tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712555345199573060.post6744075955221652434..comments2023-11-28T04:47:27.944-06:00Comments on Such is Life: Monday's PostMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12206553377251604140noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712555345199573060.post-27132977603044956632008-07-23T06:11:00.000-05:002008-07-23T06:11:00.000-05:00I am impressed that your mom noticed the stereotyp...I am impressed that your mom noticed the stereotypes in Maniac Magee. I know I wouldn’t have until graduate school! <BR/><BR/>I also love the image of you with a crown of candles on your head. But seriously, that is significant, isn’t it—that you were able to find something culturally relevant in that American Girl book. You can see the value of literature serving as a window for that reason.<BR/><BR/>And what a terrible story about that librarian! In my experience with JJ, it seems libraries are far more open and welcoming places now (they have to be, to compete with coffee shops as places to hang out and read).<BR/><BR/>Some writers choose to capitalize white and black to signal that they are talking about race as opposed to just colors. There are lots of justifications for using capitals, or not, but personally I think it doesn’t really matter; it’s just a choice of style.Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338725017981657369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712555345199573060.post-40150127224545794662008-07-16T00:55:00.000-05:002008-07-16T00:55:00.000-05:00Ha! - I am laughing about that librarian - What ki...Ha! - I am laughing about that librarian - What kind of librarian tells a little girl that her American Girl books are inappropriate??!?! good grief. That is really too bad. I also empathize with your being wary of the gold sticker on the front of the book. Didn't those books always seem to be the boring ones? I thought so. Unlike you, I had a childhood love affair with the library - I even got to ride my bike there (and it was far away too). I loved to read as a kid- my favorite books were Where the Red Fern Grows and the Outsiders. Now, I am laughing again. Not because of anything that has to do with anything I am supposed to be talking about but because I just got my guy to finally do some sort of brain surgery on my computer (after much begging) so it is finally working again - and I just spilled sugar on the keyboard a couple of minutes ago (while baking treats for class)- so now thanks in part to my super toasty kitchen - my keys aren't pressing right and my sweaty finger tips are making sugary sticky goo on several parts of the keyboard. Ok, maybe that was too much information. Sorry. <BR/>All righty. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, the gold sticker books. I agree with you that the importance of having a variety of reading materials is imperative for hooking kids into reading. You can never know where a reluctant reader will get hooked. I read The Giver last summer (for the first time)- and was completely sucked in, but my daughter was way less impressed than I was. She thought it was depressing. Hmm. The further I get into education, the more I realize that I think I went to a school district where their goal was to not teach as much as possible. I don't know what we did, but I have no recollection of many of the things we do nowadays- especially in high school. <BR/>What triggered the switch in you from struggling reader to English teacher? Is there a good story there?<BR/><BR/>P.S.<BR/>I'm glad you are my dialog partner too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com