Censored

At IRA14, the Crazy Reading Ladies had the honor of leading a group discussion centered around Young Adult literature. The participants were teachers, librarians, literacy professionals, and several YA authors.  As we chatted about recommendations for reluctant readers, tried-and-true favorites, and upcoming releases, the word "appropriate" came up.  

Teachers and librarians dove right in, sharing their own stories about books they could or could not recommend to students, what they had been asked to censor at a parent's or administrator's request, or what their current permission slip looked like.

The authors were positively gobsmacked. Seriously, mouths hung agape. 

"Wait, you guys have to pre-screen stuff?" 

All around the circle, teachers' heads nodded as the moment of mutual shock set in. These authors had no idea that one sex scene, f-bomb, or allusion to drug use could remove their book from a child's hands. While we were overjoyed that a light had been shed on a very real problem, we couldn't really give the authors much assistance in making their books more marketable without crossing the line into censorship.

That's right.  We said it.  The C word.  

It's a fine line between determining appropriateness and censoring.  A mighty fine line.  


Determining what is and is not appropriate requires the teacher to look at the  big picture - identifying themes and ideas and matching those things up with potential readers.  Discussions take place around how the conflicts are developed, how far into the book one goes before the protagonist redeems herself, and the overall impression the reader leaves with.  When books are seen not as a arrangement of individual words but rather as a collective message, it becomes much easier to forgive certain sins. As public school teachers and educated professionals, we feel empowered to judge literature and determine it's relative appropriateness for our wide middle school audience.  Appropriateness includes grey area; something might be fine for a mature 6th grader but not a good choice for a sensitive 7th grader.  Appropriateness is flexible and fluid. 

Censoring is a different beast entirely.  Censorship pays attention to the power of individual words and phrases.  The idea here is that, while the overall message may be positive, the book itself is polluted by certain letters arranged in a certain order.  As ELA teachers, we understand the power of individual words.  Mary recently spent a full 15 minutes with her students teasing out the significance of the word "my" in a passage from To Kill a Mockingbird.  If a two letter pronoun can change the interpretation of an entire fictional relationship, then what can a four letter curse word do?  A lot.  If you're living in one of the less enlightened areas of the country, that four letter word can remove the book from library and classroom bookshelves.

Oh, stop.  He's singing "Where is Thumbkin?" 

Herein lies the problem. There is not one universal standard deeming language - or anything for that matter - offensive. It is a personal decision. What is upsetting for one person may be perfectly acceptable for another. 

Some authors have taken it upon themselves to help us out by altering the language that they use.  For example, in response to the John Green lovefest that recently swept our Middle School, we picked up a copy of AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES. Scattered throughout the book was a word we had never seen before: fug. In case you too are a bit kwanfused, let us put it in context. It can be used in the following ways: Go fug yourself or Mother fugger.  

First of all, was the original word (we think we know what he was going for...) so "offensive" it was deemed "inappropriate" for young adults?  If so, is the changing of that final consonant sound really fooling anyone? Are parents and publishers breathing a collective sigh of relief because of the absence of a certain expletive?  Are we the only ones who think that the connotation is loud and clear? Isn't the intent obvious? Come on, if you are going to say something, SAY IT!  You really aren't doing us any favors.  Really.


Now, we understand that some language is so offensive that parents feel the need to protect their children from it.  We understand that some scenarios in The Hunger Games or Divergent are upsetting to less mature readers.  And we have fully supported parents in their right to say no to their child.  Recognizing that each person has her own comfort zone, the CRL developed our policy regarding what to do when a parent is offended by our book choice: 

"The decision lies with the family. We will support you 100% in deciding what is best for your individual child." 

Sometimes, that is all it takes to mollify an upset parent.  Unfortunately, it is more frequently the case that parents are not content with choosing what is right for their child.  They want to decide that their standard should be applied to everyone.  And that's not okay with us. 

Ultimately, we Crazy Reading Ladies have decided that censorship is the mountain upon which we are willing to die.  

