Life is Strange

I began playing Life is Strange a little while ago. Having almost completed the game, I figured now would be a good time to reflect. When Dr. Shannon announced that this was the game that we would be playing, I was excited. I have played other choose-your-way games in the past, and enjoyed them immensely. Unfortunately, Life is Strange did not live up to my expectations.
The game centers around Max, a teenage girl struggling to fit in at a new school. While sitting in a photography class, she discovers she has the ability to rewind time and "re-do" situations. Throughout the game, Max is placed in very adult situations, and forced to react and re-react to them.
When I play a game about making choices, I expect to be able to make choices. While the game does allow you to make choices that have consequences, many of the game's major choices are "fixed". By this, I mean that the game will force you to play and rewind until you pick the options that it wants you to. For example, at the beginning of the game, you walk in on Chloe and a guy she's arguing with. Although you are presented with the option to confront them, the game will not allow you to do so. Instead, it forces you to pull the fire alarm and evacuate the school. Another scene that comes to mind is when Max goes to the junkyard and Chloe accidentally shoots herself due to a ricocheting bullet. Again, the game forces you to rewind and make other choices.
I'm not saying I want to go around to kill characters, but I wish the game was more flexible in this sense. For example, in The Walking Dead, a similar game by Telltale Games, the character that you play as is allowed to make choices that can result in death (ending your game early), or the death of other characters.
The game wasn't awful, it just wasn't one of my favorites. However, I don't know that I would want to use it in an ELA classroom. There are a lot of mature/triggering themes throughout the game (like what the hell Mr. Jefferson?), and I'm not sure that the idea would go over well with parents.
However, as a future educator, I think it was a good idea for me to play the game. It reminded me that even though no one should have to go through the situations that Max and her friends are placed in, adolescents do. They probably do experience such things more often than we realize. Even if I didn't necessarily enjoy the game, it made me pause and think about the struggles that adolescents deal with on a daily basis that adults are so quick to dismiss.

5 Centimeters Per Second

I can't even remember the last time I picked up a manga book. It was years ago, probably middle school, honestly. I remember borrowing one from a friend, struggling to read it, and quickly losing interest. I was a bit apprehensive whenever being assigned to read 5 Centimeters Per Second, but I figured I would give it another try. I mean, its not like I had a choice this time, right?
The plot of 5 Centimeters Per Second (which google has been hilariously autofilling to 5 centimeters dilated, really?), was pretty straightforward and easy to follow. Nothing was really off-the-wall crazy, which surprised me. Call me biased, but typically when I think of manga I think of the crazy, weird stuff.
Anyway, for the rest of this posting, I'd like to discuss to the experience of reading a manga. It was definitely weird, and a little frustrating at times. However, I'm glad I got to experience doing so. I'm sure many of my future students will be interested in reading this genre of literature, now, I at least have a basic background so I understand what it is that they are doing.
The experience of being frustrated was also humbling. It really made me think about how my future students are going to feel when I throw literature at them. I'm sure many of them will be confused, frustrated, and wanting to give up. It just goes to show how everyone has their own tastes and personal interests, and these things need to be accounted for when teaching.
As far as using a manga in the classroom, I would be interested in exploring that idea further. I know from trolling internet forums that it is not uncommon for explicit ideas to be present in manga. I'd definitely need to do a thorough screening of something before putting it in my students' hands. However, I think there is value in using different genres of literature in the classroom, and I'm sure manga has a place alongside many others.

Journey.

