Being a teacher, we are charged with helping students develop and strengthen their content knowledge, as well as providing them with new opportunities to learn and grow. In the midst of “working on skills,” one hopes that the curriculum is both engaging and rigorous – a combination which sets students up for success, both inside and outside the classroom. Luckily, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a staple in high school curricula across the country, provides such opportunities.
Students at DHS examined the novel, keeping in mind the essential question, “How do we navigate through social injustice?” Upon concluding their reading of To Kill a Mockingbird, students spent time reflecting on the novel’s themes, implications, and powerful messages.
Here is one student’s reflection:
Just as Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” I cannot believe the book’s over.
It was really a life-changing book in just about every single aspect possible. I learned so much about history, and within the time that I completed the first protocol to now, I witnessed a lot of internal growth. The ending was more than everything I could’ve imagined. Somehow I thought I’d feel unhappy, yet after page 374… I felt content. I would no doubt follow up again, and I’ve already gotten my mother interested. (She’s picking up a copy of her own). Whenever my younger sister saw the book lying in my room, she’d quickly pick it up and say she’d heard so much about the adventures of Atticus Finch; and every time she’d curiously flip through the pages, I’d jump, hoping I could pry the book from her hands before she saw anything alarming. But, I would want her to read, as well as understand the crucial themes from the book at such a young age. Understanding these concepts would help her blossom into a more open-minded person. I just don’t know how to go about regarding the censoring. I think that’s a part of To Kill a Mockingbird though, as ironic as it sounds. The community was so caught up in painting this artificial picture for their children that they forgot how to nurture them with the most important tool of all. Education. That’s it. Atticus, a man who was patient and educated, bred a future for his own kids filled with the same fate as his own by valuing both the truth, and education. He gifted them with the best gift of all. They gained the upper-hand on any child in their area.
All the characters developed realistically, and just the way I’d initially envisioned them to. Through all the surprises, and moments that caught me completely off-guard, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I truly hope that this book will never be banned simply because of a few choice words. Every 10th grader needs to understand the magnitude of Harper Lee’s various messages. I think that they really do hold the ability to shape the world today, as well as the future. There is no better way to convey a message than through a book, and this piece of literature truly proved that to me, time and time again. I cannot wait to open To Kill a Mockingbird back up again in five years and know that, this time around, we were the generation that tackled the themes presented to us.
Thank you L. Alsalman (HLA4 – 3rd hour) for sharing your reflection with us.
Be First to Comment