That is, we will listen to parents who disagree with our choices, we will talk them through our decision making process, we will listen some more while they list the thousand of other books we should have chosen instead.  We will encourage them to do what is best for their child and listen even more while they inform us of their various degrees in literature and child psychology.  We will thank them for their input, and we will relay their concerns to our principal, but we will not remove an otherwise appropriate book from the hands of 499 other middle schoolers simply because it has a word, a phrase, a scene, or a character that offends them.  We will not take that book from our shelves or wield black sharpies in an attempt to protect all our students from the material that one parent deems offensive.

We certainly aren't here to incite riots, wave flags, or further an agenda.  We have always sought to put good books in the hands of students and get them excited about reading. We are here to create lifelong literature lovers, nothing more.

That's not to say that we haven't somewhat caved to pressure.  This year we went to unprecedented lengths to get parent buy in, announcing the book to parents a full six weeks before it became available to students, allowing parents time to read and decide for themselves.  We chose a book we thought no one could possibly object to - the inspiring true story of a WWII hero.  We chose to adopt and promote the YA version of the book to further provide a buffer for those who felt the subject matter too upsetting.  And still...STILL...parents complained.  Frustrated and irritated by the request to choose a book better aligned to conservative family values, Mary exclaimed, "What do they want!?  Charlotte's Web?"  Erin replied, "That will upset the vegans."

I guess that's our take-away.  There is no such thing as the perfect book.   There will always be something to upset someone.  The best we can do is choose good books for our kids.  

And if they don't like it, fug 'em. 

 

Choose Wisely

We aren't that old. Really, we're not. We weren't in middle school that long ago; how did things change so fast? One of the most peculiar signs of our current times is The Power of Words.

On the one hand, if you turn on network television at 8:00 or listen to the Top 40, you'll hear words that were deemed "inappropriate" as recently as the '90s.  On the other, words "offend" with ease and, almost weekly, leave someone in court or out of work; or, at the very least, delivering a half-hearted and highly-scripted public apology. 

Four years, four books

Words matter. And we make our living putting pages of them in the hands of children. The stakes are high; very high. 

So where does that leave us - two Crazy Reading Ladies who are often tasked with endorsing books for a few hundred adolescents? Want to know what goes through our minds as we consider what to put in the hands of our cherubic charges? Yeah, so do we. 
  It has been almost five years since we started our All In! adventure. Over one thousand readers have devoured the pages of four very different books. And by most standards, we've picked a winner every time. So why is it so difficult to explain how we've chosen them? 

It's surprising - even to us as we sit here and type - that we don't have a clear answer. There's no rubric, no formula, no Russian judge. It's just us.

"No book for you."

Whether planning a school-wide reading initiative or simply shopping for our classrooms, The Crazy Reading Ladies read widely and frequently, and always with a few hundred middle schoolers on our hearts. We read with a purpose: is this the right book for our kids? Mary often compares this process to the Film course she took in college; once she knew how movies were structured, she viewed them through a completely different lens. She knew about lighting and music and camera angles and dialogue and reaction shots. And after a while no one wanted to go to the movies with Mary anymore, because she'd talk her way through the entire thing.

We are put in a similar situation. We read while thinking about relatable characters, assessing developmental appropriateness, analyzing messages presented, dreaming up activities, imagining costume potential, and responding to hypothetical parental and administrative inquiries. And if it gets our blessing, we go with it.

That's all.

Though it may be hard to believe, as frighteningly alike as we are, the two of us have different barometers. But we respect (and admire) each other to such a degree that if a book raises even one of our eyebrows, we put it aside; however, if we both think something is okay, we'll go with it and stand by it, which is not without risk for two ladies who love their jobs and work in an increasingly litigious society. 

We know our students think we have read every book that has ever been written (or at least the ones in our classrooms) but we haven't. We rely on casual recommendations, Top Ten lists, and online reviews just like everyone else. But what to do when the ALA-honored book you ordered for your 8th graders features both four-letter words and a certain toothpaste-tube tutorial? You go with your gut - and if you're us, you're sending that puppy back to Barnes and Noble. As Mary once famously said, "If I can't figure out how to write the permission slip, I'm not putting it on my shelf."

