"Love the Way You Lie" and Other Surprising Learning Moments

"Imma tie you to the bed and set this house on fire."

Do I have your attention? Good.

The line above is the closing line of the final verse of "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem featuring Rihanna. It definitely caught the attention of many of my students when we listened to the song in class a couple of weeks ago. Many of them, when I first hit play on the radio edit version of the tune, belted out the hook along with Rihanna, only to fall increasingly silent as they listened to the verses that followed, growing more aware of just how masterfully the artists crafted their words, and, as a result, how violent the images presented in the lyrics truly were. As one student Tweeted after class: "this song will never be the same."


We had delved into the figurative language, allusions, symbolism, and themes of the song as an extension of our study of the short story "Like the Sun". I love using music and movies in my classroom to try and make our literary studies more relevant for our students. I have known several amazing teachers who share my interest and passion. Sometimes the approach works, and sometimes it is, well, less effective than I hope. Often, I learn more about and from my kids during these lessons than any other time. We examine the video "Crossroads" by Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony as we explore allusion and symbolism. We use "Another Brick in the Wall" as a springboard for a reflective project (I actually found that lesson in an issue of The English Journal during my time at Baker University many moons ago.) Sometimes we examine the ending of Gran Torino during our discussion of tragic heroes and symbolism. Usually, the lessons are initiated by students. Several years ago, while we were studying Romeo and Juliet, a young lady asked if I had every heard Ludo's "Love Me Dead". I had not, so she played it for me. I was just a little confused. She explained that she thought of the song while we read Juliet's speech as she waited for Romeo to visit her, not knowing her new husband had just killed her cousin. She utters these lines:
Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, 
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine 
That all the world will be in love with night 
And pay no worship to the garish sun.  (III, ii, 1739-1743)

The discussion with this young lady in my class that followed was insightful. When we speak of love, she explained, we so often speak of destruction, of consumption. "I just love you to death." "I love you so much, I could just eat you up." Here was a young woman in love, if you want to call it that, or in a deep state of infatuation at the least, and she poetically muses about cutting up her lover into tiny pieces and scattering them across the sky to make the stars jealous. That is how much she loves him, supposedly. Ludo croons lines of intense contradiction that somehow fittingly describe such love amazing well. The two pieces have nothing in common, except for everything.

Last year, as we studied the poem "Metaphor" by Eve Marriam, a student suggested looking at th e video Five Finger Death Punch's "I Remember Everything".  We pulled it up on Youtube. The student told me that the poem reminded him of the video because he felt the poem's theme of starting with a new, blank page each day was similar to, and yet starkly different from,  the idea of the video, which he felt expressed the idea that while we all start with a blank page or canvas, every event of our lives, each and every moment, leaves its mark, and the splatterings, sketches, scrawls, blotches, and smears, whether beautiful or gruesome, all become part of the masterpiece that is one's life. That discussion after class became a writing assignment, and an interesting classroom discussion.

Not all of the lessons such as this connect with each and every kids. Some are monumental flops. And, I must admit, I have seen my share of eye rolls and heard the "knowing" sighs when I have talked over the years about a lesson amongst some of my teaching peers. I am blessed right now to be a part of an amazingly supportive ELA team. My colleagues ask the right questions, make suggestions, and support not just me, but everyone on the team as we work to get better and stretch as learners and teachers. It has not always been that way. Maybe I have done it too often, and perhaps sometimes I have reached a little. Maybe. I do not mind defending the choices I make in my classroom.

As part of our recent study, the students had an option of responding to a writing prompt regarding whether it is appropriate or inappropriate to examine songs such as "Love the Way You Lie" is an Honors English class. As I graded papers earlier this week, the work of several students stood out in their arguments for why we should continue such lessons. After reading several of them, I decided it was time I let one of my student's voices be heard. I could have chosen several pieces. One young man's essay struck me, so I spoke to him on Friday and asked if he would be willing to let me use his response in my blog. I wanted to use him as a guest author, if you will. The young man is modest, but he said that he was not opposed to the idea. So, with no further ado, I will allow Mr. Paddy Qiu, a student in my Honors Sophomore English class at BHS, to reinforce just why it is ok to hear songs coming from Mr. Kohls's room, or any room in fact, during class, and that maybe, just maybe, something 'educational' is actually occurring.

