ENGL 344 Young Adult Literature CLASS PROFILES
|
Need to be in touch with me?
LEE TORDA 310 Tillinghast Hall Bridgewater State University 508.531.2436 [email protected] www.leetorda.com |
Spring 2020 Office Hours:
I am officially on sabbatical for the Spring 2020 semester. I am not available for face-to-face meetings. On line office hours are available to exclusively to students in my ENGL 344-W01. If you need immediate help, please contact the English Department @ 508.531.1258 ONLINE office hours for ENGL 344-W01: Monday 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Wednesday 7:00-8:30 PM Sunday 11:00 to Noon (when major assignments are due ONLY) |
|
Megan Shaughnessy
I'm a senior at Bridgewater State who is very excited about this course. Bridgewater is my third school! Last semester was my first semester here, having come from Westfield State University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The experiences I've had throughout all of these universities have been so meaningful and I hope to bring them into my future classroom. While leaving Hawaii was not something I wanted to do, my program was ending along with the semester coming to a close, and I could no longer afford the island life. I am happy to be back in my hometown of Bridgewater, saving money and finishing my education. I chose to transfer to BSU because I have heard such good things about the education program and have heard many success stories coming from BSU. I am glad I am here now, but I am also grateful for the opportunities and experiences I had while attending Westfield and Hawaii. I have not been a student at BSU too long, so my background is a bit different in terms of courses and programs that I have been in. My history from my prior universities is full of Education and English courses, along with many observation hours. Aside from pursuing my English-Education degree, I love staying active and exploring new things/places. I've worked with kids my whole life. I love the learning process and the meaning behind it, but I mostly love the look of success/accomplishment that children work for. I have watched kids my whole life, along with becoming a certified paraprofessional for a summer position in Hull. However, becoming a teacher is something I knew I wanted to do since I was in elementary school and received my first "Ms. Shaughnessy" teaching box from my mom. So for me, I am taking this course because it is a step towards earning my teaching degree and knowledge I can take with me in becoming the best High School English teacher I can be. I am looking forward to learning from all of you and being a part of this course. |
|
Jessice Rinker
My Literature Love Life 
I am in love with books.
My mom first introduced us. While my dad was working overtime at Truck Light, the local factory in my hometown in Pennsylvania, Mom and I walked to the magical Jersey Shore Public Library. We held each other’s hands on our way there. We held our books on our way back. The library might have been my first date with books, but it wasn’t my last. I spent my weekends lying on the floor of my parent’s room, becoming acquainted with their personal bookshelves. My dad’s books were often not my type, but my mother’s books were as beautiful as the women on the covers: Jane Eyre, Little Women, The Little Princess, the Secret Garden. The stories presented me with young women who bravely persevered through loss and loneliness, poverty and pain. They inspired me. As a sassy yet sensitive child, I was captivated by these girls who were smart, spunky, and strong… and gentle, graceful, and good. How do you manage that, ladies? When I reached middle school, my long-term relationship with nineteenth century literature hit a rocky patch. It was like going off to honeymoon in a beautiful paradise, then returning to the more practical side of marriage in an ugly reality. I realized jumping rope against a garden wall and playing with porcelain dolls isn’t how preteens play. As my friends decided they wanted to try things I wasn’t ready for, I lingered behind. I clung to my mom and I clung to my books. If I was just gentle, graceful, and good, it would all be alright. I often adopted all the submissive qualities of nineteenth century heroines, forgetting their smarts, their spunk, and their strength. My mom, beginning to worry over me, gave me some heart-breaking advice in high school. She recommended I tell books that I needed some space. I needed to take a break, see someone else for a little while, maybe a real person. How vile! Then I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I met this introverted, anxious, book-obsessed female protagonist—a twenty-first century girl—who learned to how to navigate the beauty and messiness of real life and love. She wasn’t what you’d call a bad-ass heroine, but she did learn how to stand up for herself. She learned how to appreciate life, not fear it. I realized I could do the same. Although many books have shaped me throughout my life, I often think of Fangirl as the most life changing. I needed a book to teach me that I needed more than books. The irony is not lost on me. Fiction is a beautiful place, but we can’t stay there forever. We merely pass through the realm of fiction to reach one another. Our relationship with books means little unless we allow it to build relationships with our fellow human beings. | ||
|
Nicole Zaccardi