So I guess we can't tell you how we know it's right, but it's easy for us to identify when it isn't. 

Without expending too much end-of-the-year energy, we can easily rattle off the following honest-to-goodness charges we have received when people have deemed our book selections "inappropriate": 

• too long
• too difficult
• too easy
• too violent
• anti-American
• pro-American
• furthers liberal agenda
• too sexual
• contains inappropriate language
• is psychologically disturbing
• too real
• too fake
• too religious
• anti-Catholic
• characters are too old 
• presence of drugs

We believe in fairy tales

Jodi Picoult's new YA book OFF THE PAGE (co-written with her daughter, the lovely Samantha VanLeer) has spurred some recent commentary on social media: Which of Ms. Picoult's "adult" books can you recommend to young readers? 

Perhaps we're just far too verbose, but the CRL could not respond to that inquiry in 140 characters; there's no easy answer to that question. We've suggested THE STORYTELLER to some very mature 8th graders who are passionate about the Holocaust and seem ready for such an experience; on the other hand, there are several adults in our building who have yet to "go there." We've talked to an elephant-obsessed 7th grader about LEAVING TIME, but haven't given it to a friend who is mommy to a toddler. Everyone is different. It's about knowing your audience. 

We're not saying that our standard is perfect, but it has yielded some pretty stellar results and, even with 20/20 hindsight, we wouldn't change a thing. 

Field Trip 2015

Hey, remember when we had an updated blog? YIKES! This winter, time has seemingly slipped right through our fingers. Blogs sit unpublished, quasi-blonde roots appear exposed and in desperate need of highlighting, and two CRL are still in the midst of planning the first after-school activity for UNBROKEN, a full two-months after the field trip! I guess somewhere deep-down, we knew we'd find a way to make this a year-long initiative.

Speaking of the field trip, we owe you a post, don't we dear readers?  It's about time we document the official #ALLIN15 movie event!

If you're short on time and want to cut straight to the six buses and all the cuteness 297 middle school readers can bring, enjoy the video below:

 All In! 2015 Field Trip Video

For the uber-detailed, highly-emotional, ridiculously-verbose commentary you've come to expect from the CRL, read on.

One of our faves from #ALLIN15

On January 6, 2015 we took a few hundred readers to the movies, but that was several months (and several feet of snow) ago. Never fear!  The CRL took notes whilst viewing said movie with said readers!

Even though this was our largest group yet, the field trip was seamless; however, as much as we'd love to take all the credit and gloat that we're getting pretty good at this gig, the CRL had help. And a few sticky-notes from our 2014 adventure - tell the kids to bring a bag lunch, ask them not to show previews - which directed our 2015 planning. We also worked with a new theater this year; Showcase Cinema was superlative. They answered every phone call and urgent email, quelled every fear, and even opened up a second theater when - much to our delight - our initial estimate came up short because some middle school decided to take a record-breaking romp through Laura Hillenbrand's bestseller. Showcase Cinema has fallen into CRL-land and is most certainly All In!

We couldn't quite believe it

Logistics

 

The day before our movie outing, we met with our extraordinary middles for a brief assembly. We took the opportunity to acknowledge our 60(!) Three-Peats and, given the subject matter, had an open dialogue about strategies for managing potentially difficult scenes. The pre-briefing seemed well worth it; though two sixth grade girls watched the majority of the movie within arm's reach of the CRL, we are proud to report that all of the students were returned to their parents unscathed and in good condition.

For attendance purposes they were divided into groups bearing UNBROKEN-themed monikers: Hillenbrand, Torrance, Albatross, Superman. In the spirit of full disclosure, they weren't groups, they were squadrons, and we came up with the names during a 10:00 phone call the night before. Because it was cute. And that's how we roll.

Year Four. We got this.

Fact: Our 297 readers were split into 12 groups.
Fact: The CRL let children sit anywhere they want once we get to the theater.
Fact: Adolescents hear the word "group" and stop listening.

