Day 19: Holo-What?

    A holocaust can be defined as either the, "destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war," or the "Jewish sacrificial offering that is burned completely on an altar," but more importantly refers to one of the darker times of human history. From around 1931 - 1945, thousands of individuals fought and died for Adolf Hitler's vision of a perfect world. Hitler's crusade was for a world free from, "gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, blacks, the physically and mentally disabled, political opponents of the Nazis, including Communists and Social Democrats, dissenting clergy, resistance fighters, prisoners of war, Slavic peoples, and many individuals from the artistic communities whose opinions and works Hitler condemned," and most importantly Jews, who he blamed for the loss of the first World War. 

   While this time period led to the deaths of millions of individuals ( 6-million Jews and roughly 5-million non-jews), today's youth only have a cursory knowledge of this time period, if any at all and until recently I in many ways was the same. Below you will find a list of books that tell the story of the Holocaust that are must-reads for both adults and reluctant readers. Included here is also a link to the National Holocaust Museum's website, where you can find additional information, lesson plans/activities and other helpful resources.  Remember history is studied so it doesn't repeat. While it may feel like this period of time is better left forgotten, ignorance is not the key to a better future. 

      "She was a young German Jew. He was an ardent member of the Hitler Youth. This is the story of their pareallel journey through World War II. Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. But their lives took radically different courses: Helen's to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth."

      "The Burden of Hitler's Legacy is Alfons Heck's incredible story of serving the Nazi regime, and the bitter disillusionment he suffered as the Germany he loved was battered into oblivion. Only in the waning days of World War II, did he begin to learn of the terror and cruelty that would come to characterize the Nazi reign. And only after years of soul-searching would he begin to accept the role that he had played. This complelling story complements and expands on Heck's autobiography, A Child of Hitler, in which he describes his childhood and life as a member and high-ranking leder of the Hitler Youth. The final chapters of the book introduce us to Heck's relationship with Helen Waterford, author of Commitment to the Dead and a survivor of the Aushwitz death camp. These two met in 1980 and formed a truly unique partnership. Heck and Waterford gave presentations side-by-side to audiences at more than 300 colleges and universities. The final chapter repeats many of the questions audiences would ask and Heck's answers. His openness provides much insight into the how's and why's of the Holocaust."

      "In this starkly candid account of one boy's indoctrination into the Hitler Youth, we see a side of Nazism that has been little recorded. This autobiographical account is a rare glimpse at World War II from a German boy's viewpoint."

     "The author was born into a life no one would wish for: a Jew in Germany with Adolf Hitler rising to power. This autobiography describes life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The author shares her personal journey, leading us towards understanding."

x

Day 18: What do You Mean a Difficult Student is Challenging

     Working with difficult students can be challenging. Finding ways to entice and excite a student that wants nothing to do with school can feel like an insurmountable task. They sit and brood and do everything within their power to derail the classroom, even when the rest of the class is engaged and interested in what is going on. That being said, great teachers are known for doing the impossible and chipping away at even the most difficult students hard and standoffish exteriors. So today's blog is about you, the great teachers. In the comments below please tell me how you engage the unengageable. How you not only lead that stubborn pony to water, but actually make it drink (and remember you can't hold its head underwater). Whether it's through exciting activities, such as the line game I mentioned in a previous post or through getting to know the student, how is it that you make them excited about learning and life.