Paddy Qiu

Mr. Kohls

Honors Sophomore English

September 20, 2016

“Love The Way You Lie” Thematic Analysis

In society, there is a general consensus on certain discussion topics. As we experience constant breakthroughs intellectually, our attitudes on these topics still remain static. This type of orthodox self-censorship has remained prominent in the general public. A commonly taboo subject for discussion is domestic abuse. The general public deems discussion of this topic inappropriate, despite the fact that it’s one of the most prominent issues affecting the world around us. To bring light to the matter, discussion is a must if we want significant change. In the narrative of “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem, featuring Rihanna, there is a plethora of figurative language and themes often missed as a whole. Through analyses, I found underlying messages hidden within the lyrics. In this paper, I will be touching upon significant themes scattered throughout and further clarifying my perception of them, because change doesn’t begin with a shout, it begins with a whisper.

In the song’s lyrics, it has a comparatively realistic representation of interactions within an abusive relationship because they express not only the physical aspects, but also the psychological ones. For example, evidently after a negative encounter, the male character states that “But your temper's just as bad as mine is, you're the same as me. When it comes to love you're just as blinded” to imply that the female character abuses him equally. In certain abusive relationships, the dominant party attempts to justify their actions by pointing out the behavior of the other, thereby taking attention away from their own. As a result, it makes the other behave compliantly within the relationship. Another example of a more realistic portrayal of abuse within the song is the attitude acquired from it as stated by Rihanna’s verse, “Just gonna stand there and watch me burn. Well that's all right because I like the way it hurts.” It’s a common myth in society that because an individual is in a destructive relationship, that some part of them must enjoy being in them. That’s partly due to the fact that, as stated in the lyric, the abused tend to convince themselves of that attitude. Many factors contribute to their stance of the situation, but a significant correlation is the abuser’s influence on their victim. As stated in the first example, the abuser takes attention away from themselves and brings it to the negative aspects of the abused, thereby persuading them that they’re not a victim. Therefore, the song not only shows the negative implications of physical abuse, but also the effect of mental manipulation.

Another aspect in “Love the Way You Lie” that’s a necessary point of discussion is the deception, not only to each other, but themselves. For example, the male character stated to his partner that “Baby please come back, / it wasn't you, baby it was me. / Maybe our relationship isn't as crazy as it seems.” In the situation of the verse, the abused character is planning on leaving the relationship once again, and he attempts to bring them back by instilling a false sense of security and hope. As a result, the author presents a situation more commonly portrayed within media. Another example of deception in “Love the Way You Lie” is when the author portrayed deception of one’s self. After the previous lyric, Eminem rapped, “Guess that they don't know you cause today, that was yesterday. / Yesterday is over it's a different day. / Sound like broken records playing over.” In this verse, the male character acknowledged that their relationship was going to a cycle like a record; however, he still is attempting to convince himself that the status of it was still preservable. This aspect of a destructive relationship is something that popular culture often miss. In such partnerships, the abuser, as stated in the previous paragraph, attempts to justify their actions. This is another form of this phenomenon. This denial and deception of one’s self, which the authors cover in many verses, plays a major part in justifying abusive actions. Therefore, though romanticized at some points, the song as a whole puts forward another perspective not commonly touch upon.

Within the song “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem, there were many underlying messages hidden within the lyrics. The song itself presented a completely new perspective on not just physical aspects of destructive relationships, but also the psychological ones. It also conveyed the point that deception, in most cases, can occur within the abuser, usually to justify their actions. The discussion of this topic in particular, is taboo in most communities. Having dialogue about this subject is a step outside of the social norm, and it brings about reform that will have a significant impact on our future. Change doesn’t begin with a shout, it begins a whisper, and I hope that this allowed you to not be afraid to speak about it.

Get Out of the Way and Let them Learn

A while back, I wrote a blog post titled "Get Out of the Way and Just Listen". It focused on how sometimes, I just need to step back and listen to my kids. My son and daughter teach me on a daily basis, and listening to my schools kids is the most rewarding part of my teaching. Some of you may be saying, "Well, duh. Of course we listen to our kids." Think about it though: how often do we truly listen to them, as opposed to listening for what we want to hear? Did they deliver the "right' answer? Are they asking the same question as was asked yesterday? Are they on task? All important in the listening process, but is it truly LISTENING to what they have to say, actually grasping the nuggets that fall from those fertile minds. Nuggets that might sometimes look like petrified horse dung, but once rolled around a discussion start to gleam and shine. Or not. You never know.