My name is Nicole Zaccardi and I am junior. I am in the school chorus and am an English major with a minor in Art History. Growing up I spent a lot of time in the public libraries YA section, so I am looking forward to this class and the discussions we are going to have about the dynamic of Young Adult literature. I signed up for this class because it fills one of my major requirements for a level 300 English class, as well as the class looking like a fun course to enroll in. I have taken a few online classes before, and they are convenient for my schedule and I find them to be very interactive and rewarding. I am excited to start this semester off with this class and virtually meet everyone in it! This is me and my sister, respectively. |
|
Olivia Sweeney
I am currently a junior here at Bridgewater State University. I am a double major in both secondary education and English and aspire to one day be a middle school English teacher. When I am not in class, I am busy practicing, as I am a member of the Women’s Tennis team here at BSU. I also work after school at my local city’s after-school extended daycare program working with elementary and middle school students, and I absolutely love it. It is so rewarding working with these kids, as I also learn a lot from them and truly look forward to going there each day. My biggest passions in life are my two golden retrievers Riley and Belle, my friends and family, and being active and playing sports. I am commuting from home this semester, but up until last semester, I have always lived on campus. It was just a lot easier this semester to commute from home with my job and class schedule, and plus, it is always nice to have the comfort of your own home! I am taking this class as it is simply a requirement for my double major. I was also excited when I saw that Gossip Girl was on the book list for this semester as it has always been one of my favorite shows that I recently started rewatching again over winter break. I am really looking forward to seeing what this class has to offer! |
|
Gabrielle Boutin
My name is Gabrielle but everyone calls me Gabby. I am in the dual licensure program (elementary education and special education) and an english major. I am in my last semester before entering the block and student teaching. I am 23 years old and live in Middleboro, Massachusetts. I am a preschool teacher at my local YMCA and really love working with children. However, I also love to get away from the classroom once in awhile and travel. I haven't been to many places, but I plan to. I am taking my first trip out of the country on spring break, and I am so excited! I am going with a couple of my siblings (I have 4 siblings total) and we are going to Jamaica. I graduated high school in 2015 and went to Massasoit Community College from there. I played basketball and softball while I was there and graduated with my Associate’s degree in 2017. From there, I transferred to Bridgewater. I have always been a nerd and loved going to school. I love to read and discuss literature. I chose to take your Young Adult Literature course for a couple of reasons. One of them being the fact that I love to read, especially young adult lit. Reading is one of my favorite things to do. Another reason being that I needed a 300 level english elective. Another reason is because I wanted to take all online courses this semester (I only needed 2 more courses) so that I could work full-time. I look forward to reading together! |
|
Justin Carpender
My name is Justin Carpender and I am currently a sophomore here at BSU. I am double majoring in Math and English, and I am planning to pick up a minor in statistics. As I do not have a secondary education major this class is not a requirement, but it does go towards an elective for my English major. Truth be told, I am taking this class because it just sounds incredible. I used to read an immense amount of young adult literature when I was in middle school, but I have not read any since. It was always a guilty pleasure of mine! So, I am taking this course primarily as an excuse to read more young adult literature. Also, this is my first semester taking an online class. I took a few in high school, but not in college, so I am excited to give this a try! You mentioned to bring up other young adult books that are not read this semester, and I would recommend Simon VS. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Truthfully, I have started this book and have not finished it, but as a gay guy I remember being in middle school trying to consume any and all kinds of LGBTQ+ media, and not knowing what books were out there. I am going to read this book regardless of this class, but I know it is very popular because of the subject matter it tackles. Additionally, my favorite young adult books were the Gone series by Michael Grant. I just thought they were really interesting because the books were incredibly dark. From fifth going into sixth grade my school had them on the summer reading options as challenge books, and the books were still releasing at that point. My school, however, had to remove this series as an option because they were deemed far too dark as the series got farther in. I loved them though and I think those books are part of the reason I got into horror novels later on in my school career. Hopefully this introduction is enough to give you a small sense into who I am! I am looking forward to this semester. |
|
Ethan Child
