Bruce's Best

            Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles

            This book automatically appealed to me because of its title. One of my close friends wrote a novel titled Freeze Tag on the Highway, and Giles title reminded me of Brian Krans’ second book. Giles book is about Matt who is a high school nobody. Matt’s life is transformed by a Gothic girl named Skye when she offers him experiences he would have never thought possible. Don Gallo’s article “The Very Best Possibilities, Part Two” brought this book to my attention. 

            Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers

            I have always been interested in Harlem. Again, I was immediately attracted to this book because of its title. Once I read Gallo’s description in his article “ Summer Reading 2008,” I was hooked. In this work sixteen-year-old Mark Purvis gets a job at a magazine and subsequently meets some of Harlem’s finest, such as Langston Hughes and W.E.B. DuBois. This adventure story could easily be paired with a unit on the Harlem Renaissance. 

            Street Love by Walter Dean Myers

            I really need to read Walter Dean Myers apparently. In “Off the Shelves” Myers rap inspired verse novel is described as “ideal for reading aloud” (90). This is the type of book I would love to use in the classroom. The verse also reads like rap lyrics, which could be very appealing to students today. I could see this novel working very well in urban areas. The book also is related to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet because it follows a teen romance and the theme of star-crossed lovers. 

            Paper Towns by John Green

            I’ve been hearing all about John Green in our class, so it is only fitting I choose one of his novels for my list. This novel follows Quentin as he is reunited with Margo who soon disappears sparking a road trip search for her. Quentin’s narration outlines a comical and reflective journey for love. This book will obviously appeal to high school students. I could see this novel working very well in any environment because of the familiar themes discussed throughout its pages. Mark Letcher’s article “Off the Shelves” is a great resource for texts that will appeal to high school students, and John Green’s Paper Towns seems to be one of the most interesting.

            Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

            In Don Gallo’s article “Rarefied Air” many gritty Young Adult novels are discussed. The one that stuck out the most to me was Janet Taylor Lisle’s Black Duck. I was attracted to this novel because I have always been intrigued by the Prohibition era. I would love to teach a unit on it. I think students love the stories of the Untouchables and Al Capone. I always enjoyed learning about the stories of that unique time in American History. Lisle’s novel revolves around an old man in Rhode Island and his experiences with a liquor smuggling operation when he was younger. According to Gallo, “there are mystery, suspense, intrigue, betrayal, and a satisfying ending” (115). 

A Brazen Approach

            I should first state that I am an avid supporter and reader of poetry. I also try my best to compose my own poetry. I have been working on a chapbook for the last six months, but I am definitely reserved about my talent. I believe my personal experience with poetry has helped me to better understand why it appears so difficult for most students. Poetry is not form. It is not vocabulary. Poetry is most definitely not something that can be explained entirely. It means different things to different people. I believe we must recognize how close poetry can be to someone. For this reason we should also figure out how to tie poetry in more closely with our students. One approach I have seen work is having them actually write their own poetry. Below is an example of a poem I have been working on titled “The Brazen Head.”

The Brazen Head

We don't fully comprehend the foundation,

the bricks, the mortar,

and the legends of the oldest pub in Dublin.

We drink fiercely.

Underneath stars and stone we are overtaken by the spirits of drink and dream.

Our heads full of grainy imagery from days past,

we waltz with the wonder of words once whispered within these walls.

Are we a part of history as well?

Will the Irishmen tell stories of the rowdy Americans:

the men with spotty mustaches,

the woman a bit plump?

There is no way of telling.

The dark black pints make us more honest.

We slide over to share our stories with the stone faced locals.

We clink our silver trimmed glasses

and we tend to the scroll written in the stone.

The scripture of stone rarely shows its face,

so let us have another pint.

A round for all my new friends.

If history be made let us not remember it.

            I’m not sure if this poem is effective in conveying the message I hope it will, but I do know that I’ve learned a lot from writing and reading poetry. I tend to imitate my poetic idols in one-way or another. This particular poem was inspired by the life of Dylan Thomas and the work of William Butler Yeats, who are two of my favorite poets. Thomas is an interesting character to me just because the way he lived his life. He had immense talent, but choose to throw it away at the bottle of a bottle. Yeats is probably my biggest inspiration. Something about his words just speaks to me in a way that few poets have. I study their poetry to unlock my own feelings on their subject matter, and I often style my work after theirs. This has helped me to become a better poet and to define my own style. I think activities like imitating or transcribing other poets’ work could be very valuable in the classroom. 

            Here are a few more poems I would like to use in my classroom:

W.B. Yeats “No Second Troy”

Dylan Thomas “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

William Carlos Williams “A Celebration”

Walt Whitman “O Captain! My Captain!”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

Carl Sandburg “Chicago”

Langston Hughes “The Weary Blues”

Joan Bauer “On a Flight to Cedar Rapids”

“At the lake shore there was another rowboat drawn up.”

            Ernest Hemingway is one of the most intriguing personalities in Modern English Literature. For quite some time I have been engrossed in not only Hemingway’s works, but in his life as well. My interest started in high school when I read The Old Man and the Sea, but has continued to this very day. I am currently reading A Farewell to Arms, and I have watched the HBO original film Hemingway and Gellhorn multiple times. When searching for short stories I was naturally attracted to some of Hemingway’s shorter works. Once my eyes set on his story Indian Camp I knew it would be a text to further discuss and examine.