This week, Greg Froese and I are trying something new.  He suggested it and prompted it. He is my partner is asking "Why not?" quite often. This one is a stretch even for both of us. It is scary. We want to listen to our seniors, not just as they answer a predetermined prompt or discuss an open-ended discussion question. We want to listen to what they have in their heads and hearts stemming from our Heroes Unit. So, we stepped back. This is what the assignment looks like on Google Classroom:

I can guess that some of you are critical. Where are the clear expectations of what is to be completed by the deadline? Well, show us what you learned. What rubric will be used to grade these products? Honestly, I do not know, mainly because I do not know what the products actually will be. And that is ok. It is a little scary, but it is ok. What if a student needs accommodations? Is that clearly written into the plan? Actually, yes, it is. The entire process is just that.

In the spirit of disclosure, we did do some discussion, review, and brainstorming before turning the kids loose. There was a bit of guidance. But then it was "Ready? Go!"

Some stared at me in fear. Some stared at me in confusion. Some stared at me in disbelief. And then they were off.  Some slowly, cautiously, as if they were waiting for me to say, "Just kidding. Here's the test!" Some awkwardly, confused by this odd freedom, but somehow feeling it was, maybe, a good thing. Some, well, some didn't actually go. They just stared. They wanted to be told what it was they were supposed to know so they could reproduce it, and they wanted to know the form that such a reproduction should take so they could get it 'right'. They needed to feel their way forward a little.

By the end of first hour, every kid was moving. At least a little. Here is the kicker. They were moving toward the same goal, in every possible direction. One student did not want me to know what she is going to do. It is going to "amazing" and it will be even better if I don't know. I also know for a fact that she dived headlong into her idea and was still swimming in it at the end of second hour. I may need to apologize to her math teacher. I will never, however, apologize for her reaction. Kids were asking about ideas, wondering if pulling in thoughts they had had about movies or books that related to our study but were "not part of the lesson" could be included in their products. Could a creative writing idea be used, or a new comic book hero idea?

I am darn near giddy at this point.

Part of my excitement is fueled by my honors sophomores, who did an independent research activity this week to learn about Edgar Allan Poe. They needed to present the twelve details they learned about his life, lives, and literature in some engaging way. They had to cite their sources and write (PIs). Other than that, they were wide open in their approach. Two students asked me if they could possibly extend the deadline. Why? Well, they write and create music, and had begun writing a piece and wanted to produce a music video that presents their research. By all means, go above and beyond.

I am not sure exactly what will become of this week's approach. I know that for at least a few kids, the freedom is, well, freeing. They are excited, and they are stretching themselves. And I am getting out of the way.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Collaboration - An Exciting Beginning

I have not blogged much recently, but sometimes, no matter how busy a person is, something happens that demands to be shared. Today was one of those days.

"What happened?" one might ask. Well, this happened:



Before I detail today's events, let me track back to the their genesis. Several years ago, budgets were cut for education (an occurrence that would be be repeated, unfortunately, repeatedly over the last few years). Our districts' elementary students would not be allowed to go on their year-end field trip due to cost restraints. One kindergarten teacher, Sandy Rempel, contacted me, and we come up with the idea of making BHS a destination for our "littles". Our district is rather spread out, so establishing an a connection between our elementary students with our high school can be somewhat challenging. We want our kids to grow up dreaming of being "Crusaders". We promote that in sports with youth camps. We wanted, and still want, to find other opportunities to build our district identity. This was one of those opportunities.  Our kindergarteners from UV traveled to Buhler and spent time with my English students, among others. We read together, told stories, and played. They spent time doing art activities in Mrs. Smith's room. It was a great experience. Over time, the school year was shortened to allow for bond construction, and the day was eliminated from the schedule.

