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From: Kenneth Cadow <Kenneth.Cadow>
Date: 24 Jul 2009 19:14:20 -0400
So... the day before yesterday, I tried to bury my "hidden adult."
We were camping in the Pyrenees. My youngest, 11 years old, is very much of a creative introvert, and was having a mighty tough time in the more or less forced close proximity to her competitive, extrovert older brother and sister. At sunset following a particularly tough day, she and I had this unexpected quiet moment when the rest were off somewhere else. She asked me if I would ride the see-saw with her.
It is the kind of see-saw that never touches the ground--it's held above by a thick spring. So we rocked as the dark fell. I knew how much she was enjoying it-the alone time with me, the repetitive motion, all that stuff. So I thought I would stop analyzing and just enjoy it like a kid. I couldn't force my grown-up mind away enough to just enjoy the moment, but I suppose I finally zenned it away by listening to the rhythm of the springs.
To that rhythm, she started humming a tune. I joined in for several stanzas.
"What's that tune, Lilly?"
"Red River Valley."
"Is that Stephen Foster?"
"I don't know."
Well, it isn't Stephen Foster. But we rocked and hummed until camp quiet hours were long in effect. Finally I said we had to stop because of sleeping campers, even though we were being pretty quiet. On the way back to the tent, she gave me a hug. I knew she felt connected, and I knew that ultimately, I failed to put my adultness away.
So here's the thing--without my adult take, there's no story there, is there? There's no conflict and no catharsis if I don't put it into the perspective of how I saw the day. The kids fight. The older two don't get her spacing-out. They don't get that her senses refract input differently in the same way that light bends when it enters water. And, unappreciated, she acts out. But then we had that moment on the see-saw. Is there a story in the moment without the back-story, prepared by me as I write this down?
So, that's from a writer's and also a parent's perspective. Since we've been away for several days, I have a few other points I'd like to weigh in on.
>From the perspective of a teacher, I think kids can learn to read critically largely on their own, if given enough volume to work with. It's just getting them to read--enabling an exposure and interest in books that gets them there. In relation to this thread, I've thought about some of the pedagogical stuff I've read over the years: "Should We Burn Babar?" by Herbert Kohl, Alison Lurie's "Don't Tell the Grown-Ups," and most recently, "Teach them to Challenge Authority," by Gregory Prince, which is aimed toward university educators, but raises issues that apply to lower levels of education as well. It's been awhile since I've read Lurie's book and I haven't yet read Perry's, but I think they could be interesting back-to-back reads.
And lastly, much has been written about reader-response and phases of childhood. I think about my own response to different stories in different phases of my life. Even as a 12- or 13-year-old when I first read LORD OF THE FLIES I felt that the book's adult-ness was about as hidden as the grim reaper on a putting green. I don't feel much differently now. OLD YELLER always makes me cry, and the reason for my tears doesn't seem to change, whether I currently have a dog or not. However, when I watch one of my very favorite movies, THE BIG CHILL, my take has been extremely different depending on my age. In my 20's, I loved it for the music. For the clever, 20-something, oh-wowish dialogue. In my 30's, I especially related to the different lifestyles and professions those once inseparable college pals had taken. Soon after I turned 40, I watched it again and really understood what the big chill is... I think. Now I'm well into the second half of my 40's, and expect that when I watch it again, my response will be different--I may hone in on something else. Doesn't every evolving human's "take" on a story change with an elapse of time? Watch the Big Chill and tell me if this isn't so. So what's my point? I'm not sure I can phrase it properly at 1 a.m.... Does the same book ever get read twice? Even if it's by the same kid? I don't think so. Is that bad? I don't think so. A good book changes the reader, I think, even if it's only in a small way.
I think that "manipulate" is a rather strong word. "Change" is kind of a popular word today, but I like it. I think that authors of stories hope to affect a change in the reader--that's my intent (My first book for kids is on FSG's 2010 list--Alfie Runs Away). And, an honest author recognizes that they are only part of the equation. The reader is going to take from the book what they will. I've heard the following attributed to Confucius, Buddha, and to a rabbi whose name I forget--it doesn't matter, I suppose, though I'd love to hear a definitive answer (Jane Yolen--are you out there?) "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
That's how I feel about books.
