It is nice to have colleagues who are generous with their time and talents. This blog doesn't exist without the hard work and ideas that contributors offer two or three times a month. 2018 was productive year for the blog and for my academic work. They are clearly intertwined. My academic work--teaching, writing, guiding graduate students, work with and for members of ALAN--is influence by the work I do for the blog. The reading, talking with teacher and other academic, talking and listening to authors, and sharing with students in classes, and writing and editing blog posts all help me think about how to teach YA literature, how to share it with others, and how to get this literature in the hands of students. to all of those who contributed--Thank You.
The unique visits for the blog are up 41% in 2018 and the page visits are up 30 %. Thank you!
Please talk a minute and browse the contributors link. Drop to the bottom and take a look at all of the great minds who wrote a post last year. They include middle grades and high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, classroom teachers, and other academic who are teacher educators and/or scholars of Young Adult literature.
Take a minute to look at the Weekend Picks, it has been update with a slide show of all of the picks.
The unique visits for the blog are up 41% in 2018 and the page visits are up 30 %. Thank you!
Please talk a minute and browse the contributors link. Drop to the bottom and take a look at all of the great minds who wrote a post last year. They include middle grades and high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, classroom teachers, and other academic who are teacher educators and/or scholars of Young Adult literature.
Take a minute to look at the Weekend Picks, it has been update with a slide show of all of the picks.
This is a year that I am especially thankful for co-editors. Indulge me just a bit as I thank them.
Jennifer S. Dail and Shelbie Witte
I was invited by Jennifer and Shelbie into a project in 2017 that finished in 2018. They didn't need me. They are both so bright and generous that I was blessed every day to work with them. I learned so much. My confidence grew and I was able to think more creatively about other projects. I have been learning from them both since I was in graduate school. I can still remember the first time I heard Jennifer present at an NCTE convention. I remember sitting with Shelbie Witte and Crag Hill has we all discussed next steps towards becoming an Associate professor. I was in awe ( and I still am) at their intellects and accomplishments.
We ended up with two edited books about using Young Adult literature in a digital world with digital tools. In the blog we highlighted the books and the chapter authors in this blog last May (Please find it here.). We are proud of the books and the books at the contributions of the wonderful chapter authors. After all, isn't a blog about teaching and reading YA literature just another example of YA literature in the digital world?
We ended up with two edited books about using Young Adult literature in a digital world with digital tools. In the blog we highlighted the books and the chapter authors in this blog last May (Please find it here.). We are proud of the books and the books at the contributions of the wonderful chapter authors. After all, isn't a blog about teaching and reading YA literature just another example of YA literature in the digital world?
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Michelle Falter
After the Netflix premier of series adaptation of 13 Reasons Why social media went nuts responding to the series in a variety of ways. Some of the responses critiqued the format of as a glorification of the suicide and death. I followed with some interest, recognizing that the original release of the book did not 2009 did not cause great concern even though the book was well received and widely read by adolescents. One of the most interesting posts was by Michelle Falter. I asked her if she would expand her social media comment into a blog post. She agreed and it remains one of the largest single day response that Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday blog has experienced. (You can find it here.)
Michelle and I talked about the issues and decided to collaborate on a book project about grief and death and how it is addressed in the English language arts classroom. We started thinking and put out a call for proposals. We received many more responses than we could use. The publisher agreed to give a contract for two books. One that concentrates on the individual experience with death and grief and one that focuses on how society focuses on these issues.
The two books were officially available Nov. 23, 2018. We know many of you have been able to get it yet, but it should be one of you New Year's resolutions to remedy that. I look below we have a coupon. Come who can resist a coupon.
Like with the previous project, I learned a great deal. It was pleasure to work with Michelle and her sharp intellect. Once again these book enter the world as a result of some tremendous work done by the chapter authors. We had a wonderful round table session at NCTE with a keynote address by Sharon Draper who graciously agreed to participate. We will highlight that session with chapter summary for each book a blog post in the near future. Stay tuned.
Michelle and I talked about the issues and decided to collaborate on a book project about grief and death and how it is addressed in the English language arts classroom. We started thinking and put out a call for proposals. We received many more responses than we could use. The publisher agreed to give a contract for two books. One that concentrates on the individual experience with death and grief and one that focuses on how society focuses on these issues.
The two books were officially available Nov. 23, 2018. We know many of you have been able to get it yet, but it should be one of you New Year's resolutions to remedy that. I look below we have a coupon. Come who can resist a coupon.
Like with the previous project, I learned a great deal. It was pleasure to work with Michelle and her sharp intellect. Once again these book enter the world as a result of some tremendous work done by the chapter authors. We had a wonderful round table session at NCTE with a keynote address by Sharon Draper who graciously agreed to participate. We will highlight that session with chapter summary for each book a blog post in the near future. Stay tuned.
