Looking back on my life as a student, and the foundations of reading which have led me to where I am now, there are many children's texts that I would say I can remember, and were fond of. However, the most memorable book that I can remember is "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak.
"Where the Whild Things Are" was about a boy named Max who rather trublesome, who gets sent to his room without supper one night because of his wild behavior. While serving his punishment in his room, Max imagines a wild forest growing around him, complete with scary wild animals and plants. On his journey, Max is able to conquer the scary animals and takes control of his imagination, which eventually leads him back to reality where is supper is waiting for him.
My first encounter with this book was throughout my primary school years where it was a frequently read book in both my first grade classroom, as well as at my grandparents house, where the grandchildren would huddle around and attentively listen to my Nana, a f ormer school librarian, read the book alound. Time after time, her audience was captivated with the intricate drawings and storyline which seemd to always be different. The fun thing about this book, looking back on it, is realizing just how much fun having an active imagination can be, and how one little boy used it to get away from a rather unpleasent situation of being sent to bed without supper. As a child, an active imagination is crucial to developing creativity and thinking beyond what is immediately presented to you. Being an educator, it is important for us, as teachers, to encourace active imaginations, and also to share them so that the students peers can share in the experience.
One book that has made a major impact in my life can certainly be "One Fat Summer" by Robert Lipsyte. In this book, a boy spends a summer at a lake where he encounters numerous problems including losing a best friend, his parents fighting, being overworked by his boss, and trying to fend off the local bully from daily harassments. I can remember back in Fifth grade when I began to read this book, I didn't understand how this boy could have so many problems, and why he didn't just leave the lake all together and return to his home in the city. However, his perseverence and not giving up when presented with obstacles in his life certainly proved to hold strong.
The reason it was so impactful to me was because it showed this boy who was having so many difficulties, both mentally, physically and emotionally and not once did he cave in to what was easiest, going home. Rather, he worked through his issues and came out a stronger person. The life lessons that I learned from reading (and re-reading) this book will stay with me forever.
1 comment:
Bryan, I completly agree with you that teachers should promote active imaginations. I think the nest stuff comes when people think outside the box. I too loved this book as a kid and remember doing lots of activities with it. I like really hearing stuff about creativity in the classroom because it seems like sometimes we are so focused on the standards and miss so many opportunities to do other things.
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