As someone who has always enjoyed reading, I related to Beuhler's own experience as a reader and I feel our reading journeys have led us both to believe that adolescents should have a wide variety of literature to choose from. Her assertion that students who have been readers all along will be successful in English classes later really resonated with me. One, because it makes perfect sense, and two, because I fear many elementary teachers are not only beating the love of reading out of early readers but in turn, are setting them up for failure academically. I say this because as a media specialist I have watched teachers abuse children with reading levels and reading programs. Now that I am at a high school, I still see teachers controlling their students' reading selections with Lexile levels. I appreciate Beuhler advocating for choice and pointing out the benefits that YA literature offers to adolescents, not just as students, but as individuals who are in a period of personal self-discovery.
Beuhler contends that it is possible for adolescent students to become readers when they have not been so in the past. Finding out how to help with this process is exactly why I am now enrolled at UGA in the Reading Education program. Beuhler mentions the term "reader identities," which struck me because I have been studying instruction that focuses on students' identities and I had not thought about "reader identities," which seems silly considering what I am doing. I found Beuler's conceptual framework for YA pedagogy to be wonderful and I enthusiastically ate it up. My wheels are spinning now as I have been considering doing a PL experience with my teachers at the beginning of the year and I now feel like I have more direction thanks to this reading. Perhaps I can loosen the Lexile grip some teachers have on their students if I present them with their role as book matchmakers.
The conversations between middle school and high school teachers that Beuhler retells made my head spin as I thought about all the different professional opinions at play when it comes to teaching literature. The one thing I do have a strong opinion about myself is summer reading lists and the crazy selections I see on these lists. Often times there are classics or other heavy books that most students do no naturally gravitate towards. It's summer...can't we let our kids have fun and read books that are popular teen picks?! Sometimes I think adults have lost their minds.
4 comments:
Julie,
I am completely on the same page with you when it comes to the summer reading list. I opted out of taking AP Lit when I was in High School due to the summer reading selections. I think allowing students to pick something that is modern or self indulgent for them should be more openly allowed.
Sorry, just realized I posted the previous comment as anonymous.
It's Jason here!
Hi Julie!
I absolutely agree with all of your feelings about these chapters. I have loved reading my entire life and had the highest grades in English classes for years, and I still struggled with reading the assigned books. And you are absolutely right about summer reading assignments. Sometimes reading the assigned books in class is a bit easier because the teacher is there to make sure the students understood the book, and students are usually more motivated to read a book if they see the teacher is very passionate about the book. In the summer, students have neither of those. If summer reading has to be required, I think a better alternative would be to let students choose the books they read and then write short summaries or write what they enjoyed about the book. That is much more likely to foster a love for reading than handing a freshman The Scarlet Letter and expecting them to read it
Hey Julie!
I so enjoyed your ending line. I agree, they have lost their minds-at least some times. It would be wonderful if you could help loosen the reigns of Lexile and AR Levels that some teachers hold onto so strongly. You have an interesting position as a media specialist since you not only have weight with the students, but with the teachers. You can be a directing force for students who are unable to find the right book, and perhaps broaden the horizons of the readers in a rut. Additionally, you have the incredible opportunity to help teachers in their lesson planning by alerting them to new (or old) reads that can go beyond the label of YA. Such a wonderful position to be in, and you are in the perfect place to learn how to continue to excel at your job!
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