Scarred

Thursday night I sat down to begin reading Scars by Cheryl Rainfield and wound up finishing the 247 page book in one sitting.  It is a powerful and disturbing story about a young girl who cuts herself in order to cope with the pain of sexual abuse that began when she was only two years old and lasted until she was 12.  Kendra has managed to block out the face of her abuser in her mind for all of this time, but is starting to remember more and more of the abuse that ended just three years before.  She is a talented artist, and her artwork is beginning to expose her inner anguish.  She has also begun seeing a therapist to help her cope with the painful memories that are slowly creeping their way back into her mind.  To make matters worse, she is being followed by someone, and she suspects it is her abuser.  The graphic descriptions of the act of cutting and the infected wounds that it has caused are horrifying.  Kendra has managed to keep this act a secret from her therapist and everyone else in her life, but eventually confides in her trusted therapist.  Revealing her secret leads to a rollercoaster of events which ultimately unlocks the mystery of who her attacker is and helps her find closure. 

Kendra is a strong character towards whom I felt both compassion and admiration at different points in the story.  Her weak and apathetic mother is probably the least likeable character, well, that is except for the actual abuser, once he is exposed for who he really is.  He is a monster. 

There was a romantic element to the novel as well.  Kendra, who has known that she has been attracted to girls for some time, falls for the brave and beautiful Meghan.  Meghan, who was once a promiscuous party girl, feels the same way and provides strength and support for Kendra.  It is this relationship that I feel is the least realistic aspect of the story, and also sends a little bit of a troublesome message to young girls, in my opinion.  I am not referring to the fact that it is a lesbian relationship.  I thought that it was great that a book can have such a relatable and likeable protagonist who also just so happens to be a lesbian.  I just thought that the idea that a supermodel look-alike (Meghan) who has slept with half the boys in school would change her ways so suddenly and be so loyally devoted to Kendra was a bit unrealistic.  I also worried about Kendra relying so heavily on Meghan for emotional support and what would happen to such a fragile young woman if that relationship were to go wrong.  Teenage relationships are not typically the most stable.  I know many young women who seem to place so much of their self-worth upon their relationship status, I would have just preferred to have seen a heroine who could stand strong on her own and did not depend upon a girlfriend or a boyfriend. 

Either way, the book tells an important story that I would recommend to anyone, especially those of us who teach middle or high school and need to be aware of the warning signs of someone who has suffered from abuse.

A Peculiar Story

I just finished reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  It was a fantasy-adventure novel that was like nothing else that I have read recently.  It tells the story of a teenage boy who lives with his wealthy family in Englewood, Florida (right up the road from us!).  But Jacob doesn't stay in Englewood for long.  His grandfather (with whom Jacob shared a special bond) passes away, and his mysterious death leads Jacob to travel to the deserted island in Great Britain where his grandfather spent most of his childhood.  I definitely wasn't expecting Jacob to find what he found on that island; it turns out to be just as magical of a place as his grandfather had always described.  The new friends he meets there help him to realize that he can be just as brave of a hero as his grandfather had been.  The book's ending leaves me expecting a sequel, or possibly a whole series, to follow, because Jacob's adventures were obviously just beginning.

Since the ending does leave the reader wondering about the possibilities of what could happen next, I think this book would lend itself well to a creative writing assignment in which students continue Jacob's adventures.  It is difficult not to contemplate where this story could go. 

The story is illustrated with some very interesting old black and white photographs, which the author reveals at the end are all real photographs he found from collectors.  Many of them would serve as excellent writing prompts as well.

