Frustration with dd's Contemporary Lit class

[swimmermom3]

My dd(17) is taking a Contemporary Lit class and is really discouraged at the lack of challenge in the course. The content includes the following:

 

 

• community building and personal literacy
  
• reading nonfiction
  
• personal narrative
  
• Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie
  
• Writing a thesis statement
  
• Sentence building
  
• Lit circles
  
• Krakauer's Into the Wild
  
• Analytical essay
  
• research presentation
  
• career unit
  

 

Today, the teacher informed them that she would like them to all be good citizens, so they will be required to do a service project like working in a soup kitchen and then report on it.

 

Am I being unreasonable in expressing dismay at the lack of challenging literature? Furthermore, I do not think working in a soup kitchen, no matter how noble an endeavor, will help my dd with her composition skills. I also doubt the career unit will improve her SAT scores.

 

We've had so many people including counselors and doctors tell us that the socialization school provides is one of the best things for her depression. That's just great except she's anxious about school and grades. She didn't take the AP English class since she already has AP European History and wasn't sure if she could handle the course load. Now she's bored out of her mind. I would pull her tomorrow if I could.

 

Taking a breath now. I think I am suffering a case of high school homeschool envy. Thanks for listening. I'm off to look for challenging lit suggestions to support that European History class.

[Ibbygirl]

I'm sorry to hear about your ps struggles, Lisa. If it's any consolation I'm right there with you. :( :grouphug:

[Jane in NC]

Yikes!

 

Perhaps you could also bolster this literature course by adding some short stories. I would look at Lori D's lists for ideas. Italo Calvino is the first contemporary author to come to mind whom you might consider. (His novel, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, is in WEM, but some of his stories are on one of Lori's lists.)

 

I am in complete agreement with your statement on the soup kitchen. My suspicions are that the school is aware of the fact that some kids perform little or no community service and are thus orchestrating a project that can be summed up in a paragraph for college apps. It seems rather artificial in the long run and I know appears that way to people who read applications as well (or so says my brother in law, a professor at a top LAC.)

 

Ugh. I am so sorry, Lisa.

 

:grouphug:

Jane

[Nicole M]

Oh, that stinks. My son read Into the Wild for a community college course on composition. Now, granted, it was only a 10-week course, but the only other book they read was Good, Good Pig. So two papers on those two books, and one research paper. In a writing class.

 

I agree that you might want to have her read some other contemporary literature. Off the top of my head, only very depressing books are coming to mind, but I will think about it.

 

Doesn't Lightning Lit have a contemporary or world literature course? Maybe you could look at their list?

 

Or is this a situation where all her time is being sucked into this class, and adding other reading will freak her out? Do you guys have time in the car? Can you listen to audio books? On the weekends when we're doing chores, we listen to books at home. (Finished Voyage of the Narwhal last weekend. Excellent.)

 

How aggravating, Lisa. :grouphug:

[SusanAR]

I'm surprised to see Tuesdays With Morrie. My ps daughter read this last year in 9th grade pre-AP English. She was required to do a project which involved 4 separate visits/interviews with her "Morrie" and summarizing the interviews in the form of a booklet. The students then presented their booklets to their "Morrie". It required a lot of work!

Edited October 9, 2009 by SusanAR
to change a possessive into a plural :)

[Carol in Cal.]

I suggest that you try to switch her into it.

[swimmermom3]

Jennifer, Jane, & Nicole, thanks for the virtual hugs. I'm afraid my original post sounds rather bitter.:tongue_smilie:

 

Jane, my initial reaction was to ignore contemporary literature at this point. When I teach lit to the boys that is tied to a time period, we look at the major themes, trends, and characteristics of that period's lit. Literary terms are taught as they appear in our readings. I don't think my dd will be given much of a framework to hang the two class novels on. Also,they are just running down the list of literary terms with no application.

 

I think perhaps a better use of our time would be to let her do the class as is. Then, tie in more challenging reading to the AP European History. That way, she has the historical context. She is currently reading Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings by Kellyfor fun. I'd like to build on that.

 

Nicole, I would love for her to do any of the LL guides with me. Heck, I'll do the work along with her. She is gifted at literary analysis and we can spend hours discussing a book. Unfortunately, this will have to wait until summer, because yes, adding more work outside of reading would freak her out at this point.

 

Carol, if this were life before depression, I would have already switched her to the AP English class. The balance is too fragile right now. She settles for reading the books alongside her friends and discussing them. You see, there is no pressure involved this way. I find it difficult to watch.

