Censorship = bad

Censorship = bad.

There's not other way to put it.

Knowledge shouldn't be kept away from people. The more viewpoints we have, the better place the world can become. Its like the notion of truth. No one person holds the real truth, but the more opinions and ideas we gather, the closer we can get to the real truth. The more knowledge we share, the more we can learn about each other and come to a better understanding. The more understanding we have, the less fighting/arguing/war mongering we have - and what's wrong with that?

When we censor or ban books, we're just stopping information. And we shouldn't do that. The forefathers of the country left Britain and fought for our independence so we wouldn't have to deal with that ever again. And why would we want to?

On the flip side, do these people have every right to complain, gripe, dislike, and even not read what they don't like? Most definitely. If they don't agree with it, they have the right to not acknowledge it. But, should they prevent others from NOT reading it? No - and that's where the issue lies. It is perfectly OK for you to not want to read something, but it isn't right to FORCE your ideals on someone else (that didn't work so well for Hitler, now did it?). But, telling people that they can't complain about it is just as bad as taking a book off the shelf. They're also protected under the First Amendment. Just because you don't agree with it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be said. Because those disagreements also bring light or ideas to the forefront that others may not have thought of.

American was founded on the freedom of choice and we shouldn't try to change that. Students should be allowed to read what they want. Let them expand their minds. Let them explore. Let them find themselves. We aren't here to create robots, and if we fully control what they read, that's what we're doing.

I don't know about you, but the world in Fahrenheit 451 (yet another frequently banned/challenged book) didn't seem too appealing to me. So I say, let the kids read.

Repost from September 2012

I did write along with you guys today in class, but I got a little ranty in my writing, so I went back and found my original post about this article. This was originally posted on Sept. 4, 2012.

I don't think we consider too much about how brave we are as a nation. Of course, there are still brave individuals - Andrew Tice is an example of that. But in general - are we really pioneering and willing to risk it all to continue to discover? To do what's right? I'm not sure.

I do think he has a point that we don't fight for truly noble reasons any more. WWII was definitely a noble cause - although no one realized how noble until they started discovering the work compas/the concentration camps. Still, it was greatly understood that Hitler was pure evil. And those who VOLUNTEERED, understood they were putting their lives in danger and that they may not come home alive. And yet, people still volunteered in droves until the end. Tehy weren't afraid to die - they knew what happened at the beaches on D-Day, and yet they still signed up. Lied about their age so they could go fight Hitler or even Mussolini or Tojo. Now, the Armed Forces struggle to get enough enlistment numbers. Sure, it was no problem right after September 11, but even a year later - numbers dropped - and they keep dropping. Too often people now join because they don't know what to do; can't get a job; can't get into school. Too often they aren't joining to be patriotic or to fight for this amazing country; they're just there because it is their last - and maybe only option. They aren't brave. Many times they just want to show that they are manly and brave and want to be "tough and strong." They're not serving our country - they're serving themselves.

We have become complacent; we take our freedoms for granted. And actually, before Sept. 11 - we thought we were untouchable - that nothing like that could happen to us. It was a wake up call, but a wake up call that didn't last long enough. We still think that we're untouchable and that we are right. We aren't always right. Sometimes we use our cowardice, hide behind it and become the big bully. We do this every time we put a new leader in place. Sometimes we do more harm than good. After WWII, and even during the end of it, we were seen as the good guys. That knight in shining armor. Now, we're not. We're rude, crude, obese and unwanted. As a nation, we need to take a deep look inside and see what went wrong to change that perception.

I think once we find what changed that perception and work on getting back to being the "good" guys instead of the perceived big bullies - we'll realize what went wrong. While Capitalism lets us live the American dream, I also think that it is what makes us complacent - lazy. Fat. Greedy. We don't look out for the greater good anymore - we look for the better "me." We don't care if others are struggling or suffering - as long as we're OK and happy that's all that matters. However, if we look out for others, Chances are that all of us will be better off. The base will be stronger, better formed, which is beneficial to us all. Looking to pull up the others is going to make everyone's arms stronger.

