Experimentation

I keep a journal of my daily life.  It contains photographs that are important to me, pictures that I have drawn on the sides, what happened in my day, but most of all, it contains poetry.  My poetry is very personal to me.  It holds my thoughts and feelings as if they were stuck in concrete.  Writing these poems gives me relief of all the things going on within my head.

I have been thinking about my poetry a lot lately (because I have been writing a lot if it) and wondering how many people use writing, specifically poetry, as an emotional release as I do.

Today I read an article that explained that many people use writing poetry as I do and that even more emotional release is given when poetry is shared among people.

According to Michael Hickey poetry is used for,

“Self-expression, exploration and self-discovery… [that] finding the words to articulate a traumatic experience can bring relief [and that] there is great release and enjoyment in sharing with others, who identify through the personality and universality of poetry.”

Hickey believes that people can get over difficulties within their lives by writing poetry that is deeply personal to them.  However, what is interesting about Hickey’s views is that he takes it one step further by saying that when poetry is shared with others its potential to help heal a person is augmented.

I brought up the idea of “personal journals” in an earlier blog entry.  I still think this idea is one that can greatly benefit students.  After reading this article I have modified my idea a little.  I think it would be really neat to have students write personal poetry and then share it with others.  They could share with the entire class, in groups, or even with just one other person.

For students that deal with issues of depression this could be very beneficial for them.  It would give them time to

“feed off their own problems and difficulties, perhaps even focus on them.”

This helps them understand events in their lives and the emotions that they are dealing with.  Then sharing their work with fellow students is beneficial in two ways:

1. The student dealing with depression can explain himself/herself to others who may not understand depression.  Thereby educating someone on the hardships of depression.

2.  The student may find that they are not the only one dealing with depression.  There will most likely be others that feel the same as they do and they will come to

“feel [them]selves as not alone in the world, but as part of and integrated with all that exists around [them], self-esteem can then grow through poetry as [their] innermost being embraces the mystery of life. Deep is calling to deep.”

I think the idea of using poetry as therapy could easily be used within the classroom giving students a chance to explore ideas within their lives and share them with others. 

Michael Hickey.”Poetry as Thearapy.” Naples Sun Times. February 21, 2007.

Minorities are often forgotten within literature or if they are present in a novel, they usually play the stereotypical role.  Hardly ever is there a novel where the main character or characters are of a minority group.  When this does occur the novel is often banned.  I think censorship based on minority issues is wrong.

Today I read a blog entitled: ““Annie on My Mind”…The freedom to explore.”  The blog is about the novel Annie on My Mind where the main characters are two girls discovering their sexual identity. There are no explicit sexual scenes within the novel just a lot of discussion about the emotions the girls face as they learn about and question their sexuality.

This novel gives insight to a minority group that most people do not pay any attention to.  Homosexuality is looked upon with disgust by the majority of Americans.  Most people would not want to read about it or worse yet, let their kids be exposed to it.  However, homosexuality is an issue that most teenagers, especially teenage girls, have to deal with at some point.  This leads teenagers to become confused.  Cecilia writes,

“Frequently among teenagers there is confusion, as with Liza and Annie in the novel, about whether or not they are gay. “I think one reason why we didn’t move away from each other was because if we had, that would have been an acknowledgement that we were touching in the first place” (Annie 77). In a society that is dominantly heterosexual it should come as no surprise that teens who are questioning their sexuality, against the norm, frequently become confused.”

Novels that explore minorities and their interests bring understanding to both the minority and to others.  I believe this novel gives homosexuals and people questioning their identity something to connect to and identify with.  As readers follow the emotions of Liza and Annie in the book they can say “Yeah, I felt/feel that way too!”  It allows them to see that they are not alone, that although they are a minority there are others out there just like them.  It also allows for heterosexuals to understand the hardships and emotions faced by homosexuals.

