[aisle] Help with Teacher Relationships Needed

Tue Jan 25 10:05:23 CST 2022

I am so sorry that your students – and you – are confronted with such an ill-informed limited point-of-view. Here is how I responded to one such teacher. (Note: this is before New Kid by Jerry Craft won the Newbery in 2020!)

First, it is best practice for students to have free choice in their book selection from the library to encourage a love of reading and to read for enjoyment. As Donalyn Miller states in The Book Whisperer, “Providing students with the opportunity to choose their own books to read empowers and encourages them. Readers without power to make their own choice are unmotivated.” This is one of the many reasons I advocate for at least one free choice selection.

With respect to your concerns about graphic novels in particular, I can assure you that there is much evidence to support the contrary and how graphic novels benefit readers, especially reluctant readers. Research from the University of Oregon<https://minnesotaenglishjournalonline.org/2014/03/11/praxis-strategies-for-teaching-literature-3-graphic-novels/> found that comic books averaged 53.5 rare, or more complex, words per 1,000. That's more than children's books which average 30.9 and even adult books at 52.7. One study<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1080569913482574> found that graphic texts promote learning and better recall. Another found that students had the best reading comprehension<https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1053749> and enjoyed reading the most when they read graphic novels. They also motivate reluctant readers<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234751892_A_Novel_Approach_Using_Graphic_Novels_to_Attract_Reluctant_Readers_and_Promote_Literacy> to pick up a book.

I’ve included some additional resources here that I hope will help put your mind at ease and reduce your stress.

  *   The Power of Graphic Novels<https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/blog/article/graphic-novels/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=autopilot&utm_campaign=fictionreaders&utm_content=blog>
  *   Librarian Ro for Teach Graphix Week (short video clip)<https://youtu.be/QqQ6QgXQdYc>
  *   Graphic Novels for Kids: Classroom Ideas, Booklists, and More<https://www.readingrockets.org/article/graphic-novels-kids-classroom-ideas-booklists-and-more?fbclid=IwAR14WaSLeLhGYdUTjMCdYS2PVaidvAOKFnlRISQ0qPdaLnGUqnQrN6G5_9A>

Lastly, if they are struggling with how to read them – as far as following the sequence of the panels and such – I would love to teach a lesson (or more) on graphic novels.

  *   Mrs. Trisha Honkoski [cid:image001.jpg at 01D811D3.107D04F0]

From: AISLE <aisle-bounces at list.railslibraries.info> On Behalf Of Elena Menicocci via AISLE
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2022 10:01 AM
To: AISLE-Share: Association of Illinois School Library Educators discussion list <aisle at list.railslibraries.info>
Cc: Elena Menicocci <emenicocci at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [aisle] Help with Teacher Relationships Needed

I am curious about how others would handle this as I too am having the same issue!
Recently I had one teacher tell her entire class in front of me that they were babies because graphic novels are baby books. Then she looked at me as if I were in agreeance. She has also banned her class from checking them out.

Elena

On Tue, Jan 25, 2022 at 9:55 AM Leanne Brown via AISLE <aisle at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle at list.railslibraries.info>> wrote:
Good morning,

I am in need of some wisdom, if you have the time to share it.

I am in my 7th year of being a librarian, and this year I am in a new school in my district. My administration is very supportive of students taking out whatever they would like to read, as long as they are doing some "stretching" and trying new things, challenging themselves, etc. My admin are great to work with.

My struggle is with some staff members; they have some very specific ideas on what their students should check out, particularly avoiding "candy books," as they are called--books with lots of pictures. Some teachers even say picture books aren't welcomed, even though I have been educating on how some are made for older readers, such as our Bluestem selections. Graphic novels aren't particularly welcomed either, and my efforts to have the students take a balance of graphic novels with traditional novels has lead one teacher to banning graphic novels altogether with a "No Graphic Novel November."

I am trying not to go hard on this because I am new to the building, and relationships and trust need to be built so that I can do my job the way it needs to be done. However, the daily struggle is getting to me.
I would appreciate any ideas you have; please email me off-list so we don't clog everyone's emails. Many thanks in advance!

Leanne Brown, MLIS
Librarian
Meadow Ridge School
10959 W. 159th Street
Orland Park, IL 60467
(708) 364-3600

MAILMAN_MIMEDEFANG
_______________________________________________
AISLE mailing list
AISLE at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:AISLE at list.railslibraries.info>

For list archives and subscription options, visit:
http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aisle

To unsubscribe, send a message to:
aisle-leave at list.railslibraries.info<mailto:aisle-leave at list.railslibraries.info>

https://www.aisled.org/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.railslibraries.info/pipermail/aisle/attachments/20220125/3023b3cd/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 8407 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <http://list.railslibraries.info/pipermail/aisle/attachments/20220125/3023b3cd/attachment.jpg>