When Red Squiggles Become Carousel Horses: My First Reading of The Catcher in the Rye By the time I entered high school, I already hated reading. My hatred for reading stemmed from my hatred for school, which, in middle school, seemed to have no point or purpose. High school would be when school got real. In high school, I thought, you read real books. Gone are the textbooks full of excerpts from great literature. In high school, you read the real thing. Because my older siblings had already gone through the classes I would be taking my freshman year, I knew what was awaiting me in these classes. I was most excited for one thing: reading The Catcher in the Rye in English. Even though I had no idea what it was about, I knew of its status as a controversial classic. It was a banned book. It was the Bible for teenage rebels and hipsters. I remember seeing its cover, with its red squiggles and yellow typeface, in my older siblings’ backpacks and thinking how edgy, hip, and dangerous it looked. It was the book that made that guy kill John Lennon. Hardcore stuff. When I went to my English class on the first day of school, my heart sank. My siblings’ freshman English teacher had retired, and with her went Catcher from the reading list. My visions of reading “real” books were crushed. We read stories from a textbook, just like middle school. My disappointment made me resent my teacher and his class, which caused me to overlook the greatness of Fahrenheit 451, Romeo and Juliet, and the poetry of Langston Hughes. All I wanted was Catcher. I don’t know why, but it didn’t occur to me until the summer after my freshman year of high school that I was capable of reading the book of my own will. I had access to it; I knew where it sat on a shelf in my sister’s room. One day, I just started reading it. I was instantly hooked. Catcher was the first book I ever read that captured the anger and the angst that I felt. Yet, by the end of the book, I was left conflicted. The book did not validate my feelings like I thought it would. It did not mark a transition into “real” reading or into my adulthood like I thought it would. There was no catharsis; I was left feeling just as much confusion and angst as before. It wasn’t until I finished the book and closed it that I actually bothered to recognize what the menacing red squiggles on the cover were: a carousel horse. I thought, “Why is this the most important image from the book?” I realized that, with their constant spinning, carousels embody the repetitive cycles I felt my life moving through. My progression toward adulthood was not the upward slope of a rollercoaster like I thought it would be; it was a constant spin around a carousel. Real change would only come from my own perception, like recognizing red squiggles as carousel horses. |
|
Shauna Ridley
To start with the basics I’m from a small town called Ashburnham. I’m a HUGE cat person and have two back at home. Whenever I get gifts from people it usually has to do with cats, and I’m pretty sure I have at least five cat mugs lol. I’ve done gymnastics and cheerleading my whole life until college and now I just like to run (which is weird because who actually enjoys running?). I’m a very independent person and love to do things my way but I’ve been going with the flow, trying new experiences, and loving it! I’m a very hard worker and am probably too hard on myself 9/10 times but for fun I’m usually outside kayaking, hiking, ziplining, swimming etc. if I have some time to spare. I currently have two jobs while in school working nights as a waitress at Chili’s and mornings at a before school program at Mitchell Elementary School. Along with that I’m a sister of Alpha Sigma Tau on campus and just finished my term as the Vice President. I will be going alum after this semester so I can spend my time on the block and student teaching. My dream is to visit Spain, but I’m going to settle for Ecuador and hopefully do some student teaching there. Not sure if this is what you’re looking for but that’s the basics about me. I’m taking this class because I need to fulfill a requirement for a 300 level BUT I did choose this class because it pertains to my elementary education major and I know I can learn a lot from it. I hope to learn some helpful things pertaining to teaching because I believe knowledge is power and will be a great teacher someday. |
|
Gabrielle Sleeper
My name is Gabby, and I am excited to be taking young adult literature! I am a junior with a double major in English and secondary education and a minor in African American studies. For me, this course is a requirement, but it is also one that I have been looking forward to taking. I’ve previously taken a children’s literature course, and it is was really fun to dissect more light-hearted works. It is always fun to see the messages and themes that are contained within books that are directed at younger audiences. Additionally, I read quite a bit of young adult literature, and the books you’ve chosen seem interesting, and I am especially excited to see how one goes about analyzing a graphic novel! In my personal time, I tend to gravitate toward books of the fantasy/supernatural variety, but my favorite thing about being an English major is being introduced to novels that I would never pick up on my own yet end up falling in love with. The last book I read was Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young. It’s about an all-girls academy that holds their students to impossibly high standards and has some dark secrets. If you are looking for something to read, I would definitely recommend it. Outside of reading, I love being around animals On the weekends, I spend my time at a barn, where I help take care of horses (Frits, Gus, Cash, and Crackers), goats (Lilly and Tarzan), and chickens. I have a particular affinity toward the goats and am known as the goat whisperer around the barn. I also have a Saint Bernard named Charlie and two guinea pigs named Peach and Daisy. That's me with Frits in the picture. |
|
Jailyn Tavares