This novel may also be helpful to homosexual teenagers suffering with depression.  According to statistics found by Cecil,

“Gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide and 30% of the completed suicides are committed by homosexual youths. 28% of School drop-outs are gay and lesbian high school students. 26% of gay and lesbian youths are forced to leave their homes because of conflicts with their families over their sexual identities. 97% of students in high school report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers. 53% of students report hearing those same remarks from school staff. That leads them into depression, where it has been found to strike homosexual youths four to five times more severely then their heterosexual counterparts.”

This novel gives students strong role models when dealing with anxiety and depression over homosexuality.  Students see that Liza and Annie struggled with understanding themselves and made it through.  They realize that while life will be difficult they can make it through as well.

This novel holds so much potential for helping students struggling with homosexuality so why would it be banned?

“Suffice it to say that Annie on my Mind was banned and challenged for its homosexual content, even though there are no explicit sexual scenes in the entire book.”

Although Nancy Garden, the author of the novel, claims,

“many attempts at banning books that are about homosexual characters and issues are also motivated by sincere beliefs that such books are harmful – that they will encourage young people to “become” homosexual, and that homosexuality itself is evil, dangerous, sick, etc.[…]I think it’s important whenever possible to try to inform those people of what homosexuality really is and isn’t, and of the fact that one does not “become” homosexual because of reading a book. After all, gay kids read books about straight people all the time and they don’t “become” straight as a result.”

I feel that banning this book is censorship gone wrong.  This novel has the potential to help many teenagers struggling with the issue of homosexuality.  I agree with Ms. Garden when she says,

“I think it [censorship debate] is important because one of the first steps to dictatorship is thought control, and one of the first steps to thought control is censorship. One of the greatest strengths of this country is our freedom to express our individual ideas and to be exposed to those of others so we can make up our own minds what we think about all issues.”

I think we need to let the minority voices be heard.  Censorship based on minority issues is just plain wrong.

Cecilia. ““Annie on My Mind”…The freedom to explore.” February 17, 2007

An article in the New York Times discussed a children’s book that is being banned from elementary school libraries nation wide.  The book is titled The Higher Power of Lucky and has recently won a Newberry award.

So if it is prestigious enough to win awards then why is it being banned?  The book is about an orphan named Lucky as she discovers the world.  At one point she is listening through a hole in a wall as someone tells their friend that a snake bit their dog on the scrotum.  And there it is—the reason the book is banned: it contains the word “scrotum.” It honestly feels a bit odd just typing the word into my blog.  It is not used often and the sexual connotations that go along with the word make it feel—oh, I don’t know—wrong I guess. But why does it feel wrong to write it?  It is just another part of the body—right?

So, I was torn on this issue. The author, Susan Patron, claims this book is for 9-12 year old kids.  Now, by age twelve I knew what a scrotum was but at nine I think that I would have had to ask about it.  Putting myself in the position of the teacher it is a rather awkward thing to try to explain it to a nine year old girl.  Maybe some children can handle it, but I do not think that all nine year olds are ready to have talks about things that are sexual in nature. Dana Nilsson, a teacher and librarian, claims

“This book included what I call a Howard Stern-type shock treatment just to see how far they could push the envelope, but they didn’t have the children in mind.”

I understand that the word may be shocking for students to hear and read, but does that justify banning the book? I think that banning a novel because of one word takes the book out of context.  The article in the New York Times did not explain anything else about the book so I do not know what themes or ideas it teaches children but I get the feeling that the book as a whole is not provocative.  To me, it seems a bit silly to ban a book based on the word “scrotum.” Pat Scales comment that

“The people who are reacting to that word are not reading the book as a whole,” she said. “That’s what censors do — they pick out words and don’t look at the total merit of the book.”

made me think about this issue.  I wish that the article would have talked about the entire book so that I would get a better idea about what The Higher Power of Lucky is presenting to children.I also think that the book may present an opportunity to explain things about the human body to children who are curious.  They are exposed daily to commercials showing women’s breasts, so why shouldn’t they know about the scrotum?  Students can handle a lot more than we give them credit for.