Last summer, during a Twitterchat, I mentioned those days. Sandy Rempel replied that we needed to revive them, somehow. Cindy Couchman, our assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, was also taking part in the Twitterchat, and she supported the ideas. From that exchange, Sandy and I began planning a collaboration. Today, the first meeting of that collaboration took place. In short, the kinders came to visit, and my sophomore English students interviewed them. The goal was to get to know them, their interests, and their personalities. With that information, my students will write children's stories as part of our short story study. They will develop protagonists based on their "littles", and the plots will be built upon what they learned from their time with the kindergarten partners. After writing the stories, we will once again get together. The students will share their stories with their kinders, and the kinders will then illustrate the stories. Finally, we will print these books, and come together for a celebration at the end of the semester, with each student, both HS and K, receiving a copy of his or her book.

I am even more excited about the project now than I was before the visit. The interaction between high school sophomores and their five year-old buddies was incredible. Shy kids in my class connected with their partners and began to shine. In depth conversations about Frozen and favorite foods took place. I saw patience that amazed me, I heard laughter, and I felt a special kind of energy. A young man who spent three days last week in ISS spent our entire interview time sitting next to a shy little girl, asking about her and filling a page with notes. One of my kids who has not said more than two sentences out loud in class without being prompted read not one, but three different books to his new little friend. The young lady who told me she really didn't think she should work with a little one because has no patience took pictures nonstop throughout the period, capturing some incredible moments with an expert eye. I saw another young lady look at me with eyes that said, "What do I do?" as her partner danced in circles around her; I think she was performing a scene from her favorite movie. It was a great morning.

Near the end of our time, Mrs. Rempel suggested we give the kids some time to "play" together, and we took them to the football field, which they loved. By they, I mean the kindergarteners and the sophomores. High school kids love recess. As we walked onto the field, I saw the image above, an image that summed up the day, that demonstrated why it was so worthwhile; it conveyed one of the key goals that we had hoped would be reached during the hour. Thank goodness for cellphones, or I would not be able to share that image. The sophomore girl is somewhat quiet in class, but she is bright, attentive, and thoughtful. She makes my class a better place. The young man does not speak and has an aide to help him in class. They made a connection, and they, and all of us who watched them, are better for it.

This is step one of the project, and it wa a great way to start. I cannot thank Mrs. Rempel enough for taking a risk and being so willing to work with us. Our administration, from the Central Office to our principals Paul Erickson and Michael Ellegood are supporting our efforts. Fellow teachers are diving in, such our media specialist at BHS, Janea Gray, who previously taught at the elementary level and is guiding me in and my kids in what we do. susan Jordan, an incredible paraprofessional in my class, and Laura Miller, a fellow teacher, are helping me pick up the slack in my room when we need it. And the kids. They are as excited as we are.

With all of those things going for us, how we not have an amazing learning experience that will make each and every one of us better?

So, what do you teach?"

Last week, I was moving from drill to drill on the final day of our football camp for future Crusaders when one of the Dads asked me what I teach.  The obvious answer might have been "I teach English." That would not have been incorrect, but, to be totally honest, it is not entirely correct either. I might have said, "I teach literature and composition." More specific, in a way, but not really a better answer. I might tell the parent, "I teach English and coach football." Still, not an answer that truly reveals what I teach. 

The most accurate, and to me the most important answer I can give is this: I teach kids.

Do not misunderstand me: I am not saying that our content is not important. It is. I have a a strong and valid reason for reason for teaching every piece of literary and writing content in my classes. These are important bits of information and vital skills that students will need to succeed. However, none of that means anything if I do not put the most important factor in its rightful place at the top of the list, at the front of my mind, in the most prominent position to guide my words and actions. I must remember, above all else, I teach kids.

Every day, 100 plus people will walk through my door, and each one of them carries his or her own skills and talents, dreams and fears, hopes and baggage. Those young people are who, and why, I teach. The instant I forget that, or I shift my focus to make the content material the most important consideration in my classroom, I need to find one of two things: someone to realign my priorities as a teacher or a different place to call my professional home.

Justin Coffey, the 2016 Kansas Teacher of the Year, expressed this thought well during a Voxer group discussion this week regarding how we will build deep and meaningful relationships with our students this year. I paraphrase the great teacher from Dodge City High School here, but his response was that he did not have some silver bullet or specific activity that he plans to build relationships. Instead, he spoke to the fact that building those relationships is about who we are and how we treat our students each day. It is not a line on a lesson plan: it is a part of who we are.

