Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Emerging Scholars

There are two books that I think the students in the emerging scholars program should read. I could not choose between the two of them so I will discuss both!
“Esperanza Rising” would be a great choice of a book for these students to read because I really believe that they would connect with her. Esperanza is thrown into a situation and she does not really know how to deal with it. In the end of the story, however, she prevails. If these students were not previously considering college then they are probably in a situation where college is discourages or not an option. By reading about a girl who had to deal with so much at once, from her father dying to having to flee the country, they will understand that they are not alone in their struggles. Esperanza is a really good role model because she manages to come out of her struggles alive, well, and a better person. This is a success story that hopefully they will want to relate to. The students probably already have some motivation to learn since they agreed to spend their summers doing work, so they will probably want to connect to Esperanza’s success story and even create their own success story. The only problem I have with this book is that it may be a little young for students in high school. Since the reading is easy, the teacher would have to go very in depth with the message in the story. The teacher would also have to emphasize the connections until the students made them.
Another book that I think would be great to read is “Black and White”. I really enjoyed this book and I think others would as well. It is definitely suited for their age range, so the teacher would not need to stretch her lesson quite as much to make them relate to the book. “Black and White” features two boys, each incredible at basketball, during their senior year of college. Throughout the story, choosing a college is a constant conflict in their lives. The both have plenty of options because of their basketball stats, but don’t know exactly where they want to spend their next 4 years. Even though this is not the same situation the students are in, they still will be able to relate to hearing about college in school and having friends that are going to college. Even though Marcus goes to jail in the end, he still is planning on going to college once he gets out. This teaches students that even if there are obstacles, they still can find ways to get through them and get an education. Since they were not “college bound”, they can use this book and the characters in it to discuss why they were not considering college and whether or not the emerging scholars program made them change their minds.
Although these were the two that immediately popped into my head, I think that most of the books we have read would be of value to them because the books feature an adolescent who overcomes a struggle.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Mulan

I really enjoyed watching the movie Mulan. I think that the makers of this movie did a really good job of making it interesting for people of all ages, especially children. Children are much harder to entertain than adults, and I think that this movie does its job in that it keeps most children entertained. I nannied for two boys last summer who were both a complete handful, but they loved the movie Mulan. I knew that I could pop it in the DVD player for them to watch if they got too out of control. This is good because both young boys loved it and I liked watching it too; it satisfied a range of audiences.
The main difference I found in the movie and the legend of Mulan is the way that everyone finds out that Mulan is a girl. In the Disney movie, Mulan is injured while doing a heroic act that saves lives. In the legend, Mulan chooses to reveal her identity once she is done fighting. I like the legend’s version better because I think it is cool tha tMulan actually chooses to reveal that she is a woman, even though she has gained so much respect as a man and knows that women are not respected. I think that the movie makers probably changed this because they wanted another conflict in the movie.
Ailin is definitely a great role model for older adolescents, but younger adolescents may not understand the importance and significance of what she is doing. I think that Mulan entertains younger children because they are intrigued by the war and fighting. They may not understand the importance of Ailin’s actions because they will not appear as heroic to a young child (although when they are older, the children will understand that her actions are equally as heroic as Mulan’s actions). Since Mulan’s actions are more obvious (she literally is fighting, whereas Ailin is resisting), her heroic actions are more obvious to young children and adolescents.
Older adolescents should definitely read Ties that Bind, Ties that Break, because it shows them the importance of standing up to cultural values that are worng and/or harmful. Ailin refuses to let her culture choose her destiny. She realizes that by not having her feet bound, she will not lead a normal life. She would rather be an outcast, however, than fit in and be miserable. Going to school is also a big deal for her because Chinese women are not usually educated. By refusing to have her feet bound and by going to school, she pretty much ruins any chance she has of being respected or getting married. She goes against the norms because she knows she can be more than a wealthy Chinese wife with her feet bound. I truly admire Ailin, and believe that older adolescents will as well.