Teenagers struggle to understand themselves and each other, and books help them with and through that. The tragedy is that the identity issues many students confront aren't represented in classics typically dominated by white, middle-class, straight protagonists. I want to change their experience.
My students are pretty typical of a public American high school, which means I have plenty of students who don't fit into that classic white, middle-class, straight category.
I teach 9th and 10th graders who come from middle school with their love of reading still intact. That love is ground down in high school, where teachers don't have time or energy to find books they enjoy.
My Project
I am eager to provide them with choices that already pique their interest and will hopefully nurture that love of reading. I was literally giddy looking up all the various titles that my students might have the opportunity to read through this program. This an exciting time in the world of young adult books because it's an exploding market. Because of its growing popularity, we've ventured beyond the typical coming of age story and we're entering the territory of what coming of age means in America - and other countries - today. There is a refreshing honesty that provides a candid look at lives and lifestyles that have been previously shunned by mainstream education and booksellers. Seeing "other" people represented makes me giddy - women, the GLBTQ community, religions that aren't Christianity, anyone who isn't white, etc. I am thrilled to offer my students an insight to other people like them and people who aren't like them at all. We fear what we don't understand and I am eager to provide my students with a chance to end some fear - of themselves and others - while in my classroom.
I struggle to put into words how important this idea is to me.
I am passionate about getting books into kids' hands. I am passionate about promoting tolerance and understanding. I feel privileged to have and humbled by the opportunity to play a role in the foundational years of students' discovery of themselves and their world. I do not take this role lightly and I look forward the positive impact these books would have on my ability to perform that role well.
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