We've been reading about Langston Hughes with the sixers. They're very interested in his dallying with communism. I gave them some
rudimentary background. About as rudimentary as it gets. One kid said, "I think people who make more money just work harder than other people so they deserve what they have. Poorer people don't work as hard." So today I read a picture book called Si Se Puede to the sixers. They sketched and jotted notes as I read and
shared stories that came to mind. The book's based on the janitor's strike in L.A. I haven't been reading too many
disruptive books to these sixers because of time concerns. I realized last week that my whole gig is off kilter because of this weird departmentalization set up. I find it very confusing and a wee bit confining. I have more admiration for middle and high school teachers now. I should just go sit in someone's classroom for a week and figure out how to do this. That aside, the book was well received and I'm looking forward to more chatting tomorrow about it. If you know a kid or adult who doesn't know that hard work doesn't correlate with salary, you may want to get this book for them. Mike Rose has a book I want too, called The Mind At Work.
We've been reading about Langston Hughes with the sixers. They're very interested in his dallying with communism. I gave them some rudimentary background. About as rudimentary as it gets. One kid said, "I think people who make more money just work harder than other people so they deserve what they have. Poorer people don't work as hard." So today I read a picture book called Si Se Puede to the sixers. They sketched and jotted notes as I read and shared stories that came to mind. The book's based on the janitor's strike in L.A. I haven't been reading too many disruptive books to these sixers because of time concerns. I realized last week that my whole gig is off kilter because of this weird departmentalization set up. I find it very confusing and a wee bit confining. I have more admiration for middle and high school teachers now. I should just go sit in someone's classroom for a week and figure out how to do this. That aside, the book was well received and I'm looking forward to more chatting tomorrow about it. If you know a kid or adult who doesn't know that hard work doesn't correlate with salary, you may want to get this book for them. Mike Rose has a book I want too, called The Mind At Work. 
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i was actually surprised that the kid said the thing about hard work and poverty. I'm not sure where it came from. we'll be interrogating that concept thoroughly. i was supposed to wake up early to edit stories, but i slept in. someone needs to loan me an extra hour or two. i'll pay it back.
i'm off to a book party, where we will play that book stealing game. wish me luck.
I am not quite on my game this year, whatever my game is, but I'm plugging along. I wish I had known I was heading to the sixers when i was in minn. last year, with all you marvelous middle school teachers around. I would have been much more pestery.