Response # 3 for Dr. Pytash-- Classics in the Classroom Chapter 6

As I read chapter 6 of Jago's Classics in the Classroom, I reflected upon when I read the Odyssey during my freshman year at Kent State University. As Dr. Sanders taught my Great books classmates and me about the many characters, he used a diagram similar to the ones provided in the chapter. Additionally, just as explains on page 138-141, Dr. Sanders also had us not only read the novel but also take notes as an expert on one specific book within the Odyssey. By giving the class ownership over the lessons about certain chapters of a book, I noticed that we were not only able to establish a classroom community, but we also learned more about the text by teaching it to one another. Therefore, I found this to be a very effective strategy.

I have heard some of my cohorts explain that they do not agree with this method because it encouraged students to not read the entire novel. However, I disagree with this opinion. From my experience, I noticed that the students who chose to not read the assignments, thinking they could just follow their peers' notes and lessons, were not able to do well on the assessment about the assigned readings. Therefore, no matter who teaches or provides notes about the text, nothing can supplement actually completing reading assignments. Thus, if implemented correctly, this is an effective teaching strategy in the language arts classroom.

Response # 2 for Dr. Pytash-- Classics in the Classroom Chapter 3

After reading the third chapter of Jago's Classics in the Classroom, I was given a new perspective on teaching literature. At my high school, I was an honors student, and in our honors English classes, writing was focused upon much more than reading. Unfortunately, I did not read many books such as The Odyssey, Beowulf, and The Great Gatsby until I reached my studies at Kent State University. As a result, I have grown to excel in writing, but I often struggle with reading. Although I can read, my pace is slow and my skills are underdeveloped in comparison to many of my peers.

I began to reflect upon this as I read the quote "Great literature deepens our experience, heightens our sensibilities, and matures our judgement," which Jago stated on page 47. This, in coordination with her explanation of how her students read 20 books, made me realize that I was never really challenged to read until I reached college. That being said, I truly struggled at first when I found myself reading several novels in a month. Therefore, I am the embodiment of Jago's aforementioned quote, for if I was asked to stretch my reading ability when I was in high school, I would have been much more prepared for college. This is significant to me, as I will learn from my experiences to ensure that I provide a better opportunity for my students to succeed through reading than I was given by my high school curricula.

Response #1 for Dr. Pytash-- Classics in the Classroom Chapter 1

Upon reading chapter 1 of Carol Jago's Classics in the Classroom, I was left very troubled. One of the statistics provided on page 9 stated that the "lowest-performing twelfth graders have vocabularies about equal to high-knowledge third graders." Particularly, this fact scared me the most. From the message of this chapter, I feel that it is safe to say that a cause of this statistic is that high school students are not reading enough rich literary texts to develop sophisticated vocabularies. Therefore, this stands as a testament for the first principle listed by Jago, which simply stated, "Students must read."

As this stands as a staple for English education in America, I was even more disturbed by something I heard in Dr. Kist's class today. A teacher from Bosnia was visiting during our class, and when asked about the types of texts she is teaching in her classroom, she explained that the teaching of reading and literature in high schools in Bosnia is not a common practice. Upon hearing that, I was shocked. I couldn't begin to imagine English education without reading literature. This troubles me because without reading rich texts, students' vocabularies tend to suffer, as Jago pointed out in the quote I listed above. Therefore, through this classroom experience and through reading this chapter, I am scared to realize that the issue of inadequate teaching of literature is not only apparent in the United States, but it is a world-wide issue.

Multi-genre Literacy Autobiography

Initially, while I was brainstorming my multi-genre literacy autobiography, I was unsure of how to piece together the texts that have influenced me over a span of 20 years. There was just so much to cover because upon starting this project, I realized that texts are everywhere. Reflecting upon all of the books, comics, movies, video games and television shows into which I have submerged myself, I was perplexed about how I could choose and compile the meaningful ones in a way that could be aesthetically pleasing and still make sense. Then, it hit me; I'd make a comic book!

In all of the texts that have played important roles in my life, their most influential components were the images involved, whether they were material images or words that helped me paint my own images. What I have always loved about books is the way a writer can give the gift of a image to a reader without actually painting it. Additionally, what always fascinated me about illustrations was the magnitude of emotions and meanings that could be associated with an image and how two people could interpret the same image in completely different ways. Therefore, as I have always learned through images and my own illustrations of texts, I felt it was most appropriate that I illustrate the collection of the texts which influenced my life in a way that would help my peers visualize my memories the way I do.

This was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever been assigned. I loved looking back on my life in a unique way and piecing together the explanation of who I am today and the teacher I will be from the earliest influences of my life. Although I was absent on the first day of presentations on the account of illness, I look forward to presenting my comic book of memories this week. Additionally, I am looking forward to seeing the other remaining presentations to establish a connection with my peers who have been influenced by similar texts and to learning from those who have different backgrounds than me.

Little Brother Post for Multi-Modal Course

I have to say, Cory Doctorow's book Little Brother is one of the most unique novels I have ever read. As I have been reading it, I have been drawing some parallels to the books 1984 and The Hunger Games because of the theme of governmental control. However, I am also reminded of historical events in the United States, as I remember being taught in my Education in a Democratic Society course that after World War II, schools were conditioned to teach patriotism, and subjects such as the German language were excluded from some schools. I was reminded of this when Marcus was suspended for speaking up in class against the views of his teacher. This leads me to some questions:

• How can we as educators handle classroom debates in a way that students are able to express themselves without facing repercussions from their peers?
• Further, how should we respond to anarchical statements?
• When is the right to free speech a hinderance in the classroom, and can/should it be revoked in the case of student protection?
• Surely, we cannot censor students, but how can we help students form educated opinions instead of irrational comments?
• Finally, in what ways can we promote to students a sense of responsibility with their rights?

Pop Culture Post: "Castle"

As a junior working my way through college, I do not have much time to watch television. In order to do so, I usually allot time throughout the week, during which I watch a sporting event, a movie, or something that catches my eye through an advertisement. However, one television series has me hooked. The Castle series has changed my outlook on my schedule. Never before have I studied in advance or planned my daily schedule around one specific hour of one specific day of each consecutive week before.

Since I am not pampered by the graces of DVR while I'm at school, my top priority on Mondays at 10 p.m. are to make sure that I have a snack and that the television is set to ABC so I can enjoy the newest adventure of Rick Castle, a character named after a real-life murder mystery novelist, as he works with sergeant Kate Beckett to solve murders while gaining inspiration for his new novels. This show is action-packed, and as an English major, I love the color commentary Castle adds to each case. The wit and hilarity that ensue between he and Beckett create what I find to be a unique treasure, a comedy-murder mystery hybrid.