I am currently a junior here a Bridgewater State University and majoring in Early Childhood Education and English. Becoming a teacher has been a goal of mine since I was a child. I would always pretend to be a teacher in my playroom and ask my elementary school teachers if I could have some of their supplies or old books to use for when I would imaginative play. It seems surreal that I am finally on the path to achieving this goal and am only two semesters away from the block and student teaching. I will officially be done in the fall of 2021, and I am excited to become a teacher and be able to use my skills from being an English major. I originally was not excited to be an English major, but I have become an extremely stronger reader and writer because of it and now love it. I am taking this class for two reasons: to complete one of my 300 English major electives and because this class truly intrigued me. Throughout the past few semesters in the English major, I find myself constantly reading a typical marriage plot novel and reading novels in the Victorian period and later centuries. While picking classes I found that this class would not be one of those cases. I was very interested in taking a class that offered novels that would fit my style and interests better. I am hoping that this will help me become more motivated to read daily for the class instead of having to force myself to read a novel that I really have to wrap my head around and understand. I am very looking forward to the semester. Here a picture of me during my recent trip to the island of Madeira, Portugal for New Year’s during winter break! |
|
Becky Tynan
I decided to take this class for a few reasons. One is that it is a requirement. I also want to take this class because I believe there is value in the books that are written specifically for this “age group”. We all go through adolescence (and recently that is being redefined) and then all of a sudden the literature doesn't matter once you grow up? Like you can only read Vonnegut and the classics once you turn a specific age? If you've ever re-read books that you had to read in school at a younger age, there is so much more you can get out of it once you’re no longer being forced to read it. You can acknowledge that you have grown and maybe you're older and wiser, and that can enable you to pick more things of value out of the text now. I am excited that this class will give me the opportunity to read and talk about texts simply just because I am an English major and I love to read. Along with reading, I love to play lacrosse and I am on the team here at BSU. The difference from last semester is that we are now in season for lacrosse and I have practice, film, lift, a game, a meeting, something lacrosse related pretty much every day of the week. Sometimes we get Sundays off. So this semester is more disciplined for me. I am also planning on doing my departmental honors contract this semester with Dr. Schieble in her Modern and Contemporary Irish Literature class. I am really proud of my Irish heritage and love my late grandpa who was also really proud of his roots. I have been reading some of his books I inherited about Ireland. Both my mother and father loved to read. They read to me, and have supported my habit as a book junkie my entire existence as well. So you could say a love reading runs in the family. Also: I love my dog, Isaac, he’s a border collie. I am traveling to Puerto Rico with my lacrosse team for spring break, and it will be my first time outside of the continental USA. Since I’m a Spanish minor I am especially excited to go to a Spanish speaking country. I’m the only one who speaks even a little Spanish on the team so hopefully I’ll get to have good practice. Also, I recently dyed my hair a little pink. |
|
Caroline Keenan
I am a senior here at Bridgewater but will be doing an extra year because my credits got all messed up when transferring. I did my first two years of college at Westfield State when I decided that I wanted to transfer home to be able to work. I commute to Bridgewater from Quincy, MA. I am an elementary education major and English major. The reason why I am taking this course is because I need another 300 level elective within my English major. I thought it would be cool to switch things up and take a young adult literature course. This semester I am only taking one Education class and four English classes, I will also have to take two English classes over the summer so I can do the education block in the fall. When not in class I am probably working, I am an in building substitute at an elementary school in Quincy on Monday’s and Friday’s. I also work for the company care.com as a part of their back up care team. Some peoples work provides them with the benefit of back up care in case they need a sitter or their child is sick, so when they are in need they put in a request to care at work and then they contact one of the backup care team caregivers. It is pretty interesting because I go to random peoples houses but it is cool because I have gotten to know many different kids and have gotten views on many different personalities. One thing I want to do before the winters over is learn how to ski so I am determined to make some time to take some ski lessons. |
|
Molly Drain
