I really enjoyed this text, it was perhaps the best book I read from our blog. I found myself interested in the characters and I was able to make many connections to my own high school experience and the experiences I know from teaching at the high school. I feel that students would be able to read through this book with ease and enjoy this non-fiction text.
As I read I kept thinking how the Pennsbury High School is like most high schools in the United States. The diversity of students and the reality of what they encountered in their lives made me feel that it could have happened at any high school with just a quick character name change. I liked how each character showed the vulnerable side of themselves. As I read I kept thinking perhaps if all students were more aware that even the prom queen has doubts about who she is, that the kid with a future can make a mistake that costs him his life, and the young couple that are now parents can be so grown up about their situation, they may learn from others.
I think this book is a way to allow students to have a better understanding of the diversity of high school. The opportunities and dreams that should be pursued regardless whether you get the outcome you were looking for. The message I felt I took was, live your life to the fullest and stand by your decisions, your responsible for you.
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Someome wondered about the reality of We Beat the Streets,I wonder if this might also suggest a fictional side. However, like I said before truth is stranger than fiction. I saw this as a nostalgia book. I could connect with the characters and place names from my high school years in the characters' places. Maybe because over the years I have seen so much of these incidents, I found the book a little boring. Of course I cried at the death but other than that, it was predictable.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how students would react to the book. I would hope they would get the message Chris stated. However, over the years I have seen students very upset at incidents but then have the feeling that " It will never happen to me". THe lesson lost until it hits home.
Of all the books we have read I liked We Beat the Streets the best. It spurred me on to read The Pact and The Bond. All of these books have an inner city audience. They could be used in a sociology class to help students understand those less fortunate than themslves. How the people in the books main concern is to survive.
I was torn about this book. I thought it was very easy to read, and I agree that there was much that was relatable. I could almost picture a student that fit the profile of every student who was introduced - and teachers/administrators for that matter.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't know that I would recommend it as reading for students in high school. I work with far too many students who try to find an "in" with other students who have destructive behaviors. In a way I felt like this book over simplified those behaviors (drinking, drugs, casual sex) as commonplace and acceptable. I felt like the book provided the illusion that those indulgences are something everyone goes through, and everyone ends up alright - remembering their past with nostalgia like the author. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, especially with drugs or casual sex or alcohol. Even in the case with the student who died, the book ascribed no fault to the child for engaging in dangerous behaviors - it was all the fault of the bar who let them in, the bar who let them out, the boys who started the fight - but not the child who made the choices in the first place.
I would like to hold our students to higher standards than those that are "okay" by this book. I am not naive enough to think that this book doesn't represent lives of our students ... far from that. Yet, I prefer to think that we can offer students better representations of a life that is in their best interest.
I totally agree with Chris. This was the best book we read and it has a great deal of potential for use in the classroom. At first it seemed a little soap operaish with so many different story lines to follow. But the message about being responsible for your decisions could be followed throughout the book. The characters were well developed and in my opinion very realistic. This could be very beneficial for our students to see how everyone has their own personal struggles to deal with but they have to make the best out of every situation they find themselves in. "We Beat the Streets" was similar in this regard and would be beneficial for our students as well. I never got the impression that Bamberger was saying that all the dangerous behaviors were ok. He was being honest and realistic but not judgemental. As far as Stephanie and Bob were concerned, they seemed to be dealing with a very difficult situation very maturely for kids their age. They went to classes, took good care of themselves and were considerate of each other. It certainly was not easy for them but they made the the best of it and faced their responsibilities head on. I don't think they set a bad example. I have seen some of our own students deal with the same situation very poorly. They could learn a lot from this book.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this book was the most enjoyable read of the four. With each new person introduced in the book, I could think of at least one student they reminded me of. I think students would be interested to read about the inside lives of high school students and that they would be able to make many connections to the teenagers in this book. I do think, though, that the author might have sugar-coated some of the more difficult events in the book (teen prgnancy, drinking, death, illness). I think it is important for students to see that other teens go through these things and that they are not easy.This book would be a great way to start class discussions about all of the different issues teenagers face.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the better picks out of the four for sure. It was a little confusing at times because of the different story lines, but my students would definitely be able to make many connections. Tricia, you are definitely right, a lot of it was sugar coated.
ReplyDeleteAs for this group, thank you Chris for leading it. It was interesting to try some non-fiction young adult literature. As a reader of adult non-fiction, I have realized that personally I prefer adult non-fiction. I just have a hard time relating with the young adult non-fiction because it is written towards teens and it isn't as honest as I would like. See you all next week!
I too enjoyed this book, and agree with Chris the message about living life to the fullest, yet we need to take responsibility for our actions, was a good one. I also agreed with the comments that Michelle made about destructive behaviors...not everyone escapes from those behaviors unscathed...especially today.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent, this book reminded me that no matter how much we ride our kids, or try to teach them to do the right thing, they sometimes will make bad decisions. I need to keep reminding myself of that. And I do think that this book could have a place in the curriculum...maybe as a literature circle choice for a senior ELA class. I think it would be a great discussion starter for students on the brink of graduation. It was certainly readable
and I think it would hold appeal to students. I especially liked the reunion section and epilogue. The thing that bothered me was the few references to the minority students not feeling as if they fit in at Pennsbury HS. I wish the author had explored this a bit more.
I was able to attend a pre-session meeting with our key note speaker last week. We discussed with Allison the changing socio-economic demographics of our student body. Several teachers reflected that it is getting difficulut to deal with all the issues/baggage with which students now come to school. Allison commented that we need to adjust our teaching to reflect this. She also said that we need to remember that students who grow up under adverse conditions are very resilient, which is a positive factor. And that we often need to make their goals smaller as they often have a hard time with large, long-term goals. One thing she suggested was using more non-fiction, especially biographies and autobiographies, in our curriculum. Exploring these books would show them real-life examples of people who have overcome odds to become successful. I was immediately grateful for having participated in this blog. Perhaps our selections were not universally appealing, but they have put us on the right track.