            Indian Camp is truly a great short story to teach in the classroom mainly because of the importance of the themes found in the work. Initiation, death, and race are just a few of the themes found in Indian Camp. The story got me thinking about my feelings on those themes, and I could see the story sparking great discussions within a high school classroom.  Most high school students have experienced some sort of death by the time they would read this story, and students could easily relate to the questions Nick Adams has at the end. The short story is very clearly written and, Hemingway’s simplistic style makes it very easy to read and understand.

            After reading Indian Camp one activity quickly came to mind. I would link Hemingway’s biography, specifically his work as a journalist, to a unique writing assignment. I would have my students re-write Hemingway’s short story as a newspaper article. I would also ask the students to create a photograph or illustration to accompany their newspaper article. After the articles were turned in I would organize them onto an online newspaper blog for all students to read. From there we could vote as a class on which article should be the front-page article, or we could critique each others article as well. After the blog has been explored we could develop one issue of the Hemingway Times as a class featuring articles relating to Indian Camp or Ernest Hemingway.

            I believe this short story would be a great introduction to a Hemingway novel, specifically The Old Man and the Sea, because it presents the author’s true style as one students could handle. After reading Indian Camp I think students would feel confident about tackling The Old Man and the Sea and possibility other Hemingway novels. For this reason and the reasons stated above, I would recommend Ernest Hemingway’s Indian Camp to just about any English teacher.

           

Some "Novel" Ideas

The truth about Carol Jago’s article “Much Ado About Something” is that her words made me love her. I even wrote, “I love you, Carol Jago” at the top of my print out. The reason I loved Jago’s article so much is because she echoed many of the thoughts I have had about teaching the classics. While I agree that “teenagers are hungry for stories that mirror their lives,” I also believe our students have the necessary ability to relate any text to their own lives, including the classics. The selling point for me was Jago’s reference to The Odyssey. Without this particular work, my high school experiences would have been completely different, and I will definitely try my best to teach Homer’s epics in my classroom. Like Jago, I will also try my best to teach my students “to read with care.”

Just as I was sold on teaching the classics I read Donald Gallo’s article “How Classics Create an Aliterate Society,” and my beliefs began to shift. I found myself relating to the author’s background story, and I felt as if I was a lot like him. Like Gallo I did not get really interested into reading until college, and I was never one of the best English students during high school. While I do agree with Gallo’s main goal of creating a “love of reading” in our classrooms, I do not agree with his view of the classics. Required readings have been around so long for a reason. I do not see any value in doing away with them all together, but Gallo does provide some interesting viewpoints on how to use Young Adult Literature. The main argument for teaching YAL novels is the comfort that they can provide to students. In addition, after reading Gallo’s article I have begun to recognize Young Adult Literature as an important genre of texts that need to be addressed because they are now such a large part of literature as a whole. 

William Broz’s article “Not Reading: The 800-Pound Mockingbird in the Classroom” was by far my least favorite article. At first, I found myself arguing with Broz and thinking there was far too much personal bias in his article, but he saved himself with this line: “we must have the integrity to admit that some small number of students who can read will not read, no matter what we do.” Well thank you, William. For a second there I thought you were delusional, and I still sort of believe that. I found Broz’s lists of dos and don’ts to be very helpful, but I also found myself disagreeing with his main premise. I am not sure what I think about the classics yet because I have not taught any of them yet, but when I do, I’ll be sure to revisit this article. Maybe then I will respond more favorably. 

The final assigned article by Gibbons, Dail, and Stallworth titled “Young Adult Literature in the English Curriculum Today: Classroom Teachers Speak Out” was definitely the most data driven text of the four. The biggest thing I took away from this article is that it is very possible to create an effective and engaging curriculum using both the classics and Young Adult Literature. The authors started the article off with why to use YAL novels, and I was hooked. Because of this article and many of the other assigned readings, I now see great value in teaching Young Adult Literature. I was not very interested in how the authors went about surveying, but the three themes that emerged from their research proved to be very helpful. I agree with all three themes presented, but I really liked the idea that YAL relates to students’ interests and addresses time constraints of a crowded classroom. I was not surprised to see that theme cited. Overall, I enjoyed reading this article, but found myself not taking that much away from it. I would only recommend it to certain teachers.

Welcome! Stay Skilled.

Welcome to my blog for the Summer 2012 ELIT 6020 course with Dr. Ruzich at Robert Morris University. My name is Bruce James Bales, and I am a 26 year-old student finishing my Instructional Leadership Program. I plan to teach at a private school after I complete the two summer courses I am currently enrolled in. I am originally from Iowa, and I received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from RMU in 2008. I have lived in Pittsburgh for seven years now, and I am definitely open to staying longer depending on my career implications. I am also an avid photographer, filmer, and video editor. I run a small business by the name of Deft Productions, and I am currently involved in a wide range of interesting projects from shooting for globally distributed publications to weddings and from music videos to documentary shorts.

Education is the most important aspect of my life. I truly believe I was born to teach, and I will continue honing my skills for the rest of my life. Thank you for stopping by my blog, and please feel free to look around. Be sure to check back frequently, as I will be posting many intriguing writings, links, and news. Stay skilled.

My websites:
Deft Productions Online Store
The Iowa Connection