An Eye Opener Growing up I remember visiting book stores here and there with my mom after we shared conversation over breakfast. The simple aroma of pancakes to this day makes me think of her and our talks. But even with our exploring of bookstores here and there, since she claimed she loved to read but really only enjoyed the aesthetic of books, I never really took the time to open a book and dive in. I blame myself for this as I always seemed to prioritize everything else before reading. Which looking back now, I regret and see as my inner self neglecting what I needed: a world outside of my own. I had never focused any importance on reading, as it wasn’t encouraged or brought up in my everyday life. My brother had enjoyed comic books here and there and my Dad enjoyed a good car magazine. However, no one pushed the idea that reading could be enjoyable so I just believed it wasn't. Around my sophomore year of high school, I became interested in reading for fun, which turned into a love for literature. However, there was a theme in the type of literature I was reading, or as I should say was exposed to. I only ever gave time or credit to authors who were from North America or Europe. I had read the Harry Potter series, I had jumped into Lord of the Rings but I never ventured out of that type of literature. Then college hit. Like a brick. And with it all this new and exciting literature was thrown at me, but still it lacked a variety in authorship. I took it upon myself to take a class strictly about African American Literature and it changed my point of view. If Beale Street Could Talk, by James Baldwin OPENED my eyes. Not only was this text rich with drama, it was also in the female perspective and written by a male author. I had never seen this before. The characters came alive as I read. I felt the hardship and the tears as Tish told her story and remember feeling that gut-wrenching feeling every time she went through a hardship. I felt like I was there, but at the same time a world away. The novel took me through heartbreak and showed me what it was like to be dedicated to someone even when they are being tested from all sides. Tish’s story was about fighting not only for what was right but for her family and for her love. The text exposed me to a level of disappointment I hadn’t felt before as it exposed the horrors of the American justice system and how it fails its citizens. This story, unlike others that I had the privilege to read, left me wanting more. Even though our lives could not have been more different, it made me think that maybe I could write a story like that someday. Maybe just maybe I could. |
|
Savannah Resendes
I am a junior here at Bridgewater State University double majoring in Early Childhood Education and English. I am taking this course because I need one more English elective, but also because I find Young Adult Literature to be quite enjoyable. I also prefer online classes since I have a very busy schedule during the week and figured this would be my best option. I hope to one day teach kindergarten in schools and have a classroom of my very own. I want to make a difference in children’s lives and set them up for success in life and give them the proper life skills they need, such as responsibility and kindness. Now that all the academic information about me is written, here are some fun facts about me. I am Portuguese and very proud of it! Most of my family resides in the beautiful Azores Islands so every few years I go to visit them. I can also speak Portuguese fluently. Whenever I am not doing academic work, I am usually rock climbing. I have been climbing for about two years now and I absolutely love everything about it. It is a physical and mental challenge that shuts out all other distractions and allows you to focus on the puzzle in front of you. I have met many great people through climbing and will definitely be continuing this for as long as I possibly can. I am looking forward to a great semester with everyone! |
|
Natasha Cardin
A New Generation of Readers I am going to tackle this a little differently because as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found it difficult to reflect back on things and not look at how they relate to my children. Growing up, I was always a reader. I would head to bed and pick up a book to get in a few pages before bed. I would go to the library and check out stacks of books to take with me on vacation. Every summer my family would go to a cabin on a lake in Maine that my aunt owns. Before our trip, my mom would bring me to the library where I would come home with a stack of books that I wanted to pack. In Maine, there is a big hammock hanging right on the edge of the lake, it’s a beautiful spot to lay back and relax, and that’s where you would find me for most of the trip. Laying in the hammock reading my books. Flash-forward, many years later, I had my eldest daughter. Being a lover of books myself, I made sure to always have board books around for her to look at, and it wasn’t long until she became interested in them. I remember her crawling over to me with the Llama Llama Red Pajamas book and she would sit on my lap and I would read it to her. The book is really very cute, a young Llama and his parents going through their bedtime routine. I would read it over, and over, and over; so much that I didn’t even need the book to read it anymore. Her love for this book encouraged me to go and find other versions of the Llama Llama stories and I would read those to her too. Eventually, she outgrew Llama, Llama, but she has not outgrown her love of stories. She’s seven now and she reads all the time. A couple of years ago she went to my aunts’ cabin in Maine with my mom. She asked me if she could pack some books with her to bring on the trip and so we took a trip to the library, she chose her books and packed them in her suitcase. One day my mom sent me a photo of Kallie in the same hammock, book in hand. As it turns out, Kallie spent a lot of her time in Maine laying in that hammock, relaxing and reading books. I felt a sense of gratification in her discovering and appreciating my special reading space. Unfortunately, I can’t remember a specific book that made an impact on me, but I know that my love for books and reading has impacted my life. And I am so grateful that it has been passed down to my daughter. Now I read Llama Llama Red Pajama to my younger children and hope that they too develop a love for reading. |
