The+Journey+in+Comics+by+Ayres

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I find the graphic novel format of this book very refreshing. To me, the fact that the author used a different medium to present the material from his more traditional text is a reminder that we, as teachers,constantly need to push ourselves to make what happens in our classrooms accessible to many different types of learners. It's not about us - it's about what happens between us and our students, and they are all so different! A challenge, to be sure, but an exciting one. CE

July 3

Finished THE JOURNEY today. Reading a graphic novel wasn't so bad after all. Why was I prejudiced against it? (Yes, I know, I did push for this book. I have discovered that I often learn more out our of doing what feels UNcomfortable rather than what feels comfortable.) I feel rather silly. After all, when I look at painting by Mark Rothko, I don't look at it the way I would look at a Claude Monet.

My favorite page of the book is page 93, the introduction to Chapter 7. The word vocation does it for me every time. Page 13 was a close second. Too often, I find, teachers don't REALLY see their students as individuals. (Most would deny this, however.) It's not easy! Sure, we always have special connections with some of our students - how do we do this with more of them, given the number of students we see each day? This is why I liked the story about Mayra on page 110. I love the phrase: "a unification of a group of young learners." Making those connections as human beings, and helping the connections happen within in class - those are the things that I strive for.

I was relieved, on page 119, to find out that the administrator with the hair-do out of "Hair Spray" enjoyed ballroom dancing and was human.Throughout the book I had been a bit uncomfortable with the extreme stereotype (up until that page) of the two administrators who pop into the classroom on occasion. In fact, I have always been uncomfortable with the "us" vs. "them" attitude I often sense between teachers and administrators. We are all in this together! I need my administrators and I am grateful for all that they do, because they do the things that I don't want to do. In my humble opinion, the percentage of mediocre administrators is not larger than the percentage of mediocre teachers. However, we certainly DO need to find a way to recruit from the top of the pool for both teachers administrators. A friend told me the other day that in the US, we recruit teachers from the bottom of the pool. Is this true? And if so, how terrible! Maybe this is why is has always been important for me to make clear to all of my students that I love my job with a passion, it's the profession I chose above all others, and, I stay in the classroom because of what happens when we are together. CE