Many students have been drawn to our new graphic novel kiosk, stocked with manga titles such as Death Note, Fruits Basket, and Bleach.Kids are scrambling to the library in between classes, sneaking in on their way to the bathroom, even coming in...gasp...after school to get the next titles in their favorite series...desperate to pass the next 56 minutes of instructional time doing what educators always bemoan our students are not doing enough of...reading .
But why are our students reading manga, when they should be taking notes, evaluating power points, and showing their work?
First, manga is an escape, and what teen doesn't need to escape from the trials of high school?
Second, these small books are portable (so much for the death of the printed word), and do not require the use of illicit objects like cell phones or i-pods.
Last, these titles are available just a few feet away in the school library. That's right the library. Didn't know little Michael knew where the library was? He does, and he's in there three to four times a day.
The question is, how do we tap in to the power of manga and get our kids tuned in to the classroom, while still maintaining rigor in a standards-based curriculum?
3 comments:
Anything that gets students to read should be examined, but of course students are going to want to read manga over The Scarlett Letter. I think it's a comparison between apples and oranges.
I think it is great that somebody is doing something to get kids into the library to read. It is hypocritical to bemoan the fact that kids don't read enough, and then bemoan what it is that they read.
It's most important to get kids "in the door." If the library becomes a safe haven to students, and reading becomes a hobby that is regularly pursued by students, I think tackling "real" literature is a very realistic possibility.
I remember coaxing one of my students to read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." The student claimed it was too long and too difficult, and before she knew what was happening, she was curled in a corner completely absorbed by the story....I can see kids who enjoy Manga initially fighting the idea of reading a "real" book, and before you know it, they'll be completely hooked on classics like "The Scarlet Letter."
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