|
Lauren Melchionda
I am a senior here at BSU. I am a double major in ELED and English, and I am currently trying (struggling) to pass my MTELs before August so I can get in to the block next fall! I substitute teach at the elementary school I use to go to, which is really funny and also great because I get to work with the teachers who use to teach me when i as little. The reason I am taking this class is because it is one of the last English requirements that I need to take in order to finish all my classes. The reason I am taking it online is because I work three days a week and go to school two days a week, so an online class just makes being able to work much easier. I live in an apartment with two of my best friends in Bridgewater, and the three of us are seniors as well. Over the summer, I am a supervisor at a summer camp in the town that I live in, Bourne MA. I have been there for about 4 years now and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I use to go to Merrimack College, and the summer going into sophomore year, I started working at the camp. That was when I realized that I really wanted to work with kids for the rest of my life, so I switched schools and transferred to BSU! |
|
Hannah Brodeur
I am currently a senior at BSU. I am majoring in both English and Secondary Education as well as a minor in Psychology. I have always loved teaching and helping students. As a young girl I struggled tremendously in school and I always felt that no one understood me. Therefore, I have always wanted to be a teacher, so I could help all students no matter what their learning process maybe. I love animals, I have two dogs and a cat. It is always great to come home to them every day. I also love to watch documentaries, whether they might be about animals and nature or serial killers. I love the beach and swimming, it has always been my favorite part about summer. I have lived in Westport, Massachusetts for most of my life. I have two younger brothers and an older sister. Recently my older sister just had a baby, so I am now an Aunty and I love it. I have worked at Buffalo Wild Wings for a little over five years now. I started there as a host when I was 16. Since then I have worked in the kitchen and for the past three years, I have been a server. However, since the fall semester of this year I have also been working in the Writing Studio at BSU. This past semester I worked as a writing fellow, so I was able to work with the same group of students all semester and it was great to see them grow as students and writers. Therefore, I have really enjoyed my time there. Lastly, I am taking this class for a number of different reasons. The first being it is a requirement for my major. However, the second being that it will directly help me create teaching techniques when presenting different books to my students. This is something I have not spent too much time on thus far in my time at BSU so I’m excited to learn about this genre. |
|
Maddie Butkus
I am a junior here at BSU. I double major in English and Secondary Education which I am absolutely loving! A little bit about me, I graduated from Bishop Feehan High School back in 2017 where I was captain of the girl’s tennis team. I have played tennis all my life and even played here for BSU up until this past year when life unexpectedly changed for me. I lost my Mom a couple of months ago and my dog a couple of weeks ago so 2019 has been rough but I am hopeful for a great 2020 filled with great opportunities and growth. Furthermore, I love spending time with family and friends, staying active, and going to Disney World! I take great pride in my school work and really try to excel in my majors. I find myself to be a hardworking girl who pushes through challenges but I also love to joke around and have a fun time! The reason I took this class is because it fulfills my elective in young adult literature for my English major and because I think this type of literature is very interesting! My sophomore year I took ENGL 269 Victorian/Edward Child Literature and I thoroughly enjoyed the class so I am looking to expand my knowledge in children/young adult literature for my future teaching career! I am excited for the semester ahead to learn more about my future career so I can become the best English teacher that I can be! |
|
Samantha Colon
It Was Everything
I had a problem. I dreaded reading for a long time and was very hesitant to start most of my high school reading assignments. In my head, reading was such a beautiful thing but the whole process of actually taking the time to do it and understand it seemed dreadful especially since I wasn’t the fastest reader. Some how though, my friend convinced me to join our schools book club. It was the first Tuesday of the meeting and we were given the book Go Ask Alice. I remember sitting there planning out when and if I was going to go through with this. I couldn’t even manage my regularly assigned reading materials and didn’t know how I would get through this one just “for fun” That night, I flipped through the pages for a while just staring at the book. The book was small, black, and what I found concerning that I didn’t notice before was that the book had no author. Instead, the book was written by anonymous. I remember asking myself well why would they be anonymous? What were they hiding? And even though this is fiction did this story hold some truth? Curious, and afraid of embarrassing myself at the meeting for being behind I decided to get started.