Austin has the guts he's writing about. But he is not doing this for the glory - he's doing this to get the story out. He's doing what too few journalists are willing to do. He is honestly trying to make a difference through telling other people's stories. But hes' not looking for the safe easy one He's flown halfway around the world to get out the untold story. And yet, most news outlets here are too scared and chicken to publish it. It's not pretty' it's not safe; it's doesn't come in a nice, neat little package. It's not what American's want to hear because we aren't brave enough to face the truth in the world and look at the nasty stuff that could infiltrate our lives. Instead, give us the happy. The fake. The bloated. The shiny. The plastic.

IMWAYR - A Mixed Bag

Not much got read at school, and I didn't read much at home until the weekend. I'm going to blame homecoming for that. I'm hoping to get some of these finished this week that I've been dragging out because there does come a point where I will stop reading because it has been too long.

At school

Still working on The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare; I'm a lot farther in it, and I'm really enjoying it. It's high paced, and keeps you wondering what's really going on as you read through. It gives you some bread crumbs but just enough to keep you reading to get to the next one.

At home

The Magicians  by Lev Grossman - I started this yesterday, so I'm not very far into it. It is the first in a trilogy, and I was lucky because all three books are now out. Quinton Coldwater is thrust into a magical college and is trying to get his bearings. It reminds me of Harry Potter if Harry went to Hogwarts at 19 and was a little crankier. I am going to have to get a copy of it for the classroom (I got it on Kindle) because I think several of you would enjoy it.

I'm also still working through Dreams of Gods and Monsters, although I really haven't read any more of it in about two weeks.

Audiobook

Same as the past entries. I did use this month's credit for the second in the Delirium series, and I'm much closer to this one being finished.

Finished

Plan B by Jonathan Tropper - Four friends kidnap their movie star college friend to stage an intervention and get him off cocaine. The four sober ones realize that they've also gone up to upstate New York to detox for their own reasons. I REALLY love Tropper's writing. I read him for the first time this summer and have devoured the rest of his books.

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal 

Here's the write up from Goodreads:

"When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father’s urn for good measure. Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been—and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum—is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets.
 
For Fannie’s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby’s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby’s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places."
 

This would be a good book if you liked The Help.

Up next

Still haven't comitted to Ashfall, and I really don't know what I'll pick up next at home. I have been considering the second in the Name the Star series (mostly because I'll be talking about that book Friday in class). We shall see.

IMWAYR - Distracted

It was another low quantity of reading week. I'm blaming reading 800+ page books. I slow down a lot in the middle of them because I just want them to be done with!

At school

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Bulehrlen - This book I got from some reviews on blogs and Goodreads. It's an interesting concept. Alex starts having "delusions" from the past, and people think she's got a serious issue. However, she's actually had past lives and she's having flashbacks. I'm not that far into this one, but it is really good!

At home

Still working on Dreams of Gods and Monsters.

Audiobook

Still working on Delirium. 

Finished

I picked up The Giver by Lois Lowery last week. I didn't understand why many people told me they had read it in HS, but I never had. Then I realized it came out when I was in HS, so it wasn't on people's radars (this also made me feel a little old). Jonas is part of a society that has isolated itself from others. He's been "selected" as being the next Receiver, and realizes there may be something sinister about the world he's living in - things might be being kept from the citizens.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - The second in the Outlander series, and it weighs in at a massive 976 pages. Claire has been back in her modern life for 20 years, and she recounts to her daughter the truth behind her heritage. In a flashback, Claire goes back to when Outlander left off and tells the story of how Jamie decided she needed to go back. This one I liked a lot more than the first; it had more history instead of romance, and left off with a cliffhanger. I'll be taking a break before the third one, though (which is a whopping 1100 pages).

Up Next

Ashfall - I know I had this one on there last week, but I got distracted by other shiny books. It's a common problem with me when I try to pick my next book.

Calvin's Day at School

Poor Calvin. He was always misunderstood. He's the active crazy child who can drive you up a wall - but he's also really creative. It's a shame that his talent hasn't been tapped into or explored by his teachers because then he wouldn't have such a negative view of school. This is what I hope I don't do to my students.

