the books into my own life. I was obsessed and wanted my own boxcar for our backyard. This was the stage of my reading experience where I really found myself getting lost in literature. I began to find joy and comfort in it again.

Fourth Grade (Age 10)

A few years go by, and I’m back to hating reading again. This time, it was because I had been informed during conferences that I had to read aloud with a parent listening to make sure I was saying all the difficult words correctly. My dad, who wanted to help me learn and succeed in any way possible, volunteered to read with me every single night. Looking back, this is really a situation of a father who loves his daughter and is looking out for her best interest. However, at the time I didn’t see it that way at all. My dad is a perfectionist when it comes to things like this, and he took this “job” very seriously. We would lay on our stomachs together on the carpeted floor of my bedroom, with the book in the middle of us. The book couldn’t be closer to my side than his because then he “couldn’t see the words” to make sure I was saying the right things. At this point, reading sections that were supposed to take twenty minutes, now took a minimum of forty-five as we would re-read sections until I got them right (and had a good understanding of what they meant). My reading skills did improve during this time, but my enjoyment of reading completely vanished. It had become a chore that I was apparently not good enough at to do on my own. This was a reading stage of academic growth, but no personal enjoyment.

Tenth Grade (Age 16)

Fast-forward and many years have gone by since I was struggling to read complex books in fourth grade. I was now enrolled in Enriched English with Mr. Lundquist where I was fully immersed in literature. After long days at school, I would come home, put on something comfy, and climb into bed with a book in hand. One that swallowed most of my time was The Great Gatsby. I would get so involved in the story, practically sucked into the world depicted. As I flipped through the pages, I was now another girl on her way to attend a glorious Gatsby party. Dressed in my best party attire and surrounded by the sounds of the roaring twenties. This book kept me occupied for hours, forgetting all of my other responsibilities. I looked for symbols, analyzed the text, and was always eager to understand the deeper meanings. This stage in my reading experience was one of intrigue, analysis, and comprehension. I found enjoyment in literature and was fascinated by being a part of the different worlds described. 

Twelfth Grade (Age 18)

This is the present. I have had many ups and downs throughout my reading experience thus far. However, each stage I went through helped me advance and develop the relationship I have with literature today. I now find enjoyment in reading all types of novels and appreciate all that can be learned through various aspects of literature. Through reading books, I have been able to understand situations and world events better, as they provide unique perspectives that have shaped my views and altered my thinking. I am hoping to continue reading literature that makes me curious, skeptical, informed, and aware in my future. Above all else, I am looking forward to reading more books that bring me joy through the most interesting worlds and experiences.

The Class Canon and Cancel Culture

I strongly believe we as a society can not separate a person from their creations. Often times, if something is going to be studied, the purpose is to gain insight from it. I think anyone who is an abuser or harmful person that created something valued and learned from should no longer be heard. I think it would be counter-productive and detrimental to "gain insight" from someone that is a true danger to society. I feel as it would be promoting the wrong message to allow their contributions to fill the minds of others. Almost as saying "well... let's just overlook what they've done because the work they made is still amazing and it's more important than the hurt they've caused". I think someone's work is a representation of themselves, and I don't believe a representation of a harmful person should be cherished and taught. Personally, I would not want to learn one thing from someone that has caused intended harm and/or abused another individual. The article Do Works by Men Implicated by #MeToo Belong in the Classroom? published in The New York Times that we read in class discussed men authors abusing women and questioned if their works should still be an asset in the classroom setting. I think this is not only a matter of separating the "writing from the writer" but also a matter of gender equality. Accepting the work of men that abuse women to continue to flourish is showing that men are of more value than women and they matter more. It proves that as a society we would rather hear a men's insight than getting justice for the suffering they caused women. This needs to change. Ultimately, I think the saying "no one is irreplaceable" applies quite heavily in this matter. I think we can read and learn from the works of others that have had a positive impact on our society and learn the same message, as opposed to reading or learning from someone that has caused intended damage and pain. Yes, people make mistakes... but some mistakes are much more serious than others. 

The article How to Get the Most Out of a Diverse Classroom Library published in Edutopia states that, "books and stories can act as windows in which children see a world outside of their own or mirrors in which they see a reflection of themselves in the world" (Vu). Representation of both windows and mirrors in children's literature is of immense value to a child's character development, as exposer to both will increase their compassion and kindness as they continue to grow into adulthood. 

The three books I would include in my library based on the article How to Get the Most Out of a Diverse Classroom Library published in Edutopia are: 

1. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud 

2. The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss 

3. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

I chose to include these three books because I believe they accurately represent both window books and mirror ones! I believe children would be able to use the story Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud as a mirror book, where they can put themselves in the book and learn the importance of compassion. I think the story The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss is mainly a window book, however, can be interpreted in ways that make it a mirror book. Lastly, I think the story Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak would be a great window book where kids could read about a fantasy world, unlike the one they're apart of. 

Too Dark? Or Just Right?

 

Growing up, I have been fortunate enough to read many different types of young adult books. I've read extremely uplifting happy ones, violent and gruesome ones, and everything in-between. My favorite young adult books to read were ones that contained different perspectives and experiences- positive or negative. I enjoyed being able to understand different types of situations through new lenses and unique types of people. I would say the more serious and darker the books were, the more they taught me. Specifically, reading those types of books brought the saying "you never know what someone else is going through" to life. They also taught me empathy. I learned to have empathy for others through comprehending the real hardships many young adults face depicted in the novels. 

In a 2011 journal, Meghan Cox Gurdon argues young adult novels have become too dark, and they "bulldoze coarseness or misery into" (Gurdon 4) children's lives. Additionally, Gurdon suggests dark young adult books can have a detrimental impact on some adolescents, causing more damage than good. Gurdon explains that young adult literature doesn't accurately represent all aspects of life, but rather focuses on the negative and gruesome parts. On the contrary, author Sherman Alexie suggests that many young adults face the negative and gruesome parts of life that are depicted in young adult novels. Alexie explains dark young adult literature allows adolescents to have something to relate to and allows them to persevere through their own challenges. In addition, Alexie mentions how it would be pointless to try and protect adolescents from the world's "darkness" and only write books about joyous things because many of them have already experienced darkness of their own. Conclusively, Alexie states young adult novels give young adults, "weapons-in the form of words"(Alexie 4) that can help them fight their own battles. 

After reading both points of view, I find myself supporting Sherman Alexie's perspective. I would agree that young adult novels deemed dark can provide comfort to adolescents facing similar situations, but I also believe dark young adult literature can provide valuable lessons to others who can't relate. Ultimately, if nothing else, I believe these types of novels can bring awareness to the real hardships teens endure. 

Sources:

Alexie, Sherman. Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood. Speakeasy, 2011

Gurdon, Meghan Cox. Darkness Too Visible. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 2011