Fantasy

As we start reading Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, my students are going to be replying to the following questions, so I thought I would respond as well.

• Do you like to read fantasy? Why or why not?
• What fantasy location from a novel (or movie) is your favorite? Would you want to go there yourself? Why or why not?

I love to read fantasy. As a kid, I felt like reading was a great escape from everyday life. I appreciated the opportunity to leave the ordinary behind and experience life in someone else's shoes. It was even better if those shoes were worn by a hobbit trying to reclaim a mountain, a group of children getting lost in a wardrobe, or a neglected girl who discovers telekinetic abilities. If you're going to read and experience something new, why not make it amazing and extraordinary? Now, when I write, most of my ideas do involve some type of fantastical element because it lends more possibilities. Fantasy just has so much to offer!

If I could go anywhere, it would hands down have to be Hogwarts. I love the wizarding school, and I prayed for a letter of acceptance that never came on my eleventh birthday. As described by J.K. Rowling, the world of Hogwarts is an insanely cool building with magical rooms, magical creatures, and tons of mystery, history, and intrigue. Of course, it also helps that if I were to be there, I'd get to learn magic and charms. Who wants to walk across the room for food when you can summon it right over. Accio, Double Stuff!

Hogwarts seems to be an obvious choice, but I would like to share the possibility of a different location as well: Brakebills Academy. This is the setting for Lev Grossman's The Magicians, which is now a trilogy. Brakebills is a magical college that actually have applications and entrance tests. What's nice about this location instead of Hogwarts is the real life possibility. I have a much better chance of going here than Hogwarts. In order to be a magician in this series, one just needs to be super smart and open-minded. All of magic in their world can be learned through study and practice to unlock what the universe has to offer. Memorize some hand gestures, learn some gestures, and study some old books, and there you have it! Brakebills also has it's own fun magical elements from hidden passageways to live-action animal topiaries in the garden. If Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia had a baby and that baby went to college, you would get The Magicians. (Fun fact: It's getting turned into a TV show on SyFy this upcoming year.)

Narrators, 2016

Today, I am asking my students to reflect on their favorite narration. We will start to read Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's a great family story, but it is unique in the sense that it is told from the point of view of the family dog. Their favorite narrator can be a first person narrator that is a character in the novel, or it can just be a novel whose third person perspective is unique or clever.

1. Who is your favorite narrator? What is your favorite narration?
2. Tell readers about the novel and the narration.
3. Why is this your favorite? Why might others appreciate it as well?

Last year, I wrote about Budo, from Matthew Dick's Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, who narrates the story of him and his human Max. Budo sets the record for longest living imaginary friend because Max relies on him so much. Max has autism. But when Max gets kidnapped, Budo has a decision to make. Does he choose to keep things as they are so he can exist longer? Or does Budo help Max fend for himself inevitably ending his own existence? It's a great read, and I highly recommend it.

Today, I would like to talk about John Dowell from Ford Maddox Ford's The Good Soldier. In this novel, Dowell tells the story of his encounters with Edward Ashburnham, the "good soldier" from World War I that the title references. Throughout the story, Dowell describes his family life with his wife abroad, how he meets the Ashburnhams, and how they become close friends. However, reads come to find that Dowell might not be the most reliable narrator. Through a series of flashbacks, readers discover inaccuracies and inconsistencies with overlapping tales. What happens in that Dowell is not given all of the information. He tells the story of this perfect English life, only to have readers realize that not everything is as perfect as Dowell believes (or makes himself believe). There are affairs, suicides, and more.

John Dowell is one of my favorite narrators simply because he is just so bad at it. Almost everything he says is wrong by the end of the story. I liked it so much because that style of storytelling really stood out to me as new and unique. The idea of an "unreliable narrator" is such a fascinating way to piece together a novel. It really makes you think instead of just mindlessly glancing over the pages. And think in a good way that makes it fun, not hard.