I found a blog written by Benjamin Barber that disagreed with the censorship of the book.  He agrees with my point that students are being educated about sexual things through television and video games.  So, why can’t we let them be educated about the human body in literature within a safe environment?  His blog is humorous in a very sarcastic way, so be careful when you read it because he is really straightforward about his views.  So much so that I do not want to post what he writes, but I encourage all of you to check out his blog! 

I have been looking through article after article about Teenage Depression that gave me symptoms to look for and reasons why teens are depressed; however, almost none of the articles offer ways to help teens deal with their depression.  With this blog I am trying to find out how helpful writing is as a way to release emotion and deal with issues within a person’s life.Today I came across an article by a woman named Mary Riley who used writing as a way to help women in jail.  She set up classes that allow women to come and learn how to write.  She claims that the woman come for different reasons but that ultimately,

“When they start to write, it becomes an outlet for them.  It’s both creative and therapeutic.”

The women that attend the writing classes are allowed and encouraged to write about things in their lives.  They are not given the idea of “this is what a short story looks like and these are the elements that it must contain–now you sit and write a short story of your own.”  The women find release in writing about their fears, what they had wanted in life, their families, drug addiction, and much more.  Jail is a tough environment that forces the woman to put on a rough exterior.  They are allowed to dissolve this exterior within the class.  One of the woman commented to Mary Riley

“Your class gives us a place to cry.”

The notion of writing as therapy can be applied to teens and the challenges that they face in their everyday lives.  When I attended high school, we always joked that school was like jail and all of the teachers were jailers and the principal was the warden.  Obviously, this is a bit of a stretch since we got to leave the confines of school and head home for the evening.  However, there are many similarities.  In school, students need to put on a tough exterior.  They must act as if nothing bothers them whether it is comments made by fellow students or by the teacher.  Teens face many hardships that the women in jail face: many come from abusive families, many deal with drug addictions themselves or know of someone in their family that does, many fear that they will never make their parents proud, and still others deal with self-loathing issues.

“It’s been shown that writing can help both physical and mental health, especially when people are writing about traumatic events in their lives.”

If writing is shown to have helped the woman in jail deal with depression and other issues in their lives my question is this: How much more can it help our students dealing with the very same issues?  Can we help them deal with these issues before they end up in jail?I believe we can.  The power that is held in writing is astounding.  I know that I become attached to my writing especially if it is about something that is personal to me.  I think that by encouraging students to put personal experiences into their writing will help them enjoy writing, will give them a connection to their writing, and will help them deal with the emotions that they have toward a particular event in their lives.Allowing students a safe place to share their emotions and writing is key to helping them deal with their issues through their writing.  In the article, the women felt safe in the “writing environment.”  It gave them a place to let their guard down in order to discuss issues that they were dealing with.  The same must be true in our classrooms.  As teachers, we MUST provide an environment in which students feel safe to share their writings and feelings. I think that writing is one of the most therapeutic actions that a person can indulge in.  The example provided by the women in jail proves that writing can help people deal with issues in their lives.  I say this example can be expanded: writing is beneficial not only for women in jail, but for all people everywhere as long as they are in a safe environment.

Mary Riley. “Writing Program Brigns Comfort to Women in Jail”. MyKawartha.com. Jan. 26, 2007

Does this make me look fat?  I don’t know how many times I have asked this question to my boyfriends, friends, and family over the past 21 years.  Probably thousands.  In America, we are obsessed with appearance and weight.  We need to have the perfect hair, make-up, clothes, and body shape.  So, why is it that

“the prevalence of overweight children ages 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years?” 

What is it aboutAmerica that leads to overweight children?  The answer: McDonalds and other fast food corporations.I understand that people have a choice whether they eat at home or pick up fast food on their way home from work; however, I would argue that this choice is greatly diminished by society.  Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig agrees with me saying,

“Society dictates that basically two parents need to work in order to survive. So for two parents to work, you really have to plan your meals. And when you go into stores, you’re faced with everything that’s quick and easy and is high in calories.”