Eighteen years of middle school experience has taught us that it's best not to post groups too far in advance, so our kids were informed of their placements the day prior to the field trip. Our 7th and 8th graders know the drill, and after the first two quick and efficient, almost-too-easy, super-smooth mealtime announcements, we were feeling pretty darn good about ourselves. Students found their names on the list, committed the squadron name to memory, and then passed it on to the next table. But you know what's coming, don't you? 6th grade lunch. A mob formed quickly. Papers were torn, tears were shed, lists were lost. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth. It looked strikingly similar to feeding time at a predatory monkey exhibit. Erin barely survived. She had to give "the look" and use "the tone" with "the microphone." It wasn't pretty.

In the long run though, it was completely worth it.  When field trip morning arrived, the kids sorted themselves into groups, found their chaperones, and were ready to go within moments. It was almost too easy. We even had students step up and start taking attendance as chaperones were still rolling in.

The Verdict

 

The readers have spoken

In years past we have been able to see the movie either in advance of its release or within the first few days. Considering we had two weeks between movie release and our field trip, it was hard to ignore the chatter about the adaptation and its "mixed reviews." It may surprise some to know that the CRL intentionally avoided seeing the movie until we could watch it with our kiddos. Our motives are selfish. It's simply awesome to see a movie with an educated, invested audience. We've become addicted to the experience, seeing the fruits of our labor; when it comes to movie viewing, there's nothing better. We also felt like it was the right thing to do. We were delighted to save our initial, raw reactions for them. When student queries of, "Did you see it over vacation?" were met with shakes of our heads, our tweens smiled and seemed to reveal a sense of relief...and something like gratitude. "We would never see it without you! We were waiting until we could all see it together!"

After the movie, there was a lot to discuss. Sure, we could sit here and be critical of some of the movie's shortcomings; but overall, we were quite pleased. Louie Zamperini lived the life of ten men and unless Angelina Jolie was going to go all Peter Jackson on this project and turn a 400-page book into a trilogy of two-and-a-half hour epics, some things were going to have to be cut. We concur that it was a good effort and a worthy representation, but our kids overwhelmingly favored the book. Ta da!

I guess you could say we're four for four. Every year, our students have preferred the book over the movie adaptation. As one child expressed, "I think the movie was okay. I might have thought it was great if I hadn't read the book, but the book was just so much better than the movie." The on-camera interviews we conducted yielded two very consistent arguments: lack of "details" and "the end of the book."

We are always impressed with the amount of minutiae they are able to analyze and remember. We love that our cherubs are so protective of the book they adore that they noticed the men on the raft ate the first bird in the movie, when in fact they never ate it because of its foul smell. And we take such pride in the fact that our students - our readers - are the target audience. Someday, we tell them, someday Hollywood is going to come to you before making the final cut.

Students commented on casting - the hits and the misses - the use of flashbacks, and even the chemistry between actors. "Louie and Phil were such good friends. They were like brothers. They depended on each other and kept each other alive. You didn't get that in the movie. Phil was just, like some guy."

Six buses - we did it again!

A lot of students spoke about the importance of Louie's struggles after the war. We have video footage of early adolescents using phrases like "alcohol abuse" and "dedicating his life to God" and voicing their complaints that this period wasn't thoroughly explored.  One young man stated that Louie's internal struggle and redemption after the war was more inspiring than his POW experience. Extraordinary.

Following the movie there was so much to discuss - who jumped (both of us when that stupid shark came up out of nowhere), who cried, who picked up on the author reference and the real photo of Cecy - that we felt funny returning to school. Sure, there's always a certain letdown after the field trip, but this time we were clingy and downright disappointed.  More so than ever before, we were disheartened to leave our kiddos and head back to class. Whether it was the intensity of the subject matter or the spirit of our fabulous students, we wanted nothing more than to spend the afternoon in quiet seclusion with them, slowly eating and debriefing about the experience.

Put that on the sticky note for next year.

There is Cause for Rejoicing Here

It's the one thing people harp on: The Test.