Mr. Coffey is right. I spent Friday in my room, making final preparations for the first week of school. The best part of my day was not writing lesson plans or selecting the first short story to teach. It was when a young lady came to my room after band practice and spent about an hour. We talked about band, her summer vacation, her class schedule, and countless other topics. we did not once talk about lines to memorize from Hamlet or how to better structure a sentence. That is not what it was about. It was about the fact that she is excited about the band's marching show and wanted to tell me about how far they have already come in learning the second movement.  It was about the fun she had on family trip and the concern she has for her friends as they enter their senior year. It is about the fact that no matter what else happens in her day, she can come to my room and laugh, talk, vent, or just sit. She is my student, and she always will be. She is one of our kids. My place is to help her grow in whatever way I can, and that has little to do with Shakespeare or research papers. That day, that young person strengthen my alignment of what is important. A few years ago, I received a message on Facebook from a former student. She told me that she had run across a copy of "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" and reminded of a day in class during Honors English her sophomore year when we discussed the poem. I love teaching that poem. It has so many layers to sift through, so many ideas to dissect that apply to our lives. However, the poem itself was not what stood out in her mind. What stood out in her mind was that I pulled her aside after class and told her that she should never be ashamed of being intelligent, that her ideas and thoughts were important. She said that she sees that conversation as a first step for her toward gaining self-confidence. With her intelligence and ability, this young lady should have been the confident person in any room; however, she had never seen herself that way, and she needed someone to give her permission to feel her own strength. I did not know that conversation was a big deal to her at the time, but it turned out it was. My daughter once wrote about "small, significant moments" in life. We never really know when they will occur, or what form they will take for the people around us. So, we need to make each moment potentially powerful in a positive way.

This week, we kick off the 2016-2017 school year. This is an exciting time across the country, for kids and for teachers. It is exciting for countless reasons, and each of us has our own fuel that will drive us this year. Hopefully, the fuel will drive us all is that each day, no matter what our grade levels, content areas, or units or subject of study, what we not only have to teach, but we GET TO TEACH, above all else,  is kids.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R34Iqsfy9kk

Can We Help Kids Love Reading?

This summer, the ELA team at Buhler High has been exploring new and exciting ways to better serve our kids when they once again pass through the doors of our classrooms this fall. Five of us ended up in the upstairs south hallway of BHS last week, and, as we made suggestions about possible classroom designs, laid claim to rolling carts, and help one another move furniture for individualized plans for flexible seating, we talked about new short stories and novels to use in class and new ways to encourage our kids to read. We had all attended either NerdCamp or EdCamp this summer, Twitter is turning into a treasure trove of experts, articles, and blogs that inspire and drive us, and Book Love is gaining traction as a book study selection for all of us, plus our middle school team members.

It is an exciting time, and it is a great day to be a Crusader.


As usually happens, however, when an idea gains momentum and begins to turn toward becoming a movement, questions arise. The question that we hope guides each and every decision in our school and our classrooms is "Is it good for kids?" If that is answered in the affirmative, the next question must be "How can we make it happen?" Our desire to use flexible seating, something that has been present in some form and to a moderate degree in many of our classrooms without it being named as such, is based upon doing what is best for each of kids, upon what will provide the best environment for each of those students to learn most effectively.

We are also considering those questions when we discuss how we approach reading in our classes. Developing the ability to read is, without argument, good for our kids. Developing a love of reading, which will help that ability develop, is good for kids. Developing live-long learners who can then tap into that love for and ability to read is definitely good for our kids. Now, how do we make that happen? Ah, there's the rub.

A friend and colleague of mine, Samantha Neill, wrote last week about how easy it is to kill a good book (read her blog). My last blog post was on reading ("Reading's for Rich People"). Miss Porter and I spent an hour this week just talking about "nerding out" about certain authors and topics and how we can transfer that to our students. I could go on. Reading and developing our kids into strong, effective, and engaged readers is prominent in our minds, and the fact that it is late June does not dampen that; it amplifies it because we are excited to embark on another journey with our kids in a few short weeks. The question remains and drives us: how can we make it happen?