I identify myself as being a casual gamer, so being assigned to play video games for a class was quite exciting. Although I don't have time to play video games as much as I'd like, I still dabble occasionally when I get the change. I prefer first person shooters (like the Borderlands series!), so playing Journey was a bit different from what I'd normally do.
Prior to playing, I read quite a few reviews on Journey. They all sounded very promising; the game got great reviews on nearly every forum. However, Journey did not live up to my expectations. Maybe I got sidetracked or a little lost along the way, but I did not enjoy my journey.One thing I found to be very frustrating about the game was the movements. As I said before, I am (somewhat) experienced when it comes to gaming. The character that you inhabit, a little robed cloth person known as The Traveler,  moves so slow it is infuriating. As a fairly impatient person, I was barely able to deal with this. I think that if your traveler moved just a little bit faster, the game's play time could be cut to maybe...30 minutes?Throughout the game, the Traveler must collect little tickets (think classic carnival games) in order to grow your scarf. The longer your scarf is, the more jumps you have. Each jump your character uses depletes your scarf. When you run out of scarf, you don't have any jumps. Again, this was a very frustrating aspect of the game, as you need to make the Traveler jump up and down quite frequently. If you screwed up, you wasted a jump. As I stated in the previously, the Traveler moves at approximately -2.5 mph. Navigating this world made me so annoyed I wanted to throw the controller at the screen.Okay, maybe I'm being a little unfair here. I get it, the point of the game is to move around, to explore, to enjoy your JOURNEY. However, it was hard for me to get past these initial frustrations and actually enjoy the game. When I was looking around and not fixated on cursing under my breath, I did get to enjoy some nice scenery. Some of the settings were absolutely beautiful...but I'm not quite sure it was worth the initial frustrations.Journey is a wordless narrative. You progress through the story without words or dialogue, only looking at scenery, ancient ruins, and some weird creepy dragon bug things? You occasionally encounter other players throughout your journey, but you are unable to communicate with them. You can make a "ring" noise at them to acknowledge their presence, but their identity is concealed. I didn't see much of a point to this aspect of the game. Although it was interesting to see other players randomly coming and going, no one really stuck around for my journey. They would move ahead, leaving me behind to rage at the controller.I'm glad I got to play a video game that I consider to be out of my comfort zone, but I don't think I would play Journey again. Many people raved online about how it was the "best game ever","5 stars", and "a true delight", but honestly I can't get past my initial frustrations with the game. One of the reviews that I read online claimed that the game simulated one's lifetime. The game starts out warm and easy, but as you progress things get a little challenging, until you hit the peak of the mountain and...die? I don't know. Your character never really dies, you do pass out at one point, but you are revived. ANYWAY....I could see some implications for using this in an ELA classroom. I guess you could connect Journey to some sort of coming of age tale or a traditional hero's journey. Its definitely not something that is going to offend parents; the game is pretty clean compared to a lot of other games that are on the market today. I'm not necessarily sure as to how I'd tie it in with a text, or even how I would be able to make it accessible for all students, but I can see why it was assigned in the course.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Spencer and I had our mini-teach last Wednesday on Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets. Overall, I thought the experience went pretty well.

We started our demo by having the students think about secrets that would hurt a relationship. The purpose of this activity was to get the students thinking about the themes of the book, and how the characters in the book may have felt at various points in the story.
The next activity we had students do discussed the various themes found within the books. Afterwards, we regrouped and shared.
We concluded the activity by having our classmates construct an identity doll for either Aristotle, Dante, or Bernardo. They were able to use quotes and passages to create a visual representation of these characters.

Our lesson plan channeled multiple intelligences. I believe that it would be appealing to students due to its engaging features. As previously stated, the students in my adolescent literature class appeared to enjoy it.

Although this book is addresses touchy subjects, I think that it has merit in a secondary ELA classroom. There are ways of approaching the subject without going too far or pushing the subject to an uncomfortable level.

Wrecked.

Prior to reading Wrecked, I was excited. I knew the book touched on sensitive issues such as sexual assault and it took place at a college. In more recent years, issues such as these, especially on college campuses, have become more and more prevalent. Due to the rise in occurrences, I feel like talking about issues such as sexual assault in a high school setting is important. After reading Wrecked, however, I'm not sure that it is the best book to be used for that specific purpose.

As previously stated, Wrecked is supposed to tell the story of a girl, Jenny, that was raped at a college party, and her struggles to not only overcome the emotional damage of the instance, but also try to convict her rapist. Wrecked is unique in the sense that it is not told from the victim's point of view, instead, it is told through Haley and Richard. Haley is Jenny's roommate and friend, while Richard is Jenny's rapist's roommate. After every chapter, we get a slice of the actual events that took place that night. By the end of the novel, we are able to get the truth about the events that took place that night.

Telling the entire novel through the point of views of everyone but the victim is what makes Wrecked  unique, but it is also its greatest weakness. Unfortunately, by the halfway point of the novel, Haley and Richard meet and fall in love. The story no longer focuses on Jenny and her assault, but instead Haley and Richard's weird, stupid, creepy love story. Their relationship makes two unlikeable characters even more unlikeable.

Personally, I don't give a shit about their relationship. By choosing to focus on this, I think that it takes away from the "big picture" of the novel. It kind of makes Jenny's rape seem like an event, an unimportant subplot, and dehumanizes Jenny as a character. Classified as a novel that deals with sexual assault, I don't really think that this was the best choice to make. I mean, really?

Anyway, the book is a fairly quick, easy read and I think that regarding reading level, the book would be age-appropriate for high school readers. However, if given the choice, I don't think that I will be using this book. I think that in regards to discussing issues such as sexual assault, there are stronger books that could be used. For example, Speak was discussed a lot in the previous class.