Book Reviews

Having finished reading their first novel of the semester for this course, it is now time for the students to write their first book review. The students will review Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Each book review will start with a summary, include two parts of the novel to evaluate (not just analyze - evaluate), and finally give their overall recommendation. The evaluation part seems to be the hardest for my students because they are not used to using stuff like theme and characterization to express their opinion, only literary analysis. To help, I created one body paragraph that might serve as an example for my students. (FYI: I do not agree with this evaluation, but I thought it would be fun to branch outside of my comfort zone.)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone suffers because of its negative theme for children. When tracking down a rogue professor who means to steal a magical item that promises eternal life, the main characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger follow him down a trapdoor. This path leads them to a series of challenges that guard the stone. The first task is a strangling plant known as the Devil’s Snare. Harry and Ron are trapped, but Hermione is free to help. She remembers that this plant hates light, but she does not have the resources to start a fire. Ron shouts, “ARE YOU MAD? ... ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”(278). Hermione remembers she has a magic wand, makes some fire and saves the day. The lesson here, obviously, is that no one needs hard work because magic will always be there to save the day. This is a horrible lesson to teach the youth of America because it will only create a generation of lazy individuals who wait around for a Hogwarts letter instead of actually trying in school and getting into a good college. Humans need to face their problems head on in this life, and thinking that there is a magical resource to come and save you is dangerous. Humans need to be in control of their own life and do what it takes to achieve goals in the real world. The unrealistic message of this book to its readers makes it a poor choice.

I used theme as one of my main topics to evaluate this novel. Yes, I had to analyze the theme and say what the author's main message was, but I continued to use that as an evaluation tool for whether the book is good or bad. This extra step is crucial in writing a book review. For more information, please check out the directions on Moodle and the grading rubric included in the directions.

Millennials

Record and upload voice >>

I used to think a millennial was an unmotivated teenager, technology-addicted, glued to their screens, and unwilling to put in an ounce of hard work. That was until I became one.

During my three-year seminar program in Ignatian leadership, we spent a specific afternoon discussing workplace conflicts that could arrive due to generational differences. Having experienced some of these conflicts personally, I was eager to see what the session had in store. Our leader, Bill, passed around a booklet describing various generation names and their characteristics. I flipped through to see what Generation Y had to say about me, only there was no Generation Y. It just didn't exist. I flipped back to check the birth years. Maybe I was bunched into Generation X? No. Worse. 1988 was now part of the Millennial Generation.

Through my education program, "millennial" was a dirty word used to describe un-teachable students who would rather play with an iPad than interact with humans. Questions were constantly being asked about what to do with this wayward generation. I am one of the most driven people I know. How could I get lumped in with this group? I wasn't a millennial; I was teaching them... right?

My friend Trish was the only other member of the seminars around my age. We were outraged. How could a pamphlet take away our identity in one swoop? Immediately, she whipped out her tablet and I my phone. This had to be a mistake. I opened the web browser and typed out what I was searching for. While the site loaded, I answered a text from my mom about how my trip was going. I double tapped the home button, and I was back to my web results. While most sites agreed that Generation Y was now part of the Millennial Generation, there were some that disagreed. Hadn’t I seen something on Facebook about millennials recently? Another double tap and I was off to the social media app scanning the newsfeed. Red dots told me I had some friend requests and notifications, so I quickly checked those out before continuing my quest for knowledge. Trish and I came up with the same Internet facts. Some had joined Generation Y with Millennials while others kept them as distinct groups. Another double tap switched me to Twitter where I used one of my three accounts to send out my confusion and annoyance into the universe.

A woman completely content with her Generation X designation turned to us and commented, “You kids, always on your devices.” Trish and I looked up in horror. We dropped our technology with disgust. Had we really become the thing we hated? Everything I had done in the last five minutes came flooding back: my social media distractions, my innate skill at multitasking, my desire for immediate information when I wanted it. Oh, no. The booklet might be right.