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite young adult novels to share with my 12th grade students:  Deadline by Chris Crutcher.  This is the story of a teenager named Ben Wolf who finds out right before the start of his senior year that he has leukemia and only has one year to live.  He decides that instead of feeling sorry for himself he is going to make the most of the time he has left.  He joins the varsity football team (even though he is one of the smallest seniors in school) and becomes the star player, chases after (and gets) the hottest girl in school, and stands up to his least favorite teacher.  Even though the premise sounds a bit depressing, Ben is clever and witty and the book has many funny moments.  Its message is to make the most of every moment and to never say that you can't do something.  My reluctant readers really enjoy the story.  They find the narrator funny and relatable.  They also appreciate the message, "Y.O.L.O!" as they would say.  :)

The Glass Castle

I picked this book up on Saturday and could barely put it down all weekend.  Jeannette Walls is a successful journalist living in New York City today, but her memoir tells of a very difficult childhood.  Her father was very intelligent, but not very interested in working.  His beliefs were very anti-establishment and he refused to sacrifice his pride or his freedom to conform to an employer.  He also suffered from a bit of a “drinking situation” as their mother would say.  Their mother was an artist who was so impractical that she couldn’t see the value in preparing a meal for her four children.  Despite her lack of nurturing instincts, I could tell that there was genuine love between the family members.  When Jeannette was young the family moved frequently, and each new place represented hope for a better life.  Sadly they were usually homeless.  Eventually they moved back to the remote West Virginia town where their father was raised.  At this point the hope of moving to a better place disappeared, until Jeannette was a teenager and found her own way out. 

Even though Walls never condemns her parents’ choices, I personally became very frustrated with them as I read.  I do think that many of my students who come from dysfunctional or broken families will be able to relate to this story and will benefit from the message of hope and personal strength that it conveys.

A quick read that will stay with me for a long time

I finished Sold, by Patricia McCormick, in two sittings.  It is a 250 page book, but is written in free verse that does not fill many of the pages, so it is much shorter than you would expect.  Nonetheless, it will not be a book that I soon forget.  It was a powerful story about a thirteen year old girl from Nepal who is sold into prostitution by her stepfather.

Lakshmi's family is very poor (mostly due to the stepfather's laziness) and after a particularly difficult season in which all of their crops failed, her father tells her he has found her a job as a maid in India. Naive, sweet Lakshmi believes him and is excited about being able to work and send money back to her struggling mother and siblings, although she is sad to have to leave home. She is eventually brought to Calcutta and exposed to the horrors of the brothel. At first she refuses to perform the duties that the madam expects of her, but is eventually beaten and starved into submission. Lakshmi, who came from such an isolated village that she had never sipped a Coca-Cola before or seen a television, is quickly initiated into life inside the brothel. The girls are told of horrible punishments that are inflicted upon anyone who attempts to escape the brothel, and one who actually manages to buy her freedom is shunned by her family when she tries to return home. The cruelness of the madam and the hopelessness of the girls in the brothel is disturbing, but I never really gave up hope for Lakshmi.  Good does eventually triumph over evil in this story, but I can't stop thinking about the reality of this type of horror that is taking place in so many countries around the world right now.  Helping children escape lives of prostitution is a cause that I would love to contribute to, and I bet my students would too.

One down, eleven to go!

So I finished Beautiful Creatures last night.  I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it had some unexpected twists.  I was a bit disappointed that more questions were not answered, but I guess that is because the authors want me to rush out and buy the next book.  Normally I would, but I have quite a list of other books to get through first.  I'm beginning Sold by Patricia McCormick tonight. 

Happy reading!!!

Beautiful Creatures

I am currently reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  I chose this book because the years I lived in the South have made me somewhat partial to stories that take place there, and I enjoy a little bit of the supernatural thrown in with a my romance.  The main character, Ethan, is irresistibly drawn to the mysterious new girl in their school in a small South Carolina town.  It turns out their strange connection has to do with two of their ancestors who had fallen in love during the Civil War.  Their romance ended tragically, and Ethan and Lena are somehow experiencing visions of how this tragedy unfolded.  Lena, it turns out, comes from a long line of Casters (as in spell-casters).  She is tormented by fears of what is to come on her 16th birthday - when her fate will be decided for her.  That is the day that she will be chosen by the darkside or the light - she has no control over which side claims her. 

That is as far as I have read so far, but I hope to finish it today.  Since I downloaded the book on my android, I didn't realize it was over 500 pages until I was halfway through!  Oh well, it is a great read so far!