Fortunately(?), for me, I don't think I have much to worry about in regards to being forced to teach the book. I feel as though it is unlikely that this book would go over well with parents, I mean, they get upset about "foul language" in classics such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Of Mice and Men. However, I would of course keep the book on a shelf in my classroom library. However, if asked, I would definitely not recommend it.

However, Wrecked is not all garbage. The book does have some strong teaching points. For example, I think that it would be interesting to design a lesson plan based on point of view. As previously stated, the novel is tells the same story through multiple perspectives. Like I said, definitely not my first choice, but it does contain some value in an educational setting.

Trigger Warning: Stereotypes

When I first picked up American Born Chinese, I did not think much of it. I had some prior experience with the book, having observing in a class where the book was incorporated into their curriculum. The words of the teacher echoed through my head:

The book isn't racist. The book is exemplifying stereotypes. 

If you have any experience with the book, you can see the gray area where the concepts of "racism" and "stereotypes" could blue for a high school student. Characterized by their immaturity, high schoolers or teenagers in general are quick to make something simple into a risqué topic.
Little to my surprise, some controversy arose in our own discussion and exploration of American Born Chinese. The closing activity required that we, as mock students, create our own graphic representation of American stereotypes, and how Americans might be pictured abroad. Someone mentioned that when asked to characterize themselves by stereotypes that they grew uncomfortable, and did not wish to complete the activity due to their disapproval of stereotypes. This comment brought up a question that begged to be answered:

How on Earth would you teach this novel?

Sure, American Born Chinese does not exist inside of canonical secondary education literature, however, it definitely showed importance in a secondary education classroom. As a future English teacher, I will be forced to teach a variety of uncomfortable concepts. Approaching these matters respectfully is of utmost importance; no teacher wants to offend or upset their students. As the lesson progressed and the class concluded, I again found myself thinking:

How on Earth would you teach this novel?

I will spend the remainder of this blog posting exploring possible ways to teach the graphic novel, American Born Chinese. As I have previously stated, it will be necessary as part of my career to learn how to work with many students from very diverse backgrounds-- ethnic, socioeconomic, racial, gender, etc. Finding a "safe" or "appropriate" way to teach a potentially offensive novel is only the first of many struggles of my future teaching endeavors.

*-*-*

At a first glance, I thought their idea of drawing a graphic was interesting, but I could quickly see where problems could arise. Stereotypes can be defined as an overgeneralization of a group of people, but it is important to remember that these generalizations are not always true. For this reason alone, I can see why stereotypes could be deemed offensive. I can only see how the level of offensive-ness (is that even a thing?) would increase when asked to describe one's self with stereotypes (i.e. an American). If a student did not identify with a particular stereotype, (i.e. all Americans are fat!), it could be easy, even comical, to use in mockery. However, if a student did identify themselves as "fat", they might take offense to such a generalization, especially in today's society, characterized by safe spaces and trigger warnings. Creating a drawing complicated things further, as I previously stated highschoolers are the physical embodiment of immaturity. I can only imagine the kinds of drawings that I would receive if i presented this activity to a group of 9th graders, although I might be able to laugh them off, there was no doubt in my mind that someone would be offended. While I thought that the activity was well-intended, there had to be other ways of driving home the point of the novel.  

Another idea presented was the idea of having a large group discussion with the class about stereotypes. Again, an idea that seemed to be suggested with good intentions probably would not have been well-received. Someone suggested having students discuss stereotypes that are associated with a group that they personally identify with. While it would be interesting to hear students talk about groups they personally identify with and how stereotypes and overgeneralization are not only false, but also hurtful; I don't think this activity would be very well-received. Highschoolers are not only immature, but they're also at a very awkward stage of their lives. They're trying to work out their own identities, as well as balance their academic and social lives. If a student already struggled with their identity, as most high schoolers do, why would they want to talk about it? Would they feel comfortable make themselves so vulnerable? Personally, I didn't think so. Like I've been saying the whole time, there has to be another way.

Someone suggested that the idea for the above discussion be turned into a writing prompt. Writing would provide more of a safe haven for students. They wouldn't be forced to share it with their peers unless they wanted to...but what was the point of that? While I think it is important for students to explore stereotypes, especially those in their personal lives, I did think it would be appropriate to assign this sort of discussion as a writing. If students did not feel comfortable sharing what they had written, they would not be an active part of the discussion. Personally, I believe that these sorts of issues and uncomfortable topics need to be talked about in order to help resolve the negativity surrounding them. A writing prompt would definitely be useful, but it could not be the only activity.