There was only a few hours left as I laid on my bed turning through the pages hoping I could get myself to read. I turned, I flipped, I did anything possible with those pages except actually reading them. I remember flipping through the stories a second time and I noticed this was written in diary format. And before I knew it, I was already ten pages in and had to jump off my high bed to turn the light on because it had gotten so dark. Originally, I was afraid, of not being able to get through it but I was wrong. Every word, scene, and the symbolism was easily understood. I flipped through each entry and began to read more and more. By 1am, I experienced and devoured the narrators struggles and journey through her young life. In this moment all these entries, these experiences, gave me the confidence I needed. Not only did this get me interested in reading but it got rid of my fear or dread for reading and introduced me to a new piece of writing. This served as a guide to me for what makes a good piece of writing and gave me the ability to identify what intrigues me as a reader and was able to pick up others that interested me as well. From the drug addiction, running away, and coming of age, each experience was different and each was equally entertaining and raw. With that in mind, this gave me hope that I can read or maybe even write something like this one day. The stories, the realness, the symbolism, all together it was everything I needed and everything I never knew I wanted. | ||
|
Nicole Costa
Spring 2020 marks my third year at BSU, as I transferred from Quincy College three years ago. Even though my degree works states that I am a senior, I feel like I have a century left before I graduate. I am an Elementary Education and English double major here at BSU, and I also have an Associate degree in Business Management. As I approach my 30th birthday this year, I realize that all my 20's I have been a student. My life has been somewhat unorthodox, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I had my daughter when I was 17 years old and I’ve devoted my life to beating the stigma associated with teenage pregnancy. After I received my Business Management degree, I knew that education, not business, was where my passion belonged. So, I began my long journey to where I am today. Between full-time school, work, and motherhood, I’m always busy. My main goal in life is to provide my daughter with good examples of what hard work looks like and what you can achieve with that quality. Other than school and my daughter, my hobbies include reading, writing poetry and adventures.During my time here at BSU, I’ve taken some amazing English courses. In light of that and preparing for my MTELS, I began to wonder why I really wanted to teach elementary when all of my enthusiasm resides with literature. I decided to take this course on YA literature to learn about novels that might be incorporated into High School curriculum. Recently, I’ve been conflicted on whether I want to graduate with just my BA in English or continue down the path of elementary. |
|
Olivia Leonard
I am entering my final semester of my senior year at BSU. I am majoring in English and minoring in Irish Studies. I plan to receive my master’s in education and hopefully go on to become a high school English teacher. I originally was an Elementary Education major and while I love the little ones, I had a difficult time not spending the majority of the day immersed in literature. I took the spring semester of 2018 off to do an internship in Walt Disney World. While there I worked as a “Fairy Godmother in Training” and transformed little girls (and boys) ages 3-12 into princesses. It was a wonderful experience and I am grateful for the things I learned from the company as well as the time it gave me to figure out what I wanted to pursue when I returned to BSU. After returning home I began substituting in my school district and quickly realized I wanted to teach secondary education. When I am not on campus or subbing you can find me with my kindle in hand, trying to master a Pinterest creation, planning my next Disney adventure, or spending time with my family. I am working to complete my minor this semester however, this course struck me as interesting so I chose to take it as an elective. I often find myself gravitating towards YA fiction so I thought it would be fun to end my undergrad career with this class. |
|
Colby Nilsen