Day 17: Age is Just a Number

     Working in the education field has shown me what it means to be a member of the digital age, more so than growing up with technology ever has. Today's youth are in many ways developmentally stunted, due to the ever-increasing availability of technology and increase access to the internet. Young adults have lost their ability to be shocked and/or in many cases their innocence due to the wealth of information at their fingertips. Today's youth have access to any subject they could desire to know about is at the tips of their fingers and yet they spend hours watching mindnumbing videos or researching inappropriate and at time gruesome events, texts or streams. However, what harm does this access have on our youth?
    Research has shown no indication that young adults that play/watch violent video games and movies are more violent than any other member of society. In fact, some research has actually shown that people who enjoy such activities do so as a form of catharsis (while others disagree). This being said, however, there is a definite change in young adult mental and physical ability/ages due to such activities. Today's youth seems to be mentally older due to their access to the internet, but lack the developmental skills in order to appropriately sort and understand what they view. This discrepancy has made it difficult for both teachers and parents to teach young adults the differences between right and wrong due to the internet providing them with whatever knowledge or entertainment they could ask for in a more easily digestible format. In many ways, education and parenting have become more about capturing kids attention and less about the actual education due to this increase in available information.

       So my question is: Should we allow young adults access to technology and the internet at such a young and developmentally critical age or is there a better way? I am not saying that all education should be left up to teachers, but there has to be a better way to teach our children about the world around them than plopping them in front of a screen and hoping for the best (you have all seen parents in stores and restaurants do this, just to get a moment of peace). Considering it another way, you wouldn't expect someone to know everything about a job on their first day (even if they had worked in the field previously), so why do we expect our children to make safe and healthy choices when it comes to the internet without first giving them the tools and knowledge to succeed.

Day 16: A Classical Moment

 
    A classic is considered to be a work of art that over a period of time can still be considered of the highest quality in its field. While classic literature is by no means everyone's cup of tea, we can learn a lot from the writing styles and thematic choices authors made in the past. While books today might be considered more kid and user-friendly, due to the high action and at times more approachable vocabulary, the classics are a work of art. When these books were first written, authors were the most highly educated of the masses and as such their novels, became something made for the higher class or elites. While these books are still somewhat written for the highly educated, here are a few of my must-reads for anyone interested in this genre of text.

"Don Quixote is a middle-aged gentleman from the region of La Mancha in central Spain. Obsessed with the chivalrous ideals touted in books he has read, he decides to take up his lance and sword to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked."

    "Although convinced that she herself will never marry, Emma Woodhouse, a precocious twenty-year-old resident of the village of Highbury, imagines herself to be naturally gifted in conjuring love matches. After self-declared success at matchmaking between her governess and Mr. Weston, a village widower, Emma takes it upon herself to find an eligible match for her new friend, Harriet Smith."

     "Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. 

Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. 

When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life."

"The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s."

                                                   

     "The Grimms' Fairy Tales, originally known as the Children's and Household Tales, is a collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jakob and Wilhelm, first published on 20 December 1812. The first edition contained 86 stories, and by the seventh edition in 1857, had 211 unique fairy tales"

Day 15: Making a Mess

    If you are anything like me, the writing process is more of a series of rewriting. Writing is not an easy activity. It is messy and gross and usually leaves the writer physically, mentally and emotionally tired. Writers spend hours, upon hours sitting in front of a sheet of paper or computer screen and at times have very little to show for it and that's okay. Too often young or even veteran writers give up, because of how difficult writing can be, but much like any activity, you get better at it over time. That doesn't mean you won't have writer's block come knocking at your door one cold winters day, but it does mean that over time you come to realize that not knowing what to write or what may come next in your story is part of the fun of writing.

   Too often students and other writers are afraid to get messy with their writing. So what if a plot needs to be changed, a theme is lost or a new character is needed to get your story moving in the right direction, it happens. First drafts are made to be messy and to allow the writer to try new things. So whether you're a veteran writer or a first timer, don't give up on writing. It may be hard, it may be at times a little gross, and you might feel like no one out their cares, but in the end, I promise you its worth it.   

Day 14: The Angry Learner

     Anger is a healthy and normal part of life and no one knows this better than teachers. These days young adults, lack healthy outlets to release their pent-up up frustrations and as such express their anger at times in disruptive outbursts that can halt learning for everyone around them. These angry outbursts have less to do with anything in particular and tend to stem from an inability to self-monitor and communicate their thoughts and feelings.  The challenge then when working with students is being able to feel out the situation and control your own actions and feelings, as well as those of the students around you. 