So I decided to consult my level I hours. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this blog posting, I had seen this novel taught in an actual secondary education classroom. I personally did not remember any negative occurrences offhand, so there had to be a way to teach this novel, right?
According to my notes, the class began with a discussion about stereotypes. The idea of stereotypes was not only defined, but explained. It was reinforced to the students that while these ideas can be offensive (Chin-kee, seriously?), the book's intention was not to offend the readers, but instead inform the readers. They talked about the stereotypes that were displayed in the book, and their function. After this brief discussion, students were given laptops and a graphic organizer. The students used their laptops to go to this website; a profile page for characters from The Simpsons. The students were asked to pick three characters of their choosing, and explore their profiles. What stereotypes did these characters exemplify about American culture?
For example, if a child chose Marge, they would see that she is identified as "the nagging housewife". Was this a stereotype we saw portrayed in American culture? Sure!
The nagging housewife, responsible for taking care of children, and of course nagging her husband to complete mundane or unnecessary tasks, all the while making sure that her husband and kids had all of their needs met.
On the back of this worksheet was another graphic organizer. The students were then allowed to pick their own television show or movie, and identify characters that exemplified more stereotypes. Again, students were responsible for naming characters, and then explaining what kinds of stereotypes they portrayed. Looking back on this activity, I think that it accomplished the goal: having a discussion about stereotypes that didn't offend anyone.

Did this lesson censor any offensive material? No. 

Did this lesson offend any students? Maybe.
Would one of the previously mentioned ideas work better than this one? Maybe. How was I supposed to know? 

Did the teacher just get lucky and have a very difficult group of students to offend? Also, maybe.

Or maybe it was just easier for the students to look at when they were taken out of the picture.  Maybe it was easier for the students to step back and look at American society and culture as a whole, and not on an individual scale. Whatever the reasoning behind it, I'll never be sure, however, I will keep all of these ideas in the back of my head for future reference. In today's society, I don't really know that its possible to teaching anything without offending someone, but that doesn't mean that these uncomfortable topics should be glossed over. These kinds of issues need to be talked about, especially when teachers are reinforcing the fact that these statements aren't true, and can be hurtful. How can we preach tolerance to our students if we don't teach the concept to them? If we don't have these discussions with our students, how will they know? 

I'm not sure that I'll ever know the right answer. No matter how the issue is approached, there's going to be the possibility of offending someone without intending to. I'm not even sure that there is a right answer in this situation. I do know that these ideas are important issues that need to be approached delicately in any setting, especially one that is academic. As I've previously stated, it is of the utmost importance that we continue to talk about these issues, regardless of how uncomfortable they are. We owe it not only to ourselves as educators, but to our students as well. While there are virtually millions of ways to approach this concept in a classroom, I can't help but continue to think:

How on Earth would you teach this novel?

March: Book 1

I have to admit, when I was scanning through the reading list for adolescent literature, I was a bit skeptical. Although I enjoy leisurely reading graphic novels, was it really worth having so many on a list? Would we, as a class, be able to read through and discuss them throughout the short time we had together? Skeptical didn't even begin to describe how I was feeling.
Despite my reservations, I was eager to begin reading "March: Book One".
I will admit, I was a little behind when it had come to begin reading the graphic novel. I had overheard many of the other students in class had already finished it. Most, with a few exceptions, had claimed to enjoy it. However, once I started, I was completely engrossed. I was unable to put it down, and read it cover to cover in less than two hours.
Although I cannot foresee any time in the near future where such a book would be mandated in secondary education curriculum, I can definitely see the value in reading something as powerful as "March" in today's society.
The book chronicled Congressman John Lewis, a prominent figure during the Civil Rights Movement. It tells lighthearted stories of his childhood, which he spent speaking sermons to chickens, but quickly transitioned to a more serious tone. The book discussed Lewis's involvement and participation in the nonviolent sit-ins that he and fellow members of his civil rights group conducted. At this time, segregation was very prevalent in southern American society. These organized protests showed the racial inequalities of society at the time; something that should continue to be transitioned out of society. This message of equality is important to always remember, especially in modern times.
The messages of freedom, equality, and moral goodness addressed within this graphic novel are important for someone of any age to remember. Although I am a few years older than my students, I found these messages to be truthful and important. I will not only offer, but also recommend "March" to my future students as an independent reading book. I think that students will find value and interest in the issues that the book addresses.
Personally, despite my previous reservations and ever-growing reading list, I'm ready to purchase book 2!