Even though I mostly like school, there have certainly been times that I've felt each and every one of those cells (comic can be found here). Especially the zombie one - sometimes I look back on how little sleep I got throughout high school and wonder I made it through. Asleep at midnight, up at 5, at school at 7, home at 4, 6 or 10. I can't believe I survived like that for four years.

Luckily, though, I had teachers who were a bright spot in the day. They worked hard to make school not seem like an assembly line and that we weren't just there to get our cup of knowledge for the day. A lot of my teachers tried to make sure they weren't trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. They worked with us to make sure that we fully understood the concept and how it applied to our lives outside of those four classroom walls. Of course this didn't happen every day because those teachers were humans, and you have down days. DAys were you are less energetic, slightly sick, distracted by life. But for the most part, they worked hard to serve our needs.

I remember all too well, though, those classes where I was expected to fit a mold and just parrot back to the teacher (this is why I still have a great hatred for anything Brit Lit - a bad teacher can ruin you for life). I was miserable in those classes. 45 minutes of pure torture. I didn't learn anything and just put in my time. I DON'T want that for my students.

So, this is why I try my hardest to emulate the teachers who tried to reach all of us. It isn't always easy, and sometimes I fall short of that goal. But, I don't want my classroom to feel like an assembly line. I want it to fit my students' needs. I want them to feel like they're being encouraged to grow as people - not just as a score on a test.

IMWAYR - Slacking off a bit

So this week was a little lacking on the reading. A lot of it was I was too tired by the time I got home to pick up a book. I needed to just veg out and not think for a while. Hopefully that will change this week.

At school

The Giver by Lois Lowry - I've never read it, so I decided I should. I haven't started it yet; it's what I plan on reading today during SSR.

At home

A Dragonfly in Amber by Diane Gabaldon - This is the second in the Outlander series, which is about an Englishwoman who is transferred from 1946 Scotland to Scotland in the 18th century. These are pretty thick books (more than 600 pages, so it takes a bit to get through them).

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor - This is the third book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. Usually I get bored in a series with the second one - typically because it is setting up. But, in this one, I'm just not getting into the war between the angels, humans and other beasties as much as I liked the first two. 

Audio book

Still working on Delirium. Along with the "too tired" to read last week, I didn't want to listen to the book to and from work last week. So I didn't get much farther in it.

Finished

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - (see last IMWAYR for the summary of the book). I really enjoyed this book. It was very suspenseful while Rose was in the concentration camp - even though you knew she made it out OK, there were times where you wondered if she was going to make it. It was also hard to conceive that she was only in the camp for six months. It's amazing how much brutality she had to face in such a short amount of time. I highly recommend this one. The author's website also has a lot more information about the real Rabbits who were experimented on at the camp.

Abandoned 

I know in my reading life essay I said that I rarely abandon books. Well, it happened this week. I started reading Grave Mercy, one of the Iowa High School Award books, and it just wasn't clicking. I think it was more that I wasn't in the mood for it. So, I put it back to the side. I hope to pick it up soon again because I really do like to try to get those award books read.

Up Next

I realized I left this section off the last one. Of course, this one ends up changing quickly though. I'll think I want to read one book next and then completely change my mind.

Ashfall  by Mike Mullen - This has been in my to-be-read pile for quite a while. But, thanks to a lot of you mentioning it in your reading essays, I decided it needs to be moved up.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness - This is the final book in a trilogy I've really enjoyed, and it's been sitting on my Kindle for months, so it is time for it to get read!

My Reading Life

I honestly don’t remember a time where I didn’t read. Even before I could read, I would listen to books on tape (some were even on 45 records) or I remember my mom reading to me every night before I had to go to bed. I read a lot even as a kid. When your mom was an English teacher, one grandma was an English teacher then a librarian, and the other grandma worked in a library - you don’t have much choice but to read. But, add in the fact that I was an only child with no kids my age who lived near me (before I went to school anyway), reading was one thing I could do at anytime without needing anyone else around.