One area we are discussing at length is student choice in reading in an effort to increase reading volume and engagement, and, in turn, build the stamina and skill to allow for higher-level reading. A recent Twitterchat discussion that I stumbled into raised the question of increasing reading volume. I lurked for a bit (yes, I do that on random interesting chats, and yes, I learn something important almost every time). Much of the conversation focused on increasing the number of books students read, setting up competitions and recognizing students who read the most books, creating book races to encourage students to read more books more quickly, and the like. Many of these ideas were focused on late elementary and middle school students. I wondered if this is really what we want as we try to develop a love of reading in our kids.

When my daughter was younger, early elementary age, she and her mother both became concerned because she scored rather low on the local reading assessment. I was not frustrated with her score or her ability to read; I knew where she stood when it came to comprehension, and we read together quite often. What I was frustrated with was that the sole local assessment in reading at that level was a timed fluency test in which the student was asked to read aloud for 60 seconds and the number of words she pronounced correctly was recorded. That was it. Now, I know developing fluency in readers is incredibly important. However, my daughter was told she was a poor reader based on this single assessment. My daughter has always been a thoughtful reader. If she read "The quick, brown fox jumped over the lazy dog," she was going to stop and wonder "why would a fox do such as ludicrous thing?" If she read a passage that used the color red in one sentence, and then used crimson in a later line, she was going to go back and reread the line using red because using two different words to describe the same, or similar, color must be important. She didn't put this habit aside simply because it was a fluency assessment. That never crossed her mind. She was reading, and, therefore, she was thinking. I am to blame for this. That is how we always read. We always asked questions, and we thought about it. I refused to apologize for teaching her that.

A few years ago, I had a student in honors freshman English who told me the first day that she was the best reader in her class. She could read multiple books over a weekend. I told her that was neat, and that we would read quite a bit, so that should help her. A couple of weeks later, she came in on Monday and told me she had read three books that weekend, including one I recommended, 1984. I told her I was excited, that we could talk about the novel. I asked her how she felt about Julia. She responded that didn't really have any feelings for her. That was interesting, as most students have strong feelings of some sort toward the boisterous member of the Junior Anti-Sex League who has an illicit affair with the novel's protagonist. I asked about how the rats were used in the interrogation, and she remembered rats but not why they were used. I asked her if the bullet entering the protagonist's brain was literal or metaphorical. She had not thoughts on that matter. "I read the book!" I remember her saying. "Can I take an AR test or something?" I had no doubt that she had read over every word in that classic novel. I also knew in my heart that she had not consumed the book in any way. She had just read it. Quickly. And that had always been enough. That had always been the goal.

We started talking more about what she read. She had to slow down, which was just a difficult for her to do as speeding up just to read more quickly was difficult for my daugher. She could still wolf down some things that she read, barely tasting anything but the most prominent flavors, but she had to develop the ability to recognize when to slow down, when to savor each page and paragraph as morsel to be enjoyed for its richness. Why was it so hard for her to do that? It was difficult because reading fast was what she did. She was good at it. It was her thing. Eventually, she seemed to learn that having truly in depth conversations about what she read, from Harry Potter to Fahrenheit 451, from "The Scarlet Ibis" to "Lamb to the Slaughter", could be just as rewarding as finishing a book before everyone else. However, she was reluctant and was even angry that her speed was not recognized as the most important aspect of her reading.

So, how do we develop the ability of our kids to read, to read well, and to read fluently, without developing robot readers? How do we push our students to be excited not because they finished a book but because the book was good and made them think as they read it? I honestly believe student a shift in attitude is paramount in this endeavor. We face the challenge of nudging students away from seeing reading as something they simply have to do and need to get done, quickly, toward an experience that worthwhile, rewarding, and, sometimes, enjoyable. Once again, we face the question of "How do we make it happen?"

