At the end of class today, Hope (this is how Cindy referred to her on her blog.) asked to stay after class to ask a few questions.
The first few questions (carefully recorded in pen on her hand) were about MLA citations for the persuasive essay students are writing in class. Then, she took me off guard with the statement that I used to title this post.
"I'm really worried about my book group." Her eyes had filled with tears as she said this.
I told Hope that I was worried too and I am. Worried, confused, and frustrated.
It turns out that one of her primary concerns is that the behavior of the young men in her group would adversely affect her grade in the class. (This is a Pre-AP course after all, and many of my students are concerned with their grades.) But, Hope is also frustrated by several other factors.
She confirmed my suspicion that these young men had indeed done the reading. After she assured them that the book is really good AND recorded the page numbers on each of their book marks for the second meeting, they fell in line and all completed the reading. (I think there is a whole other potential gender study here about why the only female in the group took on the role of care taker for the others.) Yet, Hope said they just wouldn't talk about the book--well beyond the lesions.
Through our conversation she mentioned something else interesting. She feels that some of their reluctance to discuss the book comes from the fact that she is the only girl in the group and the book does talk about "sex and stuff."
Hope did say that she likes the book and thinks it is really good. Hope is a voracious reader and won't be turned off to reading by this negative experience.
Yet, I am in a spot now. I assured Hope that I would take care of the situation. Easy for me to say. How do I take care of this situation? What do I do about these young men? Do I pull them aside individually and tell them to stop acting immaturely? Do I make it a point to talk to the whole group about their behavior? If they really are too uncomfortable to discuss the book, how do I help them get beyond this barrier?
HELP!!!
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2 comments:
I believe that talking to the group in the way you describe, or each of the boys individually, will give you exactly the opposite of the results you are looking for. It will shut down any kind of constructive discussion you might possibly still get out of these kids.
I don't know how you grade, but I hope that you can assure Hope that her grade will be fine (I also teach pre-AP tenth graders, so I know how they feel about this, and I hope you don't believe in "collective guilt").
I believe that small group work reflects and at times even reinforces the social stratifications, prejudices, and injustices of society as a whole. In that context, observing Hope with a group of boys reading a book about "sex and stuff" has predictable results.
They need a teacher in there to bring out the hidden issues that this book is causing the boys to shy from and to get them to think about what they're feeling. The dragon artist is thinking--but what he's really thinking he can't share in his group.
I hate to say it, but this is one of the reasons that I do so much whole-group discussion. Not so that I can squash dissent, or pull kids out and tell them to quit goofing off, but so that I can dig out the real issue behind things like this and drag it into the open where it can be examined for what it is. It takes an adult mind to do that appropriately, though. Hope shouldn't be expected to do it herself.
How's this for a question to the boys: What do you hate most about this book--what is the worst thing about it?
I realize this was a while ago, but I have 2 questions. First, what was the book? Second, could you or Cindy join their group for a while or would that have a bad effect?
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