Picking a favorite book is really difficult for me. I have favorite authors: Ernest Hemingway, Anne Rice, Rainbow Rowell, JoJo Moyes, John Green, Christopher Moore, and Jonathan Tropper are a few of those. Their books are usually toward the top of my favorite’s list. And I’ll always pick up their books when they have a new one out. These are also usually the same ones I’ll reread - for example, I used to read Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire - I even have a first edition of that one - and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises yearly. But picking a favorite book is hard because it depends on my mood and my attention span at that moment. I usually tend to gravitate toward literary fiction, supernatural and historical fiction - but I do like a good “popcorn” book every once in a while too. These are ones I don’t have to think about much while I read; Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, and Tim Dorsey are some of my favorite brain break authors. While I’ll usually give anything a try, I barely read anything that’s strictly romance (my husband says I may be the least romantic person in the world), and I try to read war/military books, but that usually isn’t successful either (although Tim O’Brien writes some fantastic stuff based in the Vietnam War).

Even though I read a lot (almost 100 books last year, and I’m at 100 right now for this year), I still have weaknesses. Sometimes I read too fast or I skim too much (the downsides of being a former copy editor), so I’ll miss out on stuff and have to go back and reread (sometimes chapters back) because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Another weakness is that I will rarely abandon a book. I always hold out hope that it will redeem itself by the end or that it will become more interesting. This usually means I will read some books that make me want to scream - and these are the ones that I frequently read too quickly because I just want to finish it! It also means that I usually greatly dislike that book because I feel like I wasted too much time on it when there are so many other great books out there to read. While that’s a weakness, it can also be a strength. It has exposed me to new authors and genres or books that I wouldn’t likely read in the first place.

I can’t imagine not reading. It’s how I wind down at night, and it keeps my brain active. I get exposed to so many other cultures and ideas - as well as learn history sometimes. It makes me want to go and explore new places, and when I finally get to go to those places, I feel like I’ve already been there thanks to the book. So, I truly believe that reading expands your world and takes you to places you’ve never been.

IMWAYR - FIrst edition of the 2014-2015 school year

Some of the bloggers/teachers I follow on Twitter started a hashtag - #IMWAYR (It's Monday, what are you reading?). So, I decided on Mondays, I would do a post on what I've read during the past week, what I'm reading now, and what I plan to read next. I meant to post the books I read this summer last week, but I forgot, but I will eventually do that (it shouldn't be too hard since I have the books I emailed out during the summer).

At work

Thanks to doing SSR in class on Friday, I finished the book I was reading. So, I'll be starting Grave Mercy by Robin LavFevers (the first in His Fair Assassin series) today. Ismae (all of this is from the back) has escaped an arranged marriage and finds safety at a convent. She learns that she has been "blessed" by the god of Death to have violent gifts and destiny. Basically, she's an assassin. 

At home

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - This takes place during WWII. An American pilot is working with the English women's auxiliary when she manages to fly into German airspace. She is captured and has to spend six months in a women's work camp/concentration camp. Even though it isn't one of the death camps, conditions are still brutal. Little food, tons of people, random beatings. This has been a very interesting read so far.

Audiobook

This summer, I started to listen to audiobooks while I was walking or doing housework. I've learned that the narrator makes a HUGE difference, and that I have a harder time getting into a book this way. I didn't realize how much I reread and how much I skim when I read (I sometimes skip over background information, and I rarely read the attribution for dialog. It's amazing how much difference this makes.) Right now, I'm listening to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Love has been outlawed because it makes people crazy, so all marriages are arranged and people are "cured"/prevented from falling in love. I'm not that far into this one, but the narrator is probably the best I've heard so far this summer, and that has helped tremendously with me getting into the book

Finished

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - I don't plan on going to see the movie, but from what I've seen on the previews, a lot has been added to the movie. Mia has a snow day from school, and she and her family are out driving. A car slams into them, and ends up with her parents and brother dying - and Mia is in the ICU. The book is written from Mia's perspective as she looks down on herself while she's fighting for her life. She has flashbacks from her life with her family and boyfriend. And ultimately, the decision for her to live or die is up to her spirit. This really isn't my type of book, but it was an OK read.

