Response - Luke Martin DeSiervo

“Most of our students, however, are going to be elsewhere. They’ll be in some line of work far removed from the literary world. They should, nonetheless, be readers. They should be people who enjoy literature, who read it willingly, even enthusiastically, and who respond to it and think about it in ways that enrich their emotional and intellectual lives.”

Probst, R.E. (1994). Reader-response theory and the English curriculum. English Journal
77, 37-44.

I remember reading a few of Robert Probst’s articles at the beginning of the semester and really taking to heart some of the ideas he set forth. Over the course of the summer, I have spent a lot of time trying to make sense of the previous year and thinking critically about how I want to approach my second go around in the classroom. I think more than anything else, I hope to present literature from a much more relaxed and enjoyable perspective. Probst is right—in the real world our students will be far removed from the English classroom. Perhaps the best thing we as English teachers can do is to inspire them to become independent thinkers who enjoy reading, or at the very least enjoy it a little more than they did before they arrived. In retrospect, at many times I felt so overwhelmed by the intense responsibility of making sure my students improved both as readers and writers that I lost track of the bigger picture. As of yet, no magic formula has been found to teach these important skills and we are left to discover the approach that works best in our particular classroom. But the more I think about, I am starting to realize that teaching students how to enjoy literature and the writing process are large pieces in this puzzle. While we work so hard trying to stress the most basic and fundamental skills to build a solid foundation, and rightfully so, I think we would all be surprised to see just how much our student’s skills can grow if we adjust our frame of mind and inspire them to enjoy the process.

I know full well that this is far from an easy task and I am not entirely sure how to turn this vision into a reality. I know I am going to have to work hard and experience many more failures before I ultimately find a method that works for me. But at least I know now that I can take it, and hopefully will not become nearly as frustrated as I did last year. On a more tangible level, I hope to change the perception of literature in my class by locating more interesting reading material that my students will be excited to experience. More than anything else, this course has opened me up to the wide world of young adult literature and helped me to see that if we want our students to become more interested in reading, we need to offer them materials and choices that they will enjoy. In addition, I plan to dedicate myself to modeling better habits and read in front of my students more often. Hopefully, this will create a genuine atmosphere in which reading is valued and respected.



“Contemporary young adult literature is an electrifying genre for getting today’s young adolescents reading and exploring who they are. Such literature contains themes, plots, language, and characters that are consistent with young adults’ experiences…Today’s young adult literature is sophisticates, complex, and powerful. It deserves to be a part of the literary tradition in middle and high schools.”

Stallworth, J.B. (2006). The relevance of young adult leadership. Educational
Leadership 63, 7, 59-63.

At the beginning of this course, I must admit that I was not as open-minded about young adult literature as I probably should have been. I’m not sure exactly why, but I assumed that reading these books would be childish and painful, and that it would have little impact on my day to day teaching practices. Yet as I read Stalllworth’s article, I am pleasantly surprised by how much my opinions have changed in these six weeks. Not only have I enjoyed reading the majority of these books, but I am impressed at how much studying the body of literature has helped me as teacher. One of the biggest adjustments I had to make in this profession was rediscovering what it meant to be a teenager. Being that it was not all that long ago that I was one myself, I assumed that I had an adequate understanding of the 14 year old mind and would be able to connect with their thinking and tendencies. For some reason, I assumed that teenagers were much more stable and able to function more effectively. (Actually, the more I think about it, it’s probably because I thought I knew everything when I was a teenager. Oh how wrong I was!) Of course my initial assessment proved to be far off base and I spent a lot of energy figuring out how vast the needs of teenagers are. Closer to childhood than adulthood, I have come to understand the guidance so many of our students are looking for and the positive influences needed to steer them in the right direction.

Getting back to young adult literature, I believe the genre has been a valuable tool that has helped me to better relate to my students. Putting me in touch with both their interest and abilities as readers, it has caused me to think about what I need to change in order to become a better teacher. Likewise, I now have a better grasp on the important role young adult literature can play and how it can be a valuable resource for our students. By presenting problems and characters that reflect their interests and points of view, teenagers can find solace in literature and most importantly, recognize that there are people out there that understand what they are going through. It offers a necessary reminder that these individuals are still growing, and we as teachers must modify our expectations accordingly. While I still maintain that no adult can truly remember what it feels like to be a teenager, reading these novels has helped me relate to my students and more fully understand their needs.