That cap fit a record 297 kids this year

Don't get us wrong, we could talk about our program and our kids all day long. The two of us can recite our yearly participation numbers by heart - 221, 188, 281, 297 (!!!!) - we have dozens of emails from grateful parents saved in special files on our computers at work. We have letters from our cherubs tucked away in desk drawers. We have stacks of sticky notes written in a sort of CRL-shorthand because, when amazing moments come up, we do whatever we can to document them. We could tell you how much we talk about books, how many texts and phone calls we exchange weekly, and how often we plan, thinking of nothing but our kids.  We could tell you all that and more.  But is that what people ask us about?  Nope.  People want to know about The Test.

Message received!  Test-curious folk, read on.

Here's the gist:

This year, we took more time than ever preparing our questions; perhaps that's why we believed in them so. We knew they were good, so we stood by them. Non-fiction text presented its own challenges for us this time around, and we relied heavily on open-ended, opinion-type queries. We wrote the questions over the course of six months, and vetted them in front of committees of adults and children. We ordered the questions chronologically and then sorted them into categories (and yes, each test had one from each category.) We watched every movie trailer and read the Wikipedia entries. We generated over one hundred questions, which resulted in 3-4 different tests per day. We used visual prompts this year for the first time. The tests were good. Really good.

Eight tests for the final Draft Day

Though it's easy for us to become defensive when people have questions about The Test, we understand their curiosity. Mary and I have known for years that our test-phobic culture stems not from our kiddos, but from the adults in their lives. And we have story after story to prove it. It's the adults who get nervous; the adults who wish it would go away. In our little corner of the world, we have sought to spread a new mantra: "Tests are not to trick you! They are an opportunity for you to celebrate your success!" Seriously, how many of you have clicked on a Facebook test and then posted your score, exclaiming: "I know my '80s sitcom trivia!" "I'm a 100% grammar nerd!" "I am a Tolkien WIZARD!"

Proud 7th grader on 12/22

Our kids devoted days, weeks, maybe months to reading a book (and a challenging one!) that was optional.

Why would we ever want to rob our children of that glory?

While we can't boast that our tests are perfect, we can claim pure, positive intentions, and a darn flipping exceptional record. The Test isn't going anywhere. It's good. It's a cornerstone of what we do. And you know who loves it? The kids. And it's because of them that we are so confident it The Test's brilliance.

This year, it was The Test that gave us and our readers multiple moments of pure, unadulterated joy.

More than ever, we were swamped by kids who approached the testing table over and over again saying, "That was fun! Can I do another one?" We indulged the little maniacs when we could but on busy days, we had to swat them away.

We watched kids barrel out of the cafeteria with broad grins, nervous hands, and jittery feet. We exchanged silent smiles on days when our table was flooded with Special Education students. We bore witness as our readers surveyed the scene and selected their test with care. If they came toward us and said, "Oh my gosh, I'm so afraid. I'm gonna fail, I know it" we sent them back. "No no no! You approach this table with confidence! Now let me hear you say 'I can do this!'" and only after they obliged the CRL, gave that positive affirmation and laughed, did we let them continue forward.

For the first time, we had kids tell us, "I'm already All In! but I want to prove it some more!"

Clarifying questions, jingling all the way

Child after child requested copies of the quiz for their parents. Erin once walked in on a social studies class after the teacher had apparently challenged his students: "Go ahead, ask me anything about UNBROKEN!" Unfortunately, he had a lot of readers in that room who delighted in stumping him. Their questions were insane - How many days did Mac stay alive on the raft? - but some knew the answers. Let's just say it's a good thing we don't leave the questions up to the kids.

We had a crew of 8th graders hang around the testing table day after day, ready to hi-5 readers as they finished. Mary had entire classes applaud when a nervous 6th grader came to her room for a 1:1 test. Of course he passed.

We had students approach us on non-testing days (good thing the CRL can write an assessment on a piece of scrap paper in about sixty seconds.)

With our hi-5-er on 12/22

We had students request testing during our respective lunch duties. Erin obliged once, sat a boy in front of a test at an empty table, and then watched as a crew of 8th graders gathered around to support their comrade, saying "You got this!" Minutes later, six adolescent boys erupted in hoots and back-smacks when their buddy passed.
(Hi.  Mary here.  As I was reading Erin's notes, I had to ask her, "Is this story really about you?  Or is this me?  It's you?  REALLY? The EXACT same thing happened to me during 7th grade lunch duty!")

