This Author will Control Your Emotions

It Takes You Over by Nick Healy is his debut short story collection and the winner of New Rivers Press 125^th Many Voices Project. As a native to St. Paul, Minnesota, Healy places each of his stories within the metro area. 

Readers of Minnesota will be pleased to see their native land as a setting; however, many of Healy’s characters turn out to be dislikable. His writing creates strong images of characters, who I was immediately drawn to, but with brushstrokes like an artist, Healy reveals their true personalities, and the protagonists no longer seem positive. This demonstrates Healy’s talent as a writer to control language and to change the readers’ perspectives.

One of the most memorable stories, “The Deep Route,” is observed from the perspective of a young father in Minneapolis/St. Paul. At first readers will respect the father who consciously makes the decision to spend time with his son. But through a short time with a series of events, readers begin to feel uneasy and question the character of the father. Many of Healy’s readers will follow a similar emotional ride when reading individual stories.

In another story, “Close Relations,” we follow the path of a grandmother, and many readers will sympathize with her. Early on we meet her troubled daughter who cannot seem to support herself and her young child. Readers won’t find themselves disliking Lorraine (the grandmother), but her character creates sympathy.

I had hard time rating this collection of short stories, because it isn’t one of my “typical” choice reads. Normally I prefer to relate with my characters on a personal level and love them, so it was difficult for me to feel sympathy and anger at characters. But, I do recognize the power in Healy’s writing because he was able to evoke those emotions within me as I read.

If I were to rate this story on the author’s skill, I can’t help but give him 5 for 5.

Statement of Beliefs about Learning and Teaching

1. I believe that education is a process that requires students to make mistakes, reflect, and improve while in a safe environment.

            The best way to achieve understanding is by discovery through creative thinking. If students simply memorize facts for a test, many of them will not be able to recall those details in a real life situation. Instead students can use realistic situations for learning. This allows them to apply their base knowledge and to create a larger understanding. I will create a classroom environment where students do not fear judgment from peers or the teacher and encourage academic risk taking. Every student will be expected to participate in some way and every opinion will be valued. According to Thomas M. McCann et al., all students benefit from authentic discussion, not just students in higher level classes (6). After students put their thoughts in writing or presentation, I will ask students to reflect on their work and their process of learning so that they can answer the question, “What can I do better next time?” The ability to reflect on mistakes also leads to students accepting and learning from constructive criticism. My goal is for students to not fear learning.

2. I believe that all students are meant to succeed.

            Peter Elbow claims that all students are brilliant (12). I know that students cannot be brilliant at everything they do, but they are good at something. They have a niche where they feel comfortable. As an effective teacher, I will get to know my students so that I may recognize their comfort zones and interests. These can be utilized to design effective lesson plans that capture the attention of students while creating an atmosphere with energy and excitement conducive to learning. When standards require me to teach outside of my students’ comfort zones, students can still succeed with the help of scaffolding. The final product can be broken down into smaller steps where I demonstrate, then guide students, and the final product the students complete on their own. The amount and type of scaffolding can be differentiated according to the individual needs of students. My goal is to utilize the interests and comfort zones of students to help them learn difficult topics and skills.

3. I believe that teachers should empower students while offering a quality education and helping them to create unique identities.

            It is not an obscure fact that teenagers are defining their identities and discovering their interests. At this age, students can be very vulnerable regarding their self-esteem. If students have a negative experience, they can completely turn away from an activity such as basketball or refuse to put time and effort into a class. Within my classroom, I want students to explore and discover interests, and I believe this requires students to feel confident. I will allow my students to teach me about technology, sports, or any of their other interests. Allowing students to be experts gives them confidence in their interests and strengths. This supports the foundation of their personal identities. My goal is to teach students how to utilize their strengths when learning new or difficult material.

4. I believe that a variety of instructional strategies is necessary for student success in meeting Common Core Standards.