 

I'd so much rather do something. Coming here is my first stop. I needed the feedback of wiser and more experienced minds. Thanks ladies.

 

Jane, I'd forgotten about Italo Calvino! Hmmm. Contemplating that one.:D Your reason for doing the service project sounds about right. Grrrr.

[Janice H]

 

 

I am in complete agreement with your statement on the soup kitchen. My suspicions are that the school is aware of the fact that some kids perform little or no community service and are thus orchestrating a project that can be summed up in a paragraph for college apps. It seems rather artificial in the long run and I know appears that way to people who read applications as well (or so says my brother in law, a professor at a top LAC.)

 

Ugh. I am so sorry, Lisa.

 

:grouphug:

Jane

 

Dd and I attended a dog and pony show for three universities last night--two ivies and a "selective public" univ. They seem to share your brother in law's opinion about community service. In essence, one admissions guy said if community service isn't your thing, don't do it. If research or some other passion is you, do it. He also said students ask, "how many community service hours should I have?"

 

This reminds me of other current threads here and on the college sub-board about how many high schoolers seem to be ticking off items on a check-list. The theme of last night's speakers was show us who you are; don't write what you think we want to see. They see many format admissions essays that are very forgettable.

 

Lisa, you don't sound bitter to me. Sounds like a fair assessment, not a rant.

[IsabelC]

You are not being at all unreasonable! Yes, service and citizenship are important subjects. But, since this is a LITERATURE class, literature should be the subject under study, and for a 17yo I would expect it to be books that will stretch her a bit.

[Lori D.]

Jane, I'd forgotten about Italo Calvino! Hmmm. Contemplating that one.:D

 

 

 

DO be careful about Calvino!

 

Yes, ironically, as Jane said, I know I recommended him :tongue_smilie: -- but ONLY selected stories. Calvino is very existential (bordering on depressively so, so if your DD is struggling with depression, I would ONLY look as some of the lighter stories out of Calvino's Cosmicomics. AND in almost all of Calvino, there is a lot of male sexual longing / chasing of unattainable women -- and sometimes actual explicit sexual bits.

 

It's been a few years since I read If On a Winter's Night -- it's an incredible book, the way he plays with literary conventions and extends them -- BUT I do remember some short explicit sexual bits scattered throughout. And I really think most of Calvino thematically is very mature -- what he is doing with literary conventions is very advanced, complex and subtle and will probably go over a teen's head, unless they have read/discussed/analyzed a LOT of literature. So PREVIEW Calvino first!

 

(Did I mention, it might be good to look over Calvino first? :tongue_smilie:) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Lori D.
fixed typo

[Murphy101]

hmm..

 

civil disobediance is an option.:D

 

I'd simply refuse to do the service project on the grounds that it's a lit class. How badly would it hurt her grade? It might not be worth the hassle.

 

Dh recalls starting a coup in high school over the music teacher insisting they learn italian for a particuliar piece they were playing. Keep in mind dh played SAX. He was rather rude and loudly out-spoken about the fact that he signed up for a band course, not a foreign language class. Teacher said they needed to know the language of the song to "feel the music". Dh insisted that no he did not. Walk to principals office. Call parents. His dad agreed. Principal asked dh if he could "feel the music" without knowing the italian. Dh said yep. Band teacher got ticked and said she didn't want a rabble rouser (sp?!?!) in her class b/c now no one wants to do it. Dh and his dad said fine and dh joined a private band.

 

Dh did the same thing in geometry. Teacher assigned a research paper on the history of geometry. Ds refused because - you guessed it - it was not a composition class and he didn't need to do that to learn or know geometry. Walk to the principals office.... repeat except the teacher had to drop the assignment because every kid (except the one that couldn't do geometry and needed the research paper to buffer his grade) agreed they wouldn't do it. She couldn't get away with flunking them all, if they were doing the actual course work at a decent grade level.

 

You know, now that I think about it.. it's really no surprise that dh was the one to suggest we home school...:lol:

 

Seriously though, I feel your daughter's pain. My high school lit classes were a dead bore for me. I loved to read and had read that stuff in upper elementary. I just kept reading on my own.

[swimmermom3]

I wanted to thank everyone for your responses before I take a board break for a couple of days. Lori, at Jane's inspiration I reread If on a winter's night a traveler. I would love to cover this book with my dd, but she needs more groundwork first, more from a literary viewpoint than content-wise. In fact, I may need some more literary analysis work before I tackle it with her.

 

Martha, my dd liked your idea. She is proposing to the teacher that she skip the service project (she's btdt) and analyze a third book instead. We'll see how that goes.