More times than we can count, we asked a lingering middle, "Do you need a test?" to which he or she would reply, "No, I'm just here to cheer!"

Our prize for favorite story this year goes to the Murphy family. Their 8th grade son is a 3-peat and their 6th grade daughter was going All In! for the first time. Several weeks ago, Erin got a panicked phone call from Mrs. Murphy, saying her daughter "had tried and failed." Mom knew her daughter Jessie had read UNBROKEN, but she struggles with reading, and this book was way above her level. She was afraid the failure would make her daughter give up. She explained how this book had spurred Jessie's interest in non-fiction and had taught her more about the World War II era than she ever knew. Mrs. Murphy sang the praises of All In! but her daughter had come home in tears. Mom admitted she didn't see the point to the assessment and wondered why we had to test the kids at all. Erin explained that her daughter had been quite close to passing and was confident that, given another shot the next day, she believed Jessie would pass just fine. She explained the CRL Philosophy of The Power of the Test. Jessie had invested her time and read a book on her own. She deserved to have that moment of celebration. We were not going to rob this child of a chance to experience her accomplishment. If she read the book, we'd be able to tell and she would earn her way in. Sure enough, that young lady did pass - with flying colors - the very next day and Erin left a jubilant message on the Murphy family answering machine announcing the good news.

Several days later, Erin ran into Mrs. Murphy at a local store. When she caught Erin's eye, Mrs. Murphy opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came. Instead, she wrapped Erin in a hug and began to cry. "Thank you, Miss O'Leary. I can't tell you what you've done for my daughter. She was SO proud of herself! You should have seen her when she got off the bus - she was practically dancing! You turned the entire assessment thing around for me, you know. I didn't understand it, but to hear you explain it as a chance to succeed and then to see Jessie's face...You were right! I am just so grateful for what you two do." She then explained that she had played the voice message for the entire family, much to her daughter's delight. Mr. Murphy, who is perhaps unaccustomed to the celebratory decibel level of the CRL asked, "Who talks like that?" Their son, well known to the both of us, said, "That's them, Dad. That's how they talk! They're so positive, that's just how they are."

Finishing the race

After more laughter and yet another hug, parent and teacher parted. Mrs. Murphy headed to her car and then turned with one last comment, "Thank You. My daughter will never forget this."

Nothing Special

The starting line.

Before heading to his first period class, an 8th grade boy rushed into my room. "Miss O'Leary I finished UNBROKEN last night! I read nine chapters, I couldn't put it down. Like, I really liked it."

"Oh my gosh! I am so proud of you!"

"Yea, it's pretty awesome."

I felt like my heart was going to burst with pride for this young man. I did everything in my power to have a school-approved celebration at 7:25 in the morning. If I could've arranged for confetti cannons in short order, I would have. But someone was missing; there was only one other person on the planet who would understand.

"Did you tell Ms. Cotillo?"

"No, I was going to find her next!" I paraded him out into the hall, in view of his English teacher. I placed my hands above him, imaginary spotlights illuminating his literate head.

Though her beaming smile revealed she knew what he was about to say, Mary let him have the glory. She joined in our glee, cheered as he walked off to class, and then caught me in a hug as I dissolved into tears.

"That's it. We can hang our hat on that child alone. That's all we need. We can be done now!"

I wrote an email to my principal, telling him that Mary and I could now retire.

But today was nothing special.

"Can we just read today?"

No one knows UNBROKEN is the first book this young man has ever read on his own. No one knows that he attends replacement literacy classes multiple times a week and regularly tests in the below average range for reading. No one knows that two years ago, I made a promise to his worried mother: I would find a book that would make her son read. No one knows that as recently as last week he doubted his own abilities and was nervous about finishing on time. No one knows that he wrote "All In!" in his class journal way back in September, when writing his goals for the year.

Today was nothing special.

