Book Talk: Wild Mind

Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg

 

Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg young adult text that teaches a unique and special method of writing. She sees writing as a craft and takes it to another level: Wild Mind. Natalie describes the “wild mind” as the creative part of your mind that is “raw, full of energy, alive and hungry.” Natalie’s book is a helpful guide to when to find time to write, how to create and discover your own personal style, how to make your pieces come alive, and how to overcome difficult challenges that avid writers tend to face, such as writers block. Natalie also uses writing exercises for the reader to do that gets their pen moving and their thoughts provoking.

I chose this text because I read it in one of my composition classes, and I fell in love with it. I think it is such an important text to read in any literature or composition class, and as a teacher of writing I want to share this educational and creative text with my students. It can be applicable I any English class. No matter if you’re an experience writer or not, reading this text will help you grow so much as a creative writer and push you to limits you didn’t know you had. My rationale for choosing this book is it opens up your eyes to new ideas and ways of thinking about writing that it has the potential to be helpful and valuable to everyone. Whether you love to write, hate to write, or love it but aren’t the best, this book has advice and tools for you to make writing fun and interesting – not just for educational purposes, but for fun as well. I think this text is appropriate for high school students, because it is a fairly easy read. Also, high school is where a lot of writing skills come into play, because students are preparing for college. I think the steaks are set high enough in high school to wear this book is appropriate to provide workshops and effective advice, but also a good time for students to express their individuality when it comes to exploring their writing styles. I would say 11^th and 12^th graders would be perfect ages to read this book, because they are mature enough to appreciate it and confident enough in their schooling career to be able to try the different exercises Goldberg provides.  

The teaching ideas I have in mind for this book are to have students get a writing journal and I will assign pages to be read for each class day. If there is a “try this” exercise in the reading for that night, students will try it and write it down in their journal. This will serve as sort of a free-write for them to write about whatever comes to their mind. Instead of a reading journal, I could also just open up class with the “try this” exercises and have them do a free-write in the beginning of class every day that serves as a warm-up. I would also start of each class period with having an open class discussion about what happened in the chapters that were assigned the previous night, and ask students what they thought about Goldberg’s ideas and workshops.

I can only think of a few possible obstacles to teaching this text. The first one that I come up with is the possibility that students might not value it as much as I’d hope. Also, if students don’t take the exercises and the “try this” workshops seriously, they won’t have any effect on them and the text could become irrelevant. As long as students are keeping the writing exercises appropriate, I truly don’t see any problem the administration nor parent could have with this text.

 

Readicide

I truly found this book by Kelly Gallagher so eye-opening and helpful. I have heard over and over that reading is being killed by schools, but this book really put it into perspective for me. Reading is such an important tool and essential learning strategy for kids and adults so it is so important that we are teaching this to students at a young age. I especially thought it was interesting on the section where it talks about if Cell phones cause cancer. I think we are all aware that almost every adolescent these days carries a cell phone, so to see factual information about the harm this is causing students was fascinating. Since technology is so accessible these days to everyone, it is no wonder that these devices are taking the light and attention away from reading. I also liked the point Gallagher made when he says "lousy classic" is an oxymoron. There is no such thing. Required books such as To Kill A Mockingbird are required because they bring so much valuable, cultured literacy to students and hold so much foundational knowledge that is essential we teach our students now and forever. Gallagher talks about how students may label these readings as "boring", but if we can just teach them in a fun way and get kids engaged, we can get the value of these books across to them and help them actually learn what these books are meant to teach. We also need to be teaching our students the concept and value of Active reading. Teaching them how not to just read the words but understand what is going on. That way they can not only absorb the context of the book but actually enjoy it and engage and remember what is being read. This is up the value of their reading and the time they spend on it.

Cris Tovani: I Read It, But I Don't Get It.

“I Read It, But I Don’t Get It” by Cris Tovani was such a powerful read. From the very start of the book, I connected with it. Growing up, I never minded reading, however often times when I would read, I wouldn’t understand what I just had read. I didn’t comprehend it. I never understood why, because I was really focusing. Granted, sometimes if a book was boring I would zone out, but most of the time I was trying. I would re-read a lot, just like one of Cris’ students said on the first day of class. But I never knew why I would read five pages and have no clue what I just read. Knowing that there are tons of readers out there like me was really comforting. I was shocked by how many students dreaded reading when they came to Cris’s class. I really liked how she handled the class and managed students attitudes, always keeping it light-hearted and trying to relate to the students. One of my favorite techniques she used was when she brought a bag of books in that all meant something to her because they helped shape who she became as a reader. Even if students aren’t the best readers or don’t necessarily like it, I think it is true that almost all of them can remember an important book even from when they were little that they have a fond memory with. I think it’s so sad that reading is portrayed in schools as negative or boring, but I think this book is a great stepping stone for helping kids become encouraged again and start to look at reading in a new, positive light. Reading is an academic essential that is crucial for members of society to be able to be successful in the world, and it’s important we teach it that way, but also let students have fun with it.

What is Social Justice?

Social Justice in the classroom is the equality of distribution of wealth, privilege, and opportunity. Making sure each student is viewed individual, but just at the same time. Social justice is so important in the classroom because it is crucial for students to feel equal to their peers, and that they are not being singled out according to the social or economic status. To create an environment where students want and can have their voices be heard, is an essential part of a healthy classroom that supports social justice. As teachers, we need to make it a point to get our students to engage in classroom discussion, and make it a place where they feel comfortable and open to sharing ideas. I think it is important that teachers do not discriminate against students who come from all different backgrounds, but that it is our job to bring these social issues to their attention and educate them that not everyone comes from the same socio-economic background, and that’s okay. It is okay to be different races, religions, sexual preferences and have different political views. That’s what makes this world so diverse and interesting. But social justice is the part where we don’t discriminate people who are just different than us. The article I read on social justice, Creating Social Justice in the Classroom, talked about making your curricular decisions based around prior knowledge your students bring to the classroom. Getting to know each student briefly and let them know that you value what they already bring to class, is an effective way to create social justice in the classroom. Connecting with them and acknowledging their interests can help make them feel important and significant. Also, making sure your texts don’t all focus on the same issue, but that there is a diverse selection of social issues that ties back to educating them on all the different possibilities of backgrounds that people come from. I believe that is the first step in not only recognizing but teaching social justice in the classroom.