            All students do not learn through a single strategy, such as lecture. Some students are auditory learners, others visual, and some kinesthetic. Gardner’s model of multiple intelligences acknowledges seven different types of learning styles that I plan to take into consideration when creating lessons (Milner, Milner, and Mitchell 17). Using a variety of lessons introduces students to new learning styles that may influence their ability to adapt to varying teaching styles while also allowing the majority of students to learn in their differing intelligences. It is also important that teachers use a mixture of organizational strategies for their classrooms, such as the four introduced by Milner, Milner, and Mitchell: lecture, class discussion, group work, and individualized instruction (22-23). This allows students to be involved in multiple learning environments that require students to have meaningful interaction. According to Thomas M. McCann, et al., interactions between students is necessary for learning (5). Some students learn best by receiving information from an instructor, others when they can discuss, while working with others, or through individual projects with self-reflection. My goal is to help students achieve Common Core Standards through the use of multiple teaching strategies.

5. I believe that the purpose of CAL classes is to instill a desire to read and the ability to effectively communicate.

            Reading can be very difficult for students, but the benefits of being able to read are significant and detrimental to students throughout their academic and professional careers. According to Jane Kiel, studies have shown that a connection between reading and learning (1-17). Children learn grammar rules and base knowledge without direct instruction through reading. I plan to encourage students to read by introducing them to a variety of genres and reading strategies. Also, when students are in middle and high school, they are still creating social relationships between their parents, peers, employers, co-workers, teammates, and the list can go on. Relationships require communication, and students need to be able to effectively communicate in different manners depending on the situation. It is necessary for students to learn how to communicate, and this includes reading. My goal is to guide students as they learn to enjoy reading and how to communicate with an array of audiences.

Works Cited

Elbow, Peter. Everyone Can Write. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2000. Print. 11-14.

Kiel, Jane. “How Language is Learned: From Birth Through the Elementary Years and Beyond.” Lessons to Share on Teaching Grammar in Context. Ed. Constance Weaver. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, Inc. 1998. Print. 1-17.

McCann, Thomas M., Larry R. Johannessen, Elizabeth Kahn, and Joseph M. Flanagan. Talking in Class: Using Discussion to Enhance Teaching and Learning. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2006. Print. 1-7.

Milner, Joseph O., Lucy M. Milner, and Joan F. Mitchell. Bridging English. Fifth Ed. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2012. Print. 17, 22-23.

WARNING: This collection of poetry will send your head spinning.

4 stars out of 5
  

The Way of All Flux by Sharon Suzuki-Martinez is a modern collection of poetry that will interest readers in search of quirky poetry that they can return to again-and-again. Many of these poems reference popular culture, in the shape of zombies, dragons, and “A Shocking Display of Sexual Dimorphism.” Read a poem and two, and you would be able to add to my list.

If looking for a setting for this collection of poetry, readers will be surprised. Suzuki-Martinez takes her readers from the island of Hawaii to Arizona, from the Midwest to New York. She even inspires with the call of the common loon, Minnesota’s state bird.

What seems to tie this collection together is a deep appreciation of the small things in life. Suzuki-Martinez includes everyday items in her poetry, from cabbages to ladybugs and stars. This suggests a childlike innocence within the collection; however, this is no Shel Silverstein. 

With realistic language and eccentric imagery, Suzuki-Martinez engages readers of an age group older than most Silverstein fans. The title poem uses slang, such as “fugly.” (If you are not aware of the meaning of this term, you may ask any teen or college student.) And she flips reader expectations in her poem “Dragon Flight.” Rather than a graceful journey above the clouds, we are presented with a humorous situation on an airplane. 

Suzuki-Martinez’s first poetry collection can be read as a page turner, which for me is not common among poetry, but it is not the easy read of children’s poems meant for humor. Yes, Suzuki-Martinez successfully entertains her audience, but the quirkiness of her imagery choices suggest deeper meaning that requires readers to go back to read again, again, and yet again.