After watching the video “Supersize Me” I began to examine how infiltrated our lives in
America are with messages about McDonalds.  It is true that we have a choice as adults, but what about the children of this nation?  During one section of the movie children were shown pictures of famous people and were asked to say who was in the pictures.  The kids could not name George Washington but they sure knew who Ronald McDonald was.

What I see occurring is this:  Food companies know how to make lifelong customers. According to the film McDonalds spends 1.4 billion dollars annually on commercials.  They offer toys to children who eat their happy meals.  They give kids a play land so that they will beg their parents to take them.  Once they have gotten children to enjoy a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke at age two it is easy for them to enjoy cheeseburgers, fries, and cokes for the rest of their lives.

I do understand the view of the people at McDonalds.  It is true that everyone knows that fast food is unhealthy and ultimately it is our choice to stop in and eat a Big Mac.  Also, to be fair McDonalds has taken steps to get “healthier” foods in recent years by adding salads and water to their value meal menu and by giving a choice to receive apples instead of fries and milk instead of soda to children.

Overall, the film made me reevaluate my beliefs about obese kids and adults.  I realize that it may be something more than just their choice to eat McDonalds that makes them overweight.  The film also made me think about showing it in a classroom and giving students a chance to write about what they believe and to take it a step further by taking action against the social norms.

“For the past few years, everyone from federal and local governments to school districts, from fast food industries to health care professionals, have done nothing but point fingers at who is to blame for the rise in obesity. Today, however, the focus is shifting toward taking action to fight the problem that is threatening the lives of a growing number of young people.”

This is where I would like my students to take the critical pedagogy assignment.  Once students are made aware of the situation through watching film and reading related articles about the dangers and increase of childhood obesity I will expect them to apply the awareness to their lives.

In my high school, we had one drink machine with water, juice, and milk in it.  It was stuck in between three Pepsi machines with awesome pictures of Mountain Dew foaming out of their bottles.  Looking back, I do not know if I ever purchased milk, water, or juice from the “old” vending machine, but I can remember countless times I put my dollar in the machine to get good ‘ oleMountain Dew.

I think ”Supersize Me” is an easy way to get students thinking about critical pedagogy.  They can relate to the pressures of looking skinny in a fast food world, they understand that people are infiltrated with messages from corporations like McDonalds, and they can take the issue into their own schools and communities and try to produce a change.

I believe students will stand up against the corporations.  They may not do something that effects change across the country, but even if they create change within their schools by creating a boycott of soda or by asking to have healthier lunches in the cafeteria their minds will be changed and hopefully, they will change the minds of others around them.  I think that giving students something to stand up for and the drive to want to do it will lead them to produce great writing.  If they know that their writing will be more than just for the teachers’ eyes they are more likely to spend time making it a work of art.

see complete article

Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig. “A Losing Proposition: Fast intervention needed to halt childhood obesity epidemic”. Alameda Times Star. Feb. 18, 2007

Today I looked at an article by Jeff Jeffrey about censorship hurting one’s cognitive processes.  He was very adamant in his thoughts and ideas.  His writing was full of emotion.  He would be in complete opposition to the article from Wendy Day about protecting students from evils presented to them in books.

Jeff Jeffrey claims that when people are not allowed to explore novels they never learn new ideas about life.

“I respect parents who choose, after careful consideration, to keep their children from reading something that may cause them to grow up more quickly than they prefer. But I disagree with them. Reading and studying the written word is an inherently beautiful process. It exposes a person to a broad spectrum of ideas that would otherwise remain hidden and allows for the development of analytical reasoning. A child who reads, even when tackling books that may be difficult or contain harsh ideas, will inevitably become a more intelligent and more well-rounded person than one who does not.”

I tend to agree with Jeffrey on this.  I remember when I was younger and would read novels that were advanced for my age.  The crude words and sexual situations went right over my head.  I have often returned to a book that I read when I was younger and I am amazed at the language and situations that I now understand.  When I read Lord of the Flies for the first time I was ten years old and I enjoyed the book as a adventure novel about boys being boys.  When I read it again for my high school 20th Century Literature course I remember being amazed at the pure brutality of the novel and there were so many Christian symbols that I had missed.  However, even when I was ten I caught the message of the book about humanity.