Here are a few things you can try in order to help your students get back on track and gain healthy coping skills:

1. Intervene early on: Suddenly voices are raised or the room falls into still silence. This atmosphere change can be sudden, but usually, you can tell when something is up after being with a class for a bit. This is the time to act before anything can get out out a hand. talk with students you think are at risk of outbursts, maybe switch up activities or have the student go for a walk with an adult. While not every situation will be avoidable there are usually patterns of behaviors that you can pick up on and diffuse. 
2. 1:1 or small group intervention: While not every outburst is due to a frustration towards school work, it is also not uncommon. Try your best to provide additional support or modifications/ accommodations for those students that need it in order to build academic confidence. While that isn't always possible for every situation, make students aware of when you are available or provide guidance when and where appropriate. 
3. Create an action plan with the student: While you will usually get the standard answer of I don't know, some students are willing to work with you when it comes to creating an educational goal system. Start by asking them why they did what they did and try identifying the causes. Once you and more importantly they have an idea of the source of the frustration, try coming up with a student-driven action plan.
4. Have a private discussion: Sometimes the classroom is not the best place to have a discussion. When that is the case try and get the student to meet with you after class or in the hallway when appropriate. These conversations allow students to feel like their thoughts are being heard, but are also important in keeping with classroom expectations
5. Stay calm: The most important and effective way to handle classroom disruption is to self-model calm behavior.  When handling a frustrated student avoid arguing with them or adding fuel to the fire. Be aware of tone and body language that is non-threatening and allow them to speak, while upholding classroom policies.

     While these five classroom management tricks are by no means effective 100% of the time, they can make a difference to your classroom's atmosphere. If you have any additional tips or trick, please share a comment below and I hope everyone has a safe and productive school year. 

Day 13: Spine-Tingling Topics

   Well, it is that time of year again and so I want to introduce my spooky list of haunted tales for reluctant readers. As we move ever closer to Haloween, many of us begin to gravitate towards the horror side of our DVD collections. However, this holiday season why don't you try on one of these spine-tingling tales that are sure to have you greeting the holiday season in style.
     Horror, as we all know is the genre of fiction that is made to startle, frighten or at the worst of times disgust the viewer. I for one am not huge on the blood and guts brand of horror and thus will not be including them in this must-read selection. That being said, parents and teachers feel free to browse these novels ahead of time if you are afraid they might not be a good fit for your child or students.

Without further ado, let us see what books might interest those reluctant holiday goblins and like always leave a comment if you have any books you would like to add to this list:

     "In the summer of 1982, five friends discover an ancient stone box hidden deep in the woods. They seal inside of it treasured objects from their childhoods, and they make a vow:

Never come to the box alone. 
Never open it after dark. 
Never take back your sacrifice. 

     Four years later, a series of strange and terrifying events begin to unfold: mirrors inexplicably shattering, inanimate beings coming to life, otherworldly crows thirsting for blood. Someone broke the rules of the box, and now everyone has to pay.

    But how much are they willing to sacrifice?"

     "A secret Arctic experiment becomes a frozen nightmare, when a team of scientists are set adrift on an iceberg--with a murderer in their midst, and a massive explosive charge only hours away from detonation."

    "When Poison's baby sister is stolen by phaeries, Poison sets off on an incredible and dangerous journey to get her sister back from the Phaerie Lord. But as Poison travels to the Realm of Phaerie, she discovers that her story - and her destiny - is not in her control and that she will need all her wits about her to survive. A fantasy where the power of story maybe the only thing that will save you, and where imagination knows no bounds."

     "Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.

     Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable. 

     But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness. "

     "When Reggie finds an old journal and reads about the Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, she assumes they are just the musings of some lunatic author. But soon, they become a terrifying reality when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims.

     Risking her life and her sanity, Reggie enters a living nightmare to save the people she loves. Can she devour own her fears before they devour her?"