P.S. I left off the best parts

Before the internet changed my habits, I was a letter-writer. I would write letters to my friends, my mother (when I was away at college), and especially my fiance. The flow of the letter would take me one way and I would forget some of the most important points…until the end. I wrote some of the longest post scripts ever. Here’s another one. I wrote that blog post last night and then this morning I realized I needed to say more.

One thing I like about this group of 7th graders is the way they think. We are in the midst of a Freedom of Speech vs. Banning of Books unit. I showed several video clips of famous folks who have read banned or challenged books, including Whoopi Goldberg’s short piece about Shel Silverstein (below).

(if the video doesn’t load, reload the page)

Yesterday, Erin and Sophia (who are in different classes) responded to the video with the beautiful voice of reason. They said something like…Why can’t those parents who have a problem with certain books just not let their kids read the stuff? Why can’t they just stay out of everybody else’s business? It does makes sense in some ways and that lead to a great discussion.

Then, Jessa exercised her freedom of speech after hearing John Schneider’s book talk on Catcher in the Rye (below).

Jessa asked why students could read books that have swearing in them but are unable to swear themselves. The wheels were definitely turning. Being the reflective teacher I am, I asked the class for answers to Jessa's question. That led to one of the best discussions of the year so far (which I replicated in later classes by posing her question again and again).

One more...from the same day. Tre approached me after class with the comment that the 7th grade teacher's rooms are a mirror image of each other based on their subject area. After a long pause, I asked him to explain. He then showed me how I was in one corner and the other English teacher was in the opposite corner; if you drew a line through the bathrooms, the Science teachers were on opposite sides of the line, as were the Social Studies and Math teachers. Sometimes students really do amaze me. We teach here (and have for years) and never noticed that...and I'm pretty sure it's not on purpose. I do appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking that my 7th graders bring to the table.

Okay...if you haven't read the original post, it's below this one.

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