Eager for more, I continued to read Bill’s booklet. What I found was the opposite of the negativity society had hammered into me. Millennials are driven by new challenges. They think outside the box. They’re flexible and can adapt easily. They are quick to learn new things. They are constantly looking to move forward. Slowly, I was starting to realize that being a millennial wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Then, I realized all of the millennial stereotypes I had used to look down on my students who were younger than me. I knew what it was like to have other people think you were less capable because of your age. I didn’t want that for my students. And I don’t want that for my fellow millennials trying to make their place in the world.

It’s time to reclaim the word “millennial” for good. I believe in millennials.

For other examples of Contemporary Literature "This I Believe" blog posts, check out:

Choosing Awesome (Mr. Davidson)

The Power of Being There (Mr. Davidson)

I Believe in Rock and Roll (Evan)

There Is Nothing Wrong With Change (Dylan)

You're Not Too Cool for Anything (Xavier)

And feel free to check out the official This I Believe website for more.

(Watch the video on Moodle about how to add a sound recording to your blog post.)

Literacy Program - Examples

Yesterday, I assigned the literacy program project. This project's goal is to help inspire reading, either through a poster campaign, a twitter campaign, or a video commercial. However, before students can begin their projects, they must write a proposal and get them approved, just like in a real job.

The proposals should answer questions like:

• Video commercial: Why have you chosen this option for yourself? Why is this a good way to reach the students? What will the video be of? What will happen? What will it look like? What type of information will it include? Are there characters? Will there be text? Do you have a special plan for colors? For sounds? For editing techniques? How and where will this video be seen?
•  Poster campaign: Why have you chosen this option for yourself? Why is this a good way to reach the students? What will your posters look like? Will they all be the same or will it be a series of posters? What information will the posters include? Will it have images? Text? How many posters will be made? Where will they be posted? Will they all appear at the same time?
• Twitter campaign: Why have you chosen this option for yourself? Why is this a good way to reach the students? How many tweets will there be? What will the tweets say? Will there be a hash tag (and what will it be and why)? Will there be any links to images, websites or videos? Why those sources? When will these tweets be posted and why at those days and times?

Here are some examples of finished projects and their owner's proposals. Not every student got 100%, but it might be helpful to get you started.

RYAN: Poster Campaign

Ryan's Proposal: Click Here

ALEX: Twitter Campaign

@alextoma1234 pic.twitter.com/AX10hW1V0D

— Alex Toma (@alextoma1234) September 14, 2015

Alex's Proposal: Click Here

TEDDY: Video Commercial


Teddy's Proposal: Click Here

I can't wait to read all of this year's proposals on the student blogs on Thursday!

New Year, New Class

I am excited to be teaching another semester of the Contemporary Literature elective here at U of D Jesuit High School for the 2016-2017 academic school year. To start off the first unit on Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Robin Sloane), I am asking my students to reflect on the following questions below. It's only fair that I answer them, too, right?

1. What have your previous experiences with English classes been like?
2. Do you like to read? Why or why not?
3. What do you hope to get out of this Contemporary Literature class?

English class has always been my favorite. Even though I may have had better grades in math, I loved the actual time spent in an English class. Talking about novels, debating characters, or discovering unseen connections are all great things that come out of a discussion in an English class. It not only gives you the chance to read, but to learn more about what you read and appreciate it on an even deeper level. And English classes allow you to share with others and learn more about them, using books as your bridge. It's great! Now, that's not to say that some of my professors haven't been complete disappointments. Pre-1830 literature? Not always my cup of tea. However, the positives have far outweighed the duds.

I love to read. This summer, I read 18 novels and listened to 3 audio books. I like the chance to experience other places, other lives, other adventures. Reading has always been a fun way to escape into brand new worlds, at least for a little while. It's like getting to travel without having to leave the comfort of my couch.

I'm excited to be teaching this class again. I decided to keep the same four novels as last year because, even though last year was a fantastic experience, I still think I can do a little better. So I'll try again with this new batch of six juniors and seniors and get the pacing and schedule just right before shaking things up next year. This is provided, of course, that my current students have a wonderful time and brag about it to all their friends so they sign up as well. Spread the word! Contemporary Literature is where it's at!

Mr. Davidson's Summer Reading: