Revolution, Family, & Punk Rock: October Update Part 1
Whew!
It's nearly the end of October and I haven't posted at all this month. With grading my students' Persepolis paper, gearing up for the research project, and being trained for my new job (which I love), posting hasn't been a huge priority. Luckily, this weekend I have a moment to breathe, so I'm filling that moment with writing.
This has been a trying semester. Each time a new class comes in, new obstacles present themselves. This is only my 3rd year teaching, and while I don't claim to "have seen it all" yet, I thought I'd seen enough. Ha!
I'll keep all of those specific student moments to myself--for now--but I would like to give an update on what we've been doing and where we're heading.
Graphic Novel
A student shared with me:
During study hall, she was reading Persepolis, and the supervisor came up to her, a little frustrated, and said,
"You're supposed to doing your homework."
She said, "I am!"
We've started and finished the Persepolis unit. If you're unfamiliar, it's an autobiography by Marjane Satrapi who grew up during the Iranian Revolution in the late 70s, early 80s. With that brief summary alone, many challenges present themselves:
How do you teach graphic novels? Aren't they just glorified comic books?
How do you cover an entire revolution that usually isn't taught in a few short weeks?
How do you humanize a Muslim girl even 15 years after 9/11?
Let me tell ya: These are excellent questions. None of them are easy to answer, but I try. In fact, I've tried now for two semesters.
...has it really only been two semesters?
I've found I simply don't do it justice.
And that's really hard for me to admit.
I don't know enough myself about the historical context. This semester I tried harder than I did the last time, and I even had my students read a short piece on Islam in addition to the novel (I know that sounds like, "duh").
But the focus of the unit is the complexity of words and images working at times in tandem and at others in juxtaposition. That's my main focus; I work toward the goal of the paper and in turn I do not do justice to the complexity and beauty that is The Complete Persepolis.
So why Persepolis in the first place?
I want to challenge my students. I want to make them feel uncomfortable. I want them to question what they believe. They're [mostly] freshmen in college--what a wonderful time to rock their worlds! This book has actually been banned in many schools and ironically in Iran. With more time, Persepolis is perfect for my larger goal (beyond the paper).
I first heard about it while observing a classroom in North Carolina. 10th graders were reading it, so why can't my students?
The positive side: I try to constantly reflect on everything I do in the classroom, so I've decided this is the last year for Persepolis. I simply don't have enough time to get in three papers, a research project, and a final while giving Ms. Satrapi the dedication I think she deserves.
However, I'm still rooting for graphic novels. Soon Fun Home will be arriving at my house via Amazon, and I have high hopes.
Part II includes a debate on the price of human life!