By the time the morning was over, we were visited by three more children, all singing the same tune: "I Couldn't Put It Down Last Night!" As we walked to lunch, preparing to test these eager readers, Mary looked at me and said, "And today was nothing special. Like, we're still a week away from the due date. They're just loving it!"

Let the adventure begin.

The adolescents who crammed our testing table before eating their lunches today - there was a line - were overwhelmingly struggling readers. The first six kids, packed in like sardines at a table meant for four, were all Special Education students.

As of today, 141 kids have passed the test for UNBROKEN. Seven of them have asked to take another one "because it was fun" or "I want to prove it even more."

And today was nothing special.

Thankful

Yesterday we cried for all the right reasons.

Just before last period, a lovely 8th grade student - and, as of today, she's an official 3-Peat - came up to Erin in the hallway and handed her a folded note.

"This is for you and Ms. Cotillo but you can't read it until you're together."

Two hours later, the faculty meeting had ended and the two of us remained; together, we unfolded her hand-written letter.

The two of us, joined in weepy Crazy Reading Lady bliss, shook our heads in quiet awe of what we had been given.

We decided her words were enough to warrant their very own blog post.

If only these kids knew how thankful we are for them. They are the reason this program exists. They are the reason we have the very best jobs in the world.

There were a lot of ideas we tossed around for the title of this post: Love, Wow, This is Why We Do It, When You Least Expect It. But we settled on Thankful. That is what this young lady so honestly and eloquently expressed, and that is what we were left feeling after reading her letter.

For all the readers who've come along on the journey.

If you haven't had one of those beautiful teacher moments in a while, please allow us to share ours with you.

We are thankful.

Mary and Erin


December 3, 2014

Dear Ms. O'Leary and Ms. Cotillo,

When I first found out we were reading the book UNBROKEN, I did not know what to expect. I personally love non-fiction [and] war books so I was excited it was that genre. Reading UNBROKEN is like time travel. The author Laura Hillenbrand takes people of all ages back to the 1940s; which they may not have lived in. Louis Zamperini seems like an old friend I have known my whole life after reading UNBROKEN. His personality, background, and character is well-described while leaving some mystery.

I am so thankful for the chance to read this incredible story. UNBROKEN has taken me to places I have never been before and I have found my inner soldier. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing UNBROKEN for All In! 2015! It has changed the way I look at society, life, and the world around us.

Sincerely,

C.L. 
8th grade

Veterans Day Part Two: Courage Brings Us Home

HMMS band led by Ms. Nicole Wright

Just after 12:30 on Monday, November 10th 2014, all of our planning and negotiating and adjusting and cooperating came to beautiful fruition.

Thanks to the HMMS music teachers and students, the ambiance was perfect.  The strings quintet and band provided just the right mood.  

So much to love about this!

The Student Council met our visiting veterans at the door, gave them a tour of the building, and conducted a brief interview.  It warmed our hearts to see the generations connect in such a meaningful way.  Mary's daughter was lucky enough to get to meet and interview a Korean War veteran, and she repeatedly referred to him as "my veteran."  So sweet.  

Sweet Anna with "her veteran"

We'd encouraged students to dress up or wear red, white, and blue the day of the assembly.  The Community Service Club distributed yellow ribbons to all students and adults involved, giving us a unified look.  They also wrapped  UNBROKEN books in red, white, and blue ribbons.  Tucked inside each book was a letter written by a member of the Student Council, thanking the service men and women for their work.  These books were later presented to our visitors as gifts.

As students and visitors filed in, the band played and we showed a slide show of HMMS students and teachers pictured with the veterans and active service members in their families. It was touching to see teachers with their parents, children - often much younger in the photo than they are now - with grandparents.  It set the perfect tone.

When everyone was seated, Erin and Mary took to the podium to kick off the kickoff with these words:

"Welcome to the first day of All In! 2015. It’s only fitting that our official launch is happening the day before Veterans Day, giving us the opportunity to celebrate both Louie Zamperini, the heroic subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s book UNBROKEN, and the heroes of our community. Today, we welcome 15 Franklin veterans as well as Senator Karen Spilka, Senator Richard Ross, and Representative Jeff Roy.