I believe that banning people from books holds them back from opportunities to learn and will make students angry and give up on reading all together.  Their mentality will be, “If I can’t read what I want to read then why read at all?”  Jeffery agrees with me and takes it a step further.

“Censorship in all forms is a dangerous proposition, and one that must be guarded against. When librarians attempt to stifle students’ access to literature, they are essentially unraveling [their] educational outlooks and teaching [them] that it is OK for someone outside of their family to control their thoughts.”

He takes censorship from a mere guarding of students’ minds to a complete control of their thoughts.  Here is where I differ from Jeffrey.  I do think that censorship keeps students from some important truths about life and I think that it discourages reading.  However, saying that because we allow books to be censored we allow others to control our thoughts is a little far-fetched.

I do believe that we need to put books in the hands of students and that if a ten year old girl wants to read Lord of the Flies then let her take up the challenge!  Who cares if it has a few violent moments?  I say “Let our youth learn and discover the world through books!”
 

Jeff Jeffrey. “Book banning destroys thought.” The Daily Reveille. Jan.24, 2007

see complete article

For the past two weeks I have been looking at depression within teens.  I use Google News as my resource to articles about teen depression and depression prevention.  When I started looking through the articles I was disappointed to see that almost half of them were about Mandy Moore.  I was thinking “oh boo hoo for the pop star with fame and money.  What does she have to be depressed about?”  Finally, I decided to take a look at one of the articles about her.

My earlier thoughts honestly make me ashamed.  This is how teachers in the classroom often view their students.  They think, “Well, he is the star quarterback or she is the lead in the school play, what could they possibly be depressed about?” This is the kind of thinking that makes students ashamed to tell others that they are depressed.

I also like this article because if students see that it is okay for a famous woman to talk about her depression it is okay for them too.  I applaud Mandy’s bravery in talking about her depression and I hope that her example will be followed by others as well.  The youth of America often tries to be just like the movie or singing stars so hopefully this article and Mandy’s public confession about depression will be able to help out students going through the same feelings.

Another thing that attracted to me about this article is Mandy’s view on writing and depression.

“Moore, who is working on a new record at a studio in Woodstock, N.Y., says writing songs “away from friends in L.A. or New York” is good for the soul. “Writing has been really therapeutic,” she says of her music. “These little nuggets that have come up over the past eight months have made me look at things in a different way.”

I believe that writing is one great way for people to release their emotions.  When a person can release their emotions on paper it becomes much easier to release their emotions with their actual words.

I keep a daily journal and have found it to be therapeutic within my own life.  I get to shout at people when I am angry, I cry as I write when I am sad, I write large and fast and use many exclamation points when I am happy, etc.  You get the point.  No matter what I am feeling it gets put on paper which helps release the emotion from my head and body.

What if students were given ten minutes a day in their writing classes to keep a journal?  What emotions would they be able to release within their writing?  Would it be beneficial to them or would students just use it as a time to do nothing?

The way I see it journaling can help a lot of students and even those who do not feel like writing and just sit there-even that can be beneficial: a ten minute break to just relax in a day filled with activity.

Lets all take Mandy Moore’s example: Talk about our problems and write about them as therapy.

–”Mandy Moore: I Struggled With Depression.” The Showbuzz.CBS News. Jan. 23, 2007

see complete article

I was one of the lucky kids in High School.  I was well liked by everybody and was involved with many extra-curricular activities.  Not to mention I had the full support of my friends and the most amazing family that anyone could ask for.  Whatever I was involved in, whether it was leading Bible studies on Friday mornings or acting in the school play, someone was always there to support me.  I was a happy student for the most part.

However, there were the days or sometimes weeks, or sometimes even months where I did not feel like myself.  I was not happy with who I was or where I was going in life.  These moments were hard to get through.  Did I tell anyone what I was feeling?  OF COURSE NOT!  I did not want to be different from all of the happy students around me.