What I really enjoy doing is snowboarding, spending time with my family and friends, and watching/playing sports. I remember my dad and I used to be glued to the couch watching Pedro Martinez pitch 2-seam-fastballs that were impossible to hit, while the next half inning may have consisted of Manny Ramirez or Nomar coming up to bat to hit a home run. I was a huge Red Sox fan, and this opened me up to watching and playing more sports such as basketball and football. I played a lot of football and baseball up until college, but the activity that I love to do the most now is snowboarding. Being away from everything in the mountains and ingesting all of the awesome views from a mountaintop is intoxicating and seems to breathe life into me. As far as my love for reading and writing is concerned, I have always wanted to read and the worlds that I could “escape” to always fascinated me. And now that I think of it, that is what snowboarding does to me as well. However, reading was truly my first love besides baseball. I would annoy my Avo (Grandma in Portuguese) to bring me to the Taunton Library almost every other day. Since then (about 2nd grade) I always knew that I wanted to do something with reading and writing. About 15 years later and I am in my final undergraduate semester hoping to acquire an English Degree. I am not only taking this class due to its requirement for my major, but this is a class I am genuinely interested in. I have taken a Young Adult Literature course when I was at Bristol Community College, yet this seems much more demanding (in a good way). The fact that I am totally cool with reading al of these books just reinforces my will to be a teacher, and this class will be totally relevant and helpful toward this goal. |
|
Shaun Ramsay
I currently work as a Children’s Library Assistant in my town’s library system. I aspire to work as a Youth Services Librarian (children and teens) when I have acquired my Master’s degree in Library Science. I love spreading a love for libraries and all the services they offer, and creating entertaining programs for the youth in my town is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. Some fun facts about me, I bought a condo with my partner about a year ago, and we live there with my cat Mushka (the most lovable cat I’ve ever met, but I could be heavily biased). I already read a good amount of Young Adult literature for an “Adults who read YA” book club I am a part of, so I am greatly looking forward to this class. I am taking this course firstly because I have a keen interest and love for Young Adult literature, despite now being twenty-five, I find it as entertaining and touching as I did when I was a teen myself. It has been interesting to see YA literature increase so greatly in popularity and representation in my life time. Some recent favorites in Young Adult Literature would include Neal Shusterman’s Scythe, anything by Tillie Walden, but particularly her graphic memoir Spinning, and Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers & Saints duology (I am a big fan of graphic novels, juvenile, young adult, and adult). I don’t necessarily need this course for my degree (English major), but I do believe the books I read in this class will be the ones I enjoy the most during my time here at Bridgewater. |
|
Lee Torda
I'm an Associate Professor of English here at BSU. My areas of interest are composition and reading pedagogy and the history of literacy instruction, particularly first year writing, but also, literacy instruction and working class students (access). I never thought I'd end up training so many teachers, but that takes up a lot of my work here at BSU, as well as coordinating the first year writing program. I really got into YA because of two former students, Anne Smith and Briana McDonald, who wanted to work on YA lit from different angles for Adrian Tinsley Summer Grant projects (both successfully funded). Anne wanted to look at how YA could serve as "bridge texts" in the secondary education classroom; and Brianna was at work on a YA novel. Happy to say Anne is happily teaching 9th graders on the Cape, and Brianna just recently published her first YA novel after completing her MFA. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for expanding my YA interest and knowledge. In my free time I like to clean, read, run, but mostly walk around my neighborhood in Jamaica Plain, where I live with my husband and four cats. This is pic of me and my sister and nephews from our summer vacation, which we take yearly, down in Hannah Brodeur's hometown of Westport. I'm originally from Cleveland, OH (Yeah. Make fun of the Browns. See how far that gets you in this class), and I love my hometown, but I also love the ocean. Looking forward to our semester together. |