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz - Yanek (Jacob) is a teen in Krakow, Poland, when the Nazis invade in 1939. He and his family are moved into the Jewish ghetto by the Nazis, and then he moves around to 10 different concentration camps throughout the war. This is based on a true story. I personally thought that they didn't focus enough on one aspect of it, which watered down the story. It still shows the horrible conditions but it could have been better.

Conversion by Katherine Howe - This story takes place in a private girls' school in Massachusetts in 2012. Suddenly, a bunch of the girls come down with mysterious diseases - seizures, hair falling out, massive headaches, throwing up pins. No one knows what is causing it, and more and more girls are getting weird symptoms. It becomes a national story, and all the while, Colleen is starting to draw parallels to this story and the Salem Witch trials - which took place in the school's town (even though it has been renamed). The story is also interspersed with some narratives from the trials. I really liked this book. I started reading it, and the next thing I knew it was an hour later. I thought the ending was a little rushed and lacked real explanation - but it was still a good read.

Picking Books

I'm not sure that there is a rhyme or reason to how I pick out books to read. Honestly, my to-be-read piles are so massive, I just dig around in those until one seems to fit my mood (and then there are the times where the huge, towering stacks just make me groan because nothing looks good, so I either head to the bookstore or download something on my Kindle).

Of course, there has to be a way to get those huge stacks. A lot of the books I pick up are from recommendations - either friends, students, authors I follow on Twitter or Goodreads. I also like taking a look through Barnes and Noble's staff picks shelf. Sometimes I've found some good stuff there. I also know my favorite authors, so if they release something, I usually have it pre-ordered. Another source for book ideas is the Iowa State Book Awards lists (http://www.iasl-ia.org/p/state-awards.html). I focus on the teen and high school awards lists. Most states have a similar list, so I'll search those every once in a while. And I always pay attention to the national awards - the Printz, Pulitzer, National Book Award, etc. I will fully admit that those are sometimes a crapshoot, but it never hurts to check them out.

Going back to Goodreads, I only really started using that this winter. At first, it didn't do much good because I didn't have many books rated, but I've gotten a lot of suggestions from them - some good, some bad. But, it's also expanded my reading horizons and made me aware of a lot more books when they come out. The biggest thing I've gotten from them is following book bloggers; because they will write about the books as they read them, they often get sent ARCs (advanced reading copies). This means they get a first look at books months before they come out. That has really added to my to-be-read list!

It is perfectly fine to abandon a book. However, I rarely do that. I will force myself to finish one - usually because I hope that it will redeem itself by the end. Many times, it does not. I also try to finish all of the ones I get for the classroom because I want to be able to at least talk to you about them. This makes it hard for me to do the booktalks because I don't want you to get a negative view of the book, but I at least want you to be "exposed" to it (and this is why I don't read most of the military war books I have in the room because I know I won't like them).

Feel free at anytime to recommend a book to me that you've really liked! Trust me, I've had plenty of students just throw books on my desk for me to read - and I always will read them!

Me, in 47 words

Today, I had you write your story in 47 words and then go back and edit it to as many words as you wanted. Here's one of the ones I did today and then the revised version.


Scared faces. Silent room. Awkward pauses. Bumbling words. The first day isn't the easiest. Soon they'll be boisterous. Soon, I'll wish they were timid little mice. It is always an adventure to get to know their personalities. A fresh start. Not every job gets this. I'm lucky.
(FYI: By some miracle, I got to my 47 words on the first try for this one).



Not every job gets this luxury. A fresh slate at the start of every year. New faces that come in: timid little mice at first - some of who will eventually turn into roaring lions after 180 days. I get to see them grow and change throughout that time. Sometimes physically to where they are towering over me. All of them I get to see change emotionally as they mature. Right now, they are stranger, but in May, we'll have strong bonds that will make me get a little teary-eyed when they walk out that door for the last time as freshmen. Sure, there will be moments I cringe and bang my head on my desk, but these are my kids and I wouldn't change any of it for the world.