15 weeks of class, 10 books, and perhaps a new perspective

When I began this class, I was a little caught off guard. I expected The Adolescent in American Literature to be more about the classics involving adolescents, things we would expect to find in our curriculum: Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace, and others of that nature.

So needless to say, I was a little surprised and resisted at first.

However, I always think it's valuable to be exposed to a wide variety of literature, and this was no different. I think my students will someday benefit from my exposure to YA lit. Perhaps they will be inclined to read more outside the classroom if I can present to them a variety of literature. If I can give them literature they like, they may be more likely to trust me about more mature or challenging reads.

I really like the idea of pairing classic literature with YA in order to bring out the similarities, but I have yet to really understand how to effectively do this in a classroom. I'll be holding onto that idea and looking into it as I begin to teach in the coming years.

As I've said, I really enjoyed some books more than others. I will not soon forget Looking for Alaska or My Most Excellent Year. The rest have given me a glimpse of YA Lit and the ability to find new reads for my students in the future.