I believe that two aspects of reading that can help propel the shift are choice and time. We should guide kids to read challenging pieces and the greatest of literature, but I also feel we should encourage them to read what grabs them.  Beowulf and Hamlet must be pieces we make accessible and guide our charges toward and through, but graphic novels that include stellar character development and intriguing plotlines can be an effective way to engage students in the act of reading and help them begin to develop as readers. Comic artist and graphic novelist Art Spiegelman said, "Comics are a gateway drug to literacy." We should not tear down a work a student likes and wants to read as being "fluff" when that "fluff" may be the very thing that draws a kid in and allows him to enjoy reading for the first time. After all, to get our kids to be strong, thoughtful readers, we must first allow them to become just plain readers. This is something that has been discussed quite a bit by Sam Neill, Greg Froese, Amber Neighbor, Andrew Bauer, and others lately in our English Nerds Voxer group. (On a related note, the powerful learning tool that is Twitter has allowed me to follow Tim Smyth @historycomics,  a powerful voice in advocating the use of comics to teach history and improve literacy. I have not met him face to face or heard him speak, but his passion online is evident, and he is more than willing to share lesson ideas.) This idea applies not only to comics, but also to popular literature that is often looked down upon by English teachers as not worthy of being allowed in their classrooms. Twilight, Goosebumps, Harry Potter, and many offerings from Nicholas Sparks come to mind.

We must also give students the time to read, especially if they are reluctant readers. Giving them the time may allow them to discover that they can actually get into what is printed on the page, especially a page that they have chosen to read. Once they do, they will be much more willing to give their time outside of our classrooms to reading as well. If we force them to see reading as only something they are forced to do and that only involves texts that hold nearly no interest or relevance to them, they will never shift from having to read to wanting to read. However, if we can move them toward wanting to read what they have found to be interesting and worthwhile and give them the time to do it, then they just might develop the skills that will make the more difficult texts accessible, and, therefore, open the door for them to read them as well.

And once that door opens, there is no limit on where they can go.

Reading's for Rich People

Summer is a time of travel and vacation. This summer, I have taken a trip to Alabama, where I spent time with an old friend who had grown up, and I discovered that I know longer like her as much. She is kind of annoying, and her loveable and endearing naivete is gone. Later, I made a pass through Tennessee, through a land of low mountains and caves, small towns and family farms. I discovered that this part of our country is apparently inhabited by some deeply disturbed individuals. Deeply disturbed. Right now, I am on a trip through the mountains Mexico, making the trip on horseback from New Mexico south. It has been an interesting journey, and I am anxious to see what lies ahead. It reminds me of last summer when  I made another trip through Mexico and spent time on a wide hacienda. I have been on some amazing rides, let me tell you. 

In years past, I was blessed to peer into the lives of some amazing men, including the greatest football coach of his time, a man once approached during the same elections season by both the Democratic and Republican parties about serving as a vice presidential candidate.

Now, if you know me, you are incredibly confused at this point. You know that I would rather spend a summer working football camps and painting than paying for any type of vacation. My family sees a trip to Wichita as an adventure, and hitting Krispy Kreme while the Hot and Fresh sign is flashing is a major event. So what is up? Bear with me. 

In the remake of the classic football/prison movie, The Longest Yard, the character played by Chris Rock and known as Caretaker tells a fellow con, a massive manchild who cannot read, that he should not worry; reading's for rich people. Now, I put a great deal of thought into the literary value and the poetic truths that can be gleaned from cinematic offerings. This movie, while a fun 90 minutes or so of jokes, innuendo, music montages, and football footage, is not a masterpiece. However, this line actually carries quite a bit of meaning despite its comedic intentions. 

Reading is, in fact, for rich people. 

That can be taken a number of different ways. First, reading makes a man, makes any person rich. Knowledge currency, and knowledge is power. Reading allows the acquisition of knowledge. To read is to learn. This summer, I have read blog entries on teaching strategies, flexible seating, engaging reluctant readers, motivating today's young athletes, defending the no back, and so many other topics. I am growing more professionally now than at any time on my career as a teacher. Twitter, reading in 140 character bites, has opened up a world of learning opportunities for me, and I am invigorated. I am rich. 

Reading also allows me to experience moments that I would never experience otherwise. That trip to Alabama? I booked that through Harper Lee (RIP). The disturbing jaunt through the mountains? Cormac McCarthy guided me down those dark roads, as well as the horseback rides rides through Mexico. A few summers back, I met Vince Lombardi in a somewhat intimate way through a volume titled When Pride Still Mattered. Each time I read, I go somewhere, I experience something, I meet someone that is most likely far beyond my pedestrian reach. But through the pages of a book, through the artfully crafted words of masters, I can go anywhere, and I can experience almost anything. I am rich. 

