A Slight Divergence

     I know that the focus of this blog is supposed to be children's literature and about how much of our responsibility as teachers entails a wise selection of the proper materials, but as I mentioned in my previous entry, I was looking through some bookmarked news stories recently, and have come across another one that I feel compelled to share in this space.
    It is no secret that the systems of education in the US have been consistently failing to achieve their intended goals of improving our internationally ranked level of student achievement. Over the past several decades there have been innumerable changes, reforms, and budgetary restructuring plans put into action in an attempt to recapture the status once held by our nation's schools, but so far the results have been marginal at best.
     I wouldn't even know where to begin to address the issues facing the "educational renaissance" that it seems we as a nation must attempt to undertake, but what I do have is a curiosity when it comes to what is working for schools, teachers, and students in other parts of the world. Yes, I understand that other countries' systems have many problems and deficiencies of their own. I also know that in most cases, a direct application of their seemingly good methods or practices would be more difficult to implement in America, given the much more highly diverse populations of students in our classrooms, but as you'll see from the video embedded below, there are interesting ideas, such as teacher re-education in other countries that act as a sort of "No Teacher Left Behind" program. I can't help but think that we would benefit from more widespread use of something like this here in America.
     It has always been my contention that the best teachers under whom I've studied have also been those who recognize their own need to be eternal students. I know that this is the reason that I've returned to school myself, and my purpose in creating this post is not specifically to have my readers agree or disagree with the point of view provided. It's just here to (hopefully) make you think, wonder, and question. I'll leave you now to watch the video below, but before I go, I would like to borrow these few parting words from renowned author and 1988 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Naguib Mahfouz :

"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions."

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann (2003 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Author / Illustrator :  Eric Rohmann
Publisher  :  Roaring Brook Press
ISBN  :  0761315357
              (Buy / Borrow)

     I find it both interesting and encouraging that I had quite a bit more difficulty selecting a piece of literature for this week's featured blog entry.  Last week, I think that the sense of urgency I had to find an award winning book, make observations, and form opinions about it within an allotted time frame, led me to choose my subject after only a cursory examination of the possibilities.  Now, having worked through the experience from start to finish already, I am more in tune with what I need to include here and am beginning to understand more about the ways in which I can combine that content with my own vision of what this blog should be.  Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon your point of view), this has meant that I have devoted a bit more time and effort to the selection made for today's entry and I hope this careful consideration will translate to a better and more thought provoking experience for my readers this week.
    As shown above, I have chosen the Caldecott Award winning book My Friend Rabbit to write about today, for several reasons.  The storyline is an excellent tale for young people to read about, understand, and relate with.  The style of the illustration, though quite different from last week's selection Tuesday, is just as superb and dimensionally dynamic.  What struck me most about it, wasn't only how artistically skilled Eric Rohmann obviously is, but also his ability to effortlessly include so much comical detail in his pictures.  There wasn't one page that I turned during the several times that I read through this book that I didn't smile or laugh a little bit, and I think that this quality is essential for holding a young person's interest.  It is a quality that allows them to not only read, but also finish the book.
     After my experience with My Friend Rabbit, I was struck with a bout of nostalgia that brought me back to some adventures (and misadventures) of which I was a part with both my childhood friends and my sister.  In many cases I can clearly remember oddly contrived schemes that ultimately ended badly for one or more of the parties involved, yet throughout there was never a doubt of our close relationship or the esteem in which we held one another.  This feeling, is what Eric Rohmann has captured so well in both his written words and in the way Mouse and Rabbit interact with one another.  He allows his readers the greatest level of ease when it comes to identifying with the characters in the book and the bond between them.
     My next thoughts, were of how many ways this book could be used in a group or classroom setting, because there are so many.  While it is not specifically written as a counting lesson, for instance, it could certainly be used as one.  As rabbit gathers his animal friends up to form the giant tower that he plans to use to recover Mouse's airplane, a group or class could count along to see how many animals high the tower goes.
     Another lesson/activity that could be derived from this story is about diversity and the beauty in different individuals coming together and working toward a common goal and purpose.  It introduces complex concepts such as metaphors to young people in a way that is plain to see and easy to understand.  I find this to be an especially important idea to demonstrate in classrooms today, where the students that make up many of our classes come from a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
     The last idea for a lesson or activity that I have to mention is also my favorite.  It came to me as I was looking over some of my bookmarked news stories from 2009.  One in particular caught my attention, and I thought it would be wonderful to use with a group or class as a demonstration of text to life comparison. 
     It is the story of Bella and Tarra, a dog and an elephant living at an elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, that are real-life best friends, just like Mouse and Rabbit.  True, Bella and Tarra might not have ever had to address an issue such as an airplane caught in a tree, but the depth of their friendship, after having read their story, is just as obvious and in my opinion, even more heartwarming. 
     I am grateful for the experience of having read both of these stories, one fiction and one non-fiction, and being able to understand the connections that can be made between them.  Depending on your own point of view, it's art imitating life or life imitating art, but either way you choose to look at it, it's a lovely way to finish the book.