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Mini-Autobiography

The Basics

My Name is April Etzold - soon to be April Ring after my wedding next summer.  I have lived in Fort Myers for about 10 years, so I now call it home.  During my childhood I lived all over the country, and in other countries.  I have lived in Colorado, Texas, California, Mississippi and Germany – that is the life of an Army “Brat”!  I cannot even begin to name all of the schools I attended as a child, but I graduated from Harrison Central High school in Gulfport, Mississippi in 1996.  I always loved English and participated in many extracurricular activities, including cheerleading and swimming.  

Next I moved to Hattiesburg to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, majoring in English Education.  I graduated in 2001 with the Latin distinction summa cum laude. I began applying for teaching positions in Florida and was soon offered a job at North Fort Myers High School.  In 2002 I packed my bags and began the journey to Southwest Florida – a part of the state that was completely unknown to me. 

Since moving to Florida I have taught intensive reading and English at every grade level in high school.   I worked at North Fort Myers High School for six years and have recently begun my fourth year at Island Coast High School in northern Cape Coral.  For the past five years I have focused primarily on teaching seniors.  I usually teach all of the same students for English and intensive reading, that way I can work with them as much as possible in both classes to improve their reading skills. 

My immediate family members consist of my parents, stepparents, two sisters and my fiancé.  All except my fiancé live in Mississippi.  My older sister is a pediatric nurse practitioner.  She is 37 years old and expecting her first child in October.  My younger sister is 17 years old and a junior in high school.  She is very creative and hopes to attend an art institute after high school.  Despite the significant age difference, both sisters are my full siblings.  My parents divorced shortly after the birth of my younger sister and have both since remarried.  My father is retired from the Army and my mother and stepfather work at a VA hospital.  My fiancé works on cell phone towers and often has to travel for work.

My Journey to Teaching

Growing up I always knew that I was interested in a profession that involved helping others.  I considered being a teacher or a nurse.  My senior year of high school I had an especially inspirational teacher for AP English who solidified my interest in becoming an English teacher.  I had never taken an AP class before and wound up earning the highest grade in class and was chosen out of everyone in my graduating class to receive the academic award for English.  This gave me the confidence I needed to go on to college and pursue a major in English.

Even though I never considered teaching reading until I was offered a position doing so, I have found my niche in teaching struggling readers.  Growing up, and even in college, I always had a love of learning, but most of my friends did not.  I understand the lack of motivation that plagues most struggling readers, and I have been fairly successful at giving apathetic students the encouragement they need to succeed. Last year 75 percent of the students who entered my reading class at the beginning of the school year were successful in passing the FCAT or receiving the concordant score on the ACT or SAT by the end of the school year. Seeing the students that I have grown to know and love walk across the stage on graduation day and knowing that I played a direct role in helping them get there is the most rewarding experience that I have ever had.  It is what motivates me to keep working hard every day for my students.

I Am Poem

I am a daughter and sister.  Even though my family lives far away, I try to maintain close contact with them.  My mother, older sister and I traveled the world together and often had to rely upon each other for support when my father was serving our country in Korea or the Middle East.  We also stuck close together whenever we moved to a new and unfamiliar place, exploring new schools, new towns, and new countries together.  My little sister came along at a very different time in my family’s life.  I was almost grown when she was born, so I have helped raise her since she was a baby and have watched her with pride as she grew into the beautiful young woman that she is today.

I am a fiancé.  After years of playing the dating game and searching for someone who I could imagine growing old with, I met him when I wasn’t even looking.  He was the bravest, most loyal and honest person I had ever met.  Together we are starting a life together and looking forward to all of the possibilities to come.

I am a student.  I began the master’s program at FGCU about a year ago, after dreaming and talking about it for years.  I have learned so many knew skills and strategies to enhance my teaching that I now approach every day in the classroom with new vigor.  My viewpoints are shifting and I am considering possibilities for my future that I never before imagined.