YA Lit

Though I've been struggling with the concept of YA lit the beginning of this class, I'm slowly getting to know it. I guess I should start with my expectations for this class- it will help with some perspective. I came into this class expecting to read classic American literature that was either aimed at adolescents or had adolescent characters. I was expecting Catcher in the Rye and other classics. It's also important to know that as a junior education major, I'm really looking to learn practical topics I can teach and how I can teach them to my high school students. So even though I knew this was an English class and not an education class, I still had some educational objectives. With that in mind, I was a little thrown off when we started discussing what I perceived as "irrelevant" literature.

I have since found a new perspective, thankfully. I have decided that though YA lit does not lend itself perfectly to teaching in my high school classroom, I have looked beyond that to find some very legitimate purposes. We hear all the time that when students get to the high school level, they lose interest in reading. Whether it's a time issue (or lack thereof) or the introduction to the classics or otherwise, I don't care to debate it. The bottom line is that reading is important- all reading can be helpful to a student's vocabulary, critical thinking, and reading comprehension, among other perks. So I want my students to read.

As an English major, I need to remember that not all students will find great joy in reading those classics. Any time I can get them reading something that interests them outside the classroom, I have done that student a great service. YA lit can be a great alternative to your typical classroom novels. It is up to me, as the teacher, to be knowledgeable of this genre so I can recommend these books to my students.

One way to do that is to simply immerse myself, take the time to read whatever I can get my hands on and sort through the good, the bad, and the ugly, so to speak. Another option is certainly the award system that seems to be still expanding for YA lit. Maybe I work with Printz winners to find literary merit. Maybe I find some more mature books through the Alex Award (for adult books that appeal to young adult readers). The William C. Morris award recognizes first-time writers, and so maybe I find an author I really like and continue to follow his or her work. This is a lot of work for me, but if I can find books that I enjoy and think have value, then I can help my students do the same.

I've found some issues with YA lit, but I am working through them. Sometimes I think the writing is simple and unchallenging, while the content is more mature. I find this problem frustrating, because I think I can still challenge my students with YA lit, but these books just aren't going to do it. Take the Gossip Girl series, for instance. Sure, I read them while I was in high school, mostly over the summers when I wanted quick and easy "beach reads". And they were fun. But I can't say I learned much except that apparently upper east side New York city prep school students can get into martini bars at age 16... hmm...

So yes, I know this is not an education class, I promise! There is always some benefit to exposure to new literature, teachable or not. But I would certainly like to make it applicable to my teaching career. Anything that can benefit my students is worth investing my time. So I will continue to explore the field of YA lit with an open mind. I have already encountered both good and bad, and I will try to learn from both experiences.