These feelings are felt by an amazing number of students in middle and high schools. 

“One of the worst things about being a teenager is being different and this propels many of these young people to mask their symptoms. They suffer in quiet desperation, putting on a good front to fool others, while experiencing unbearable levels of loneliness, anxiety and depression. “

There are too many students in our school suffering from depression and they feel like they cannot talk about it.  Therefore, they do not receive help or treatment for their depression, instead they battle it all on their own.

“The problem, highlighted in the National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey commissioned by the Federal Government six years ago, found that only half the young people with the most severe problems received treatment.”

We as teachers, fellow students, family, or friends need to recognize when others are not acting in their usual manner.  The pressures that teenagers face are huge and if they have no one that they can talk to about their hectic lives then those pressures often will lead them to depression and suicide.  Students need to be released from their pressures or they need to see that although their pressures are great they can be tackled.

This article has brought me to my own conclusions for when I am a teacher.  They are: Don’t let our students suffer all alone.  Be watchful for those who act differently.  Always be available to talk. 

Michael Carr-Greg. “Intervening in teen depression”. Herald Sun. Jan15

see complete article

The censorship debate has two very important sides to it.  Obviously those who agree with censorship and those who disagree with it.  This entry in my blog will deal with the arguments given by those that agree with censorship.  People who think censorship is necessary in order to protect students from harmful issues rather than to expose them to unhealthy language and situations.  Wendy Day writes that

“Limiting children’s reading material is good stewardship of our responsibility to the   community to provide safe schools.”

She claims that while parents are able to choose what movies children watch in the home, what music they listen to, and the language they are exposed to; it is the responsibility of the school to choose what it exposes to students while they are in the school.

Many question censorship by claiming that students experience racial or sexual issues within the real world so why should they be kept from experiencing the very same issues within literature?  Wendy Day claims

“Where do we draw the line? There are terrible things that happen in this world. Is it our responsibility to make sure children have detailed information about all of these things? What about incest? What about sado-masochism? These are very real activities in our world, but what is the value in exposing our children to them?”

She is right.  What is the value?  Are there other books that would teach the same ideas without using foul language or sexual scenes?  Can we as teachers find materials that attack serious issues that are “suitable for children?”

This article opened my eyes to why it may be important to keep certain books from our students.  However, it also left me with many questions and doubts.  While I understand her point that students should be protected within schools I ask “WHY?” Aren’t we as teachers trying to prepare our students for the real world?  Shouldn’t they be exposed to the harsh realities of life?  At least then they would be a little more equipped to face the real world and all of its difficulties.

In my English class we are reading Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  This book is such a good book to teach because it is short, fun, easy, and it has a lot of themes that are important for students.  However, this book has foul language and also deals with racial issues.  Does that mean that we should not teach it to our students?  You make the call.

Wendy Day, “Our Schools Have A Duty to Consider Content”. Press and Argus. Jan. 21, 2007

view complete article

In my middle and high school years I can remember being taught “banned” books such as the wonderful Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.  My teachers always made it seem so cool that we were reading material “not suitable for children.”  It was as if we were being rebels by reading a novel.

I always wondered why the books were banned in the first place.  They all seemed like great stories that held universal truths.  Did schools wish to keep truth from its students?

This semester I am going to make it my mission to discover why books are censored and if it is possible for teachers to use this as a way to get students excited to read as my old teachers did.  I will be exploring articles from various magazines and also other people’s  blogs about censorship.  These articles and blogs are sent to me thorough my account with Google Reader.

I hope to explore if censorship is really necessary in all cases, if teachers can challenge when a book is banned, and why the book was banned in the first place.

I believe that reading and writing gives all people a way to express themselves and when people begin to censor and ban writing students lose out.  If students are taught why a book is controversial and then allowed to explore the book and its ideas I believe they learn much about their own personal beliefs on an issue.

Hopefully my exploration on censorship will lead me to some interesting ideas about teaching controversial materials.  Who knows I may just have to make a couple of lesson plans using some of the books that I find!