Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

This is a wonderful, historical fiction novel for the young adolescents.  It is a short story (only 161 pages) about a thirteen year old boy named Samuel and his experiences at the start of the Revolutionary War.

What I find most interesting about this book is the fact that Paulson chooses to focus the story on the experiences of a civilian.  There is no talk of legendary battles or of American War Heroes.  It is just a snapshot of what an average day might look like if you lived during this time period.  In addition, Paulson throws in sidebar-style commentary throughout the book giving the reader additional background knowledge to help make sense of the scenes about to be presented.

As an adult this book may seem very juvenile, but as a teacher it would make a great addition to an early American Social Studies curriculum.  Because the reading level seems to be late elementary and the book is short, it would be easy to read it during class as a read aloud or individually to help Middle School students paint a clearer picture of what life was like during this time period.

O’ Child O’ Mine

Somebody told me once that teenagers are like toddlers, just bigger.  It makes sense.  Both groups are struggling with idea of independence.  Both have frequent mood swings.  And both throw tantrums (Yes, teenagers throw tantrums, too.  Funny thing is they can look exactly like toddler tantrums – screaming, flaying, etc).  But for some reason, even though I have been through the toddler phase, the teenager phase is something that I was not prepared for.  My beautiful daughter.  My sweet, innocent, daughter.  My loving daughter has, at times, been worse than the Wicked Witch of the West.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’ve raised a wonderful daughter.  But that is the problem.  Somehow my daughter has learned to care too much and that gets her in trouble.  By caring and putting others before her own needs, she makes decisions that get her in trouble.  Her heart is in the right place, but that doesn’t change the fact that the action is wrong.  My daughter’s response? “No good deed goes unpunished.”  Maybe I should have her cut back on the show tunes.

Seriously though – how does one go about teaching teenagers about priorities?  I didn’t learn to put myself first until my late 20’s.  In fact it took me that long because there are some things that I learn better the “hard way.”

I could try to model correct priorities, but in order to give my daughter consequences that sink in, it requires me to give up things because I am a single mother.  For example, if I ground my daughter, there is no-one but myself to be available to stay at home with her to make sure she stays grounded.  That forces me to cancel the date night with the girls I planned.  If I want to make sure my daughter doesn’t sneak out of the house again, I only have me to wake up in the middle of the night to make sure she is still in her bed.

So what do I do?

 

SCV saved my life

When I was 17 & a senior in High School I became pregnant.  Needless to say it was a very hard time for me.  I completely lost sight of who I was.  Everything that I thought made me (music, drama, dance, High School) was being replaced by things foreign (adulthood, mothering).  Top off a bit of post-partum depression & recovering eating disorders and you have a little mess on your hands.

Fast forward a year later and I hit a low point.  I was beyond depressed and I tried to cope by taking an entire package of NightQuill.  Lucky for me, this doesn’t put you in the endless sleep I desired, but instead just makes you really drunk-like.  It was at this point that I got advice from the mother of a good friend of mine.  She was able to put into words why I was having a hard time & her suggestion was to join the Santa Clara Vanguard.

Really?  This made no logical sense to me.  A teenage mother doesn’t just ship her daughter off to her mother’s house so she can tour around the country with a Drum & Bugle Corp.  It’s not appropriate.  It’s not responsible.  And it was exactly what I needed to do.

After speaking to my parents, we rationalized that it was common for children to spend extended vacations with their grandparents.  Besides they knew I needed to rediscover myself & drum corp seemed the perfect prescription for depression – LOTS OF EXERCISE (12 hours running around a football field), LOTS OF SUNSHINE & VITAMIN D (did I mention 12 hours running around a football field?), ROUTINE, LITTLE TIME FOR DRAMA, & MUSIC, DANCE, PERFORMING.

However, beyond all this SCV gave me something a little extra…they embraced me whole-heartedly for what I was and NEVER ONCE judged me.  Since becoming pregnant, I received looks & comments from complete strangers because I was a teenage mother.  The SCV family did none of this.  I was just another family member and was treated as such.

One of my fondest memories was in 2000 during my age-out year.  I had just gotten off the phone with my mother and she was having a rough time juggling the needs of my daughter and the needs of my grandmother.  I was in tears because I was in New Jersey, my mother & daughter were in Arizona, & there was nothing I could do to help.  Rick, the SCV director, came up to me and talked to me like I was another parent…not a 21 year old kid, but a parent.  I don’t know if he even remembers this conversation, but I do.  It was a perfect example of how SCV treats its own.  They don’t judge.  They don’t assume.  Rick & others took me as is, built me up, and loved me.

REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution is not just your run of the mill historical fiction book.  At its heart, it is about the inner turmoil and anguish the main character, Andi, goes through after the death of her brother.  What makes this books so interesting though, is that Donnelly is able to weave together a story that shows the parallels of the French Revolution with the chaos and frustration one goes through in growing up.  As a reader, you connect with the characters, not because the historical events are fascinating (and they are), but because you can relate to the feelings and emotions of Andi, the 21st century narrator, as well as Alex, the 18th century, underground heroine (of sorts).  As in political revolutions, both Andi & Alex, struggle to reconcile ideas & emotions…and learn what is right versus what is wrong.