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Shelly Shaffer and Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil
On Feb. 15, 2018 I found myself struggling to write about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. I was more than just a bit distraught. As most readers know, I live in Las Vegas and woke up on Oct. 2 to announcement that 50 people were dead. In June of 2016, I wrote about the shooting in Orlando. This blog should have to be a place where I write about shootings, let alone school shootings. Yet, there I was again. Kids who must attend schools are affected by shooting in their communities or in communities they are connected to. They might have family members or neighbors who were at the tragic event. The Las Vegas shooting certainly had an impact on the city, but many of the attendees where from southern California and other parts of the United States.
I have written about mass shooting too many times:
Say His Name!
Las Vegas Strong. Find the helpers. On Tuesday Morning I Found Kathryn Erskine
Once Again.Shocked and Sad. That is my emotional state today 10.2.2017
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora Colorado, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now Parkland.
When I wrote the last post, I was afraid to post it until I consulted a couple of trusted readers. I turned to Shelly Shaffer, who studies YA literature that focuses on school shootings, and Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil who has become one of my co-authors and who judgement I value. They both agreed I should post the piece--with a couple of edits as always. Together we continued to discuss the issue of gun violence in the English language arts classroom. With in two weeks we had an outline for a book and began soliciting authors for specific chapters. In a month, we had a contract. The book was done very quickly and was published, according to Amazon on Nov. 22, 2018, but is so new we don't have our author copies yet. But once again--there is a coupon.
Shelly, Gretchen, and I are thrilled this book is in the world. The book has YA literature components, but it does not focus on YA literature. Instead, it focuses on how to talk about the issue in a variety of ways within schools. We looked for English Education experts who could talk about writing, social media, teacher education, advocacy, and we added discussions about how to use literature to talk about the issue before students experience the issue and what might be done in the aftermath of shooting.
We are preparing a round table session for next year at NCTE and we will feature a blog post that summarizes chapters and what they have to offer.
Frankly, in our opinion, putting one of these books in the hands of every ELA teacher would do more for the instruction integrity of lessons around the issue of gun violence and the emotional well being of students and teachers, than arming them with a gun.
People remind students, both young and old, that they need to look for helpers. I have written previously and I still believe it to be true:
Students see us (teachers) as anchors of sanity in a world that is often confusing. They look to us to say something soothing and to carry on with hope. They don’t look for us to be helpers. They already think we already are. It doesn’t matter if we also feel grief; we do. It doesn’t matter if we hurt for the loss that might directly touch our lives or lives of others; we do.
I have written about mass shooting too many times:
Say His Name!
Las Vegas Strong. Find the helpers. On Tuesday Morning I Found Kathryn Erskine
Once Again.Shocked and Sad. That is my emotional state today 10.2.2017
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora Colorado, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now Parkland.
When I wrote the last post, I was afraid to post it until I consulted a couple of trusted readers. I turned to Shelly Shaffer, who studies YA literature that focuses on school shootings, and Gretchen Rumohr-Voskuil who has become one of my co-authors and who judgement I value. They both agreed I should post the piece--with a couple of edits as always. Together we continued to discuss the issue of gun violence in the English language arts classroom. With in two weeks we had an outline for a book and began soliciting authors for specific chapters. In a month, we had a contract. The book was done very quickly and was published, according to Amazon on Nov. 22, 2018, but is so new we don't have our author copies yet. But once again--there is a coupon.
Shelly, Gretchen, and I are thrilled this book is in the world. The book has YA literature components, but it does not focus on YA literature. Instead, it focuses on how to talk about the issue in a variety of ways within schools. We looked for English Education experts who could talk about writing, social media, teacher education, advocacy, and we added discussions about how to use literature to talk about the issue before students experience the issue and what might be done in the aftermath of shooting.
We are preparing a round table session for next year at NCTE and we will feature a blog post that summarizes chapters and what they have to offer.
Frankly, in our opinion, putting one of these books in the hands of every ELA teacher would do more for the instruction integrity of lessons around the issue of gun violence and the emotional well being of students and teachers, than arming them with a gun.
People remind students, both young and old, that they need to look for helpers. I have written previously and I still believe it to be true:
Students see us (teachers) as anchors of sanity in a world that is often confusing. They look to us to say something soothing and to carry on with hope. They don’t look for us to be helpers. They already think we already are. It doesn’t matter if we also feel grief; we do. It doesn’t matter if we hurt for the loss that might directly touch our lives or lives of others; we do.
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As 2019 marches forward you can look for new book projects--(Hang in there Shanetia Clark, this is happening), more posts by and about specific authors, more Weekend Picks from authors beside the opinionated Dr. Bickmore, and robust line up or guest contributors through out the year.
When you visit the blog. I hope you take a couple of minutes to check out the Weekend picks, look up a few past contributors or share the url with your students and colleagues.
If you need a speaker for a conference, a book group, a ya literature course, please send me a message.
Until next time.
When you visit the blog. I hope you take a couple of minutes to check out the Weekend picks, look up a few past contributors or share the url with your students and colleagues.
If you need a speaker for a conference, a book group, a ya literature course, please send me a message.
Until next time.
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