What Interests Me as a Reader

As we disussed in class, boys are apparently supposed to be more interested in nonfiction, and girls are supposed to be more interested in fiction. However, I for one have always been much more interested in fiction than nonfiction. I am actually a bigtime fan of fantasy novels and have enjoyed reading works by C.S. Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and JK Rowling. In fact, one of my favorite books for summer reading was The Hobbit. Another summer reading favorite of mine was the Scarlet Pimpernel, and my all-time favorite in-class reading (which I believe happened in middle school, was a short story called "The Most Dangerous Game." These stories have several things in common, including action, suspense, and wit. I suppose that the idea of escaping into an entirely different world has always fascinated me. This is not at all because I have anything against my life in this world, it is just “cool” to explore the imagination.

I had always been considered a pretty good reader throughout elementary, middle, and high school. If there were any negatives, then it would have been some difficulties I had in reading comprehension, especially in textbook reading. I went through a rough period of time in sixth grade when I would try to read a line in my textbook, then immediately forget what that line was talking about. I would try so hard to understand at the minutest level what the text was talking about that I would just get more and more frustrated. I had to learn to focus on the overall message of a particular sentence or paragraph before this issue began to improve.

Creating Community in a Classroom

We can create community in our classrooms by recognizing it as a melting pot, just like in American society. The United States is country with many different cultures, each of which has something to offer; but America's people also need to stand together as one nation. It is like having different parts of the same body, each one having a different function, but all parts being essential to the well-being of the whole.

In the same way, touting the different cultures of one's students will help to create a diverse community within the classroom. But the key is a balance between highlighting what distinguishes people and giving the class a sense of togetherness.

Ralph Fletcher pointed out the communities that many schools try to create with having all the students assemble together, pledge allegiance to the American flag, make announcements, give citywide tests, and other activities to try to bring students together. While doing things like saying the Pledge of Allegiance or singing the Star Spangled Banner are good things, it is a challenge to keep these customs fresh so that students are not simply going through the motions.

I love the story Fletcher tells about the one school where the principal would tell his students about events going on in the world even though he knew many of them would rise above their heads. In doing so, he was trying to show how the community within his school was a mere microcosm of the country and the world around them. He wanted them to know that there was more to life than what was outside of their backyard. Hopefully by generating a strong community within a classroom and within the school setting, students will transfer that sense of community into their lives after education.