The way I look at it, I was given my inheritance early in life. My earliest memories include books and newspapers.  My dad, a carpenter whose best high school yearbook picture showed him drooling and asleep with his head on a desk, was one of the most educated men I have ever met. Sure, he took some college classes through Barton County outreach over the years, but that is not even part of what makes him such an impressive individual, education-wise. At any given time. anywhere from three to seven books would be stacked up next to Dad's chair in the living room. Biographies, historical accounts, and political texts would sit open, marking the page where Dad had paused in his reading. Each day's newspaper was scanned by eyes that absorbed ideas and rhetoric from text and filed it away for discussion and consideration later. I do not remember sitting in Dad's lap as his finger tracked the words of the Mobile Ledger, but I do remember having my own spot on the floor, where those papers and my books would be scattered. Mom's chair had its own mountain of reading material; historical fiction novels were more her style, but the stacks were no less impressive, and the turnover was just as consistent and constant. If Dad was busy reading in the evening, it did no good to go to Mom; she was reading too. My parents opened an account for me and my siblings early in life, and they made deposits faithfully as we grew up. The reading habit was own trust fund, and, believe, me, we were rich. 

I have done my best to give my daughter and son the same type of early inheritance I was granted. Their mom's side table usually has a book. Heidi reads the daily paper before I get up each day, and Heidi and Emily pass magazines back and forth. I was third on the list when Go Set a Watchman came in after Heidi pre-ordered it. Emily has her own blog and many of her paintings and drawing as inspired by her reading. Dylan reads and writes an hour each day this summer because he wants to be a writer, and that is his summer workout. His Christmas list was a bookstore shopping list. My hope is that their inheritance can be even close to the one passed to me. 

In addition to my blessed progeny, I am also blessed to work a number of other young people who each year become "my kids". It is my duty to do whatever I can to pass on a love of reading to them. Unfortunately, I do not have a lifetime with each of them. So, what we do has to be powerful, and it has to effective. That is the rub, as the Bard would say. How can I help each student who passes through my door make deposits into the trust fund that reading provides. Some have wealth when they walk in. I need to help them invest and build their capital. Others are nearly broke. I have find a way to help those young people invest. It is vital that they do so. 

I want them to be rich. 

Teacher Treasure

Today, I was given something that can only be described as a Teacher Treasure. If you are one of the fortunate souls who finds himself happily immersed in the world of teaching, living the lifestyle, you know exactly what a Teacher Treasure is.

What exactly is this prize? A young lady emailed me and asked for my help. The help is honestly nothing, but it was the motivation for the request that is a gold deblume of the highest purity. The young lady making the request was a student of mine this year in Honors Sophomore English, and she is a poet. She filled me in on a little project that she and a friend, another student in HSE, were working on. The poet, M, thrived during our study of spoken word poetry, and her partner in rhyme, L, is a bit of a videographer. They had developed this project in which M's poetry might come to life through L's gifts with visual storytelling. They are almost finished shooting the footage they plan to use but were in need of one more location: a classroom. M wondered if I would be able to help them out. They hated to ask, but they also knew I would not be able to say "No."

A request to let two students into a classroom to shoot footage for a spoken word poetry film project, a project being undertaken not to complete some assignment and earn an A, but to feed a hunger to create, to produce, to grow.

That, my friends, is Teacher Treasure.

How can I view it in any other way? Two students are learning and growing, on their own, tapping into strengths that they have discovered and that they are letting me in on. I won't make a penny more from the experience, and I cannot claim it for professional development points that will help be relicense when the time comes. And yet, that email is as rewarding as anything one could imagine. The poet and filmmaker probably have no idea that I would see the email not as an imposition or duty but as a blessing. They will know how much it will mean to me view the finished product. I won't pretend not to be immensely proud of them both. After all, I try to be sincere with my kids, and to hide that pride would be unfair to them. Besides, when it comes down to it, I owe them, and every one of those kids who have filled my life with these moments.

We have to remember that, and never forget to collect those glittering moments, whether they be a note from former student who has reached new levels of success, a graduation photo of a paper tiger, a clipping recounting a championship run, a post on a creative writing blog, or simply a smile on a morning when you tell a kid "Nice job". We need to rummage through the treasure trove from time to time,  peering into the golden surfaces and the clear diamond depths, remembering what makes them so valuable and why they so effectively purchase the passion that makes this more than a vocation.