On September 27, when Unbroken was announced as the book for All In 2015, Horace Mann students found themselves in an unexpected situation. There was no countdown, no assembly, no screaming audience, and no balloons. In fact, the craziness everyone expected of the crazy reading ladies was missing altogether. Thank you for forgiving us, and please allow us to explain. 

Everything we do has always been about fun. It's fun to read a popular book with friends. It's fun to leave school and go see a movie. It's fun to leap into a recycling bin filled with shredded paper and go diving for dragon's eggs. The CRL are all about fun! And that's great, and we love it, and it works...but.

Sometimes you find yourself called to do something greater.

Life is all about choices. Our favorite literary characters teach us that. Katniss chose to save her sister; Bilbo chose an unexpected journey; Tris chose to be true to herself. When we chose UNBROKEN, we knew that it was going to be different.  We knew that it was important...a story we and our students needed to hear. We also knew it was an undertaking far greater than any we'd attempted before.

Sitting before us are the students who read The Hobbit as 6th graders, proving teachers, principals, and literacy experts wrong. They said it was too hard. You taught us to never, ever under-estimate you.

Sitting to our left are 7th graders who conquered a 500-page text in their 6th grade year and led this school on a march that shattered All In!’s participation records and brought us our biggest year yet. They said we couldn't fill six busses. You helped us prove them wrong.

And to out right sit our newest recruits. Students who have never before gone All In!, yet signed up anyway. You know not what this experience will require of you, but neither did our hero Louie Zamperini.

What is a hero? A hero is a person who puts others before themselves, like Katniss. A person who pushes on despite their fear, like Bilbo. A person who acts on their convictions, like Tris. A hero is a person like Louis Zamperini...someone who maintains a positive attitude even in the most negative situations and never, ever, ever gives up.

You can almost see her whole face!

Heroes become heroes because of the choices they make. We hope that you will choose to join us in this adventure. We are confident that each one of you is capable of rising to the challenge and discovering the hero within yourself."

The Student Council representatives then took the microphone to introduce "their" veterans.  Please take a moment to digest what these remarkable young people did.  Not only did they serve as ambassadors for the school and welcome our visitors, they also conducted interviews and turned their notes into formal verbal introductions presented to an auditorium packed with people.  And half of them could barely see over the podium!

Representative Jeff Roy is going All In!

State Senators Richard Ross and Karen Spilka addressed the crowd, encouraging them to find ways to recognize the service of veterans and urging them to read the book.  Representative Jeff Roy inspired our young crowd with the following:

"Books can change your life. What others have written and said is more the heart of who we are and the way we are, than many of us could imagine.

And books are always accessible. In fact did you know that there are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the United States? In fact, there are 17,000 libraries, compared to 14,000 McDonald’s. I have nothing against McDonald’s – I like a Big Mac every now and then myself -- but the food for thought available in libraries is much more satisfying." 

Introducing the dramatic reading

2012 Hunger Games co-victor

Current high school students - we call them our All In! Alumni - and a handful of 8th graders and future three-peats performed a dramatic recital of the introduction to the book.


Three Student Council representatives asked their adviser if they could write poems to present at the assembly.  We didn't see or hear the poems before they were read to a crowd of 500 plus.  These young ladies handled themselves with such poise! 

White Cliffs and three words

The assembly ended with a slideshow of a Community Service Club project - my three words - accompanied by an 8th grade future three-peat singing The White Cliffs of Dover.  The Crazy Reading Ladies, having held their emotions in check for an almost unheard of 60 minutes, may have cracked just a bit as she sang.

When the Milford Daily News reporter's questions were answered and the auditorium was empty, Mary turned to Erin and said, "That could have been the worst assembly we've ever managed or the best.  I honestly don't know.  I was just in 'get-it-done' mode."  Judging from the comments we've received since, we've decided it belongs in the "best" category. 

And it wasn't one minute after the stage cleared before someone said, "I don't know how you're going to top this next year!" 

Well, it's not the fist time we've heard that. 

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow just you wait and see.

There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow, when the world is free.