Ken Cadow
Received on Fri 24 Jul 2009 06:14:20 PM CDT
Date: 24 Jul 2009 19:14:20 -0400
So... the day before yesterday, I tried to bury my "hidden adult."
We were camping in the Pyrenees. My youngest, 11 years old, is very much of a creative introvert, and was having a mighty tough time in the more or less forced close proximity to her competitive, extrovert older brother and sister. At sunset following a particularly tough day, she and I had this unexpected quiet moment when the rest were off somewhere else. She asked me if I would ride the see-saw with her.
It is the kind of see-saw that never touches the ground--it's held above by a thick spring. So we rocked as the dark fell. I knew how much she was enjoying it-the alone time with me, the repetitive motion, all that stuff. So I thought I would stop analyzing and just enjoy it like a kid. I couldn't force my grown-up mind away enough to just enjoy the moment, but I suppose I finally zenned it away by listening to the rhythm of the springs.
To that rhythm, she started humming a tune. I joined in for several stanzas.
"What's that tune, Lilly?"
"Red River Valley."
"Is that Stephen Foster?"
"I don't know."
Well, it isn't Stephen Foster. But we rocked and hummed until camp quiet hours were long in effect. Finally I said we had to stop because of sleeping campers, even though we were being pretty quiet. On the way back to the tent, she gave me a hug. I knew she felt connected, and I knew that ultimately, I failed to put my adultness away.
So here's the thing--without my adult take, there's no story there, is there? There's no conflict and no catharsis if I don't put it into the perspective of how I saw the day. The kids fight. The older two don't get her spacing-out. They don't get that her senses refract input differently in the same way that light bends when it enters water. And, unappreciated, she acts out. But then we had that moment on the see-saw. Is there a story in the moment without the back-story, prepared by me as I write this down?
So, that's from a writer's and also a parent's perspective. Since we've been away for several days, I have a few other points I'd like to weigh in on.
>From the perspective of a teacher, I think kids can learn to read critically largely on their own, if given enough volume to work with. It's just getting them to read--enabling an exposure and interest in books that gets them there. In relation to this thread, I've thought about some of the pedagogical stuff I've read over the years: "Should We Burn Babar?" by Herbert Kohl, Alison Lurie's "Don't Tell the Grown-Ups," and most recently, "Teach them to Challenge Authority," by Gregory Prince, which is aimed toward university educators, but raises issues that apply to lower levels of education as well. It's been awhile since I've read Lurie's book and I haven't yet read Perry's, but I think they could be interesting back-to-back reads.
And lastly, much has been written about reader-response and phases of childhood. I think about my own response to different stories in different phases of my life. Even as a 12- or 13-year-old when I first read LORD OF THE FLIES I felt that the book's adult-ness was about as hidden as the grim reaper on a putting green. I don't feel much differently now. OLD YELLER always makes me cry, and the reason for my tears doesn't seem to change, whether I currently have a dog or not. However, when I watch one of my very favorite movies, THE BIG CHILL, my take has been extremely different depending on my age. In my 20's, I loved it for the music. For the clever, 20-something, oh-wowish dialogue. In my 30's, I especially related to the different lifestyles and professions those once inseparable college pals had taken. Soon after I turned 40, I watched it again and really understood what the big chill is... I think. Now I'm well into the second half of my 40's, and expect that when I watch it again, my response will be different--I may hone in on something else. Doesn't every evolving human's "take" on a story change with an elapse of time? Watch the Big Chill and tell me if this isn't so. So what's my point? I'm not sure I can phrase it properly at 1 a.m.... Does the same book ever get read twice? Even if it's by the same kid? I don't think so. Is that bad? I don't think so. A good book changes the reader, I think, even if it's only in a small way.
I think that "manipulate" is a rather strong word. "Change" is kind of a popular word today, but I like it. I think that authors of stories hope to affect a change in the reader--that's my intent (My first book for kids is on FSG's 2010 list--Alfie Runs Away). And, an honest author recognizes that they are only part of the equation. The reader is going to take from the book what they will. I've heard the following attributed to Confucius, Buddha, and to a rabbi whose name I forget--it doesn't matter, I suppose, though I'd love to hear a definitive answer (Jane Yolen--are you out there?) "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
That's how I feel about books.
Ken Cadow
Received on Fri 24 Jul 2009 06:14:20 PM CDT
