So yes, it's been an incredibly long time since my last blog post. Lots and lots has happened since September 21st! First of all, I have finished the written part of my ph.d. qualifying exams. Woo-hoo! More on that later.
Apparently, I either am the worst teacher and chooser of contemporary literature ever or ... or my students just don't like what i've chosen. Perhaps it's a bit of both. We just finished reading Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper, and for the most part, all of my students liked it. Why is this not a good thing? Don't get me wrong, it's a great thing. I'm so glad that they liked it because it's been really hard getting them interested in anything. The thing is that i can't take credit for this book selection -- it's the one that was selected and recommended by last year's class. So after this book, which can be a little downer and a little heavy, i thought it would be nice to read something light and funny...enter Tony Hawks' Round Ireland with a Fridge. It's a travel narrative, and it has dry British humor and wit. and it got absolutely no response from my class. one of my students said that they picked it up to avoid having to do real studying and put it back down again. really? i asked one of my other students after class if the book was really that bad, and they said no, that he liked it. here's the thing: it's hard for me not to care if they like the book or not. it's hard for me to not take it personally. it's hard for me to not let this fill me with all kinds of self-doubt about my ability to teach a successful, engaging, and thought-provoking literature class. i know. it's not all me, but seriously. why is this so hard? i'm not saying that i need it to be easy or expect it to be easy, but i also didn't expect it to be a daily struggle.
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