Missing You!

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt as though your decisions were being made by the group instead of by you? How do you feel about it? What did you learn from it? Has this already occurred at Seneca?

High School Worries

As the summer dwindles to an end, high school is around the bend. Are any of you concerned about freshman year?

Phantastic!

What exciting things have happened so far?

Grads

What an honor it was for Ms. Carr and myself to stand with you at graduation last night. We will never forget the wonderful hugs and pictures. You all looked beautiful and distinguished. We shall never forget you because you are the bookend to our great legacy. Rest assured that the final chapter has yet to be written in the Giordano/Carr adventure. Feel free to comment and leave contact information

Exit Poll

Ms. Carr and Mr. G would like you to write a post to Mr. Carroll telling him about your year in our classroom. Explain to him why you think this class is important. Has this class helped you? Will you use some of the lessons taught and discussed throughout your life? Do you think it is important to continue this type of classroom for future students?

“I loved Matt. And I hated him. I hated myself for loving him, but if I wasn’t with him, I wasn’t anyone anymore.”

“I don’t understand…”

“How could you? You’re perfect.” Josie shook her head. “The rest of us, we’re all like Peter. Some of us just do a better job of hiding it. What’s the difference between spending your life trying to be invisible, or pretending to be the person you think everyone wants you to be? Either way, you’re faking.” (pp. 446 – 447)

Do kids “fake” who they are at school? Should they? What happens if they do?

Is your identity determined by whom you hang with? What impact is there socially for choosing to be with some peers over others?

Do all students see themselves as different and not truly a part of the school?

Code

“In Peter’s case, I saw an extreme emotional vulnerability, which, in fact, was the reason he was teased. Peter didn’t play by the codes of boys. He wasn’t a big athlete. He wasn’t tough. He was sensitive. And difference is not always respected – particularly when you’re a teenager. Adolescence is about fitting in, not standing out.”

“How does a child who is emotionally vulnerable wind up one day carrying four guns into a school and shooting twenty-nine people?”

“Part of it is the PTSD – Peter’s response to chronic victimization. But a big part of it, too, is the society that created both Peter and those bullies.” (pp. 408 – 409)

Questions:

Is adolescence really about fitting in and not standing out?

Is there a CODE OF BOYS at your school? And, is there a CODE OF GIRLS? What do these codes allow you to do?

Your peers who do not fit in socially and stand out…Do you have any responsibility to them?

Formal

So, was it fun?

Change

Recall a time in your life when you made a big change. Was the change positive or negative?

Safety

“When he first reached the school and saw a friend in the parking lot, he tried to warn him off, for safety. He lit a pipe bomb in a car before going into the school, to serve as a diversion so that he could enter unimpeded with his guns. He concealed weapons that were preloaded. He targeted areas in the school where he himself had been victimized. These are not the acts of someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing – they’re the hallmarks of a rational, angry – perhaps suffering, but certainly not delusional – young man.” (p. 400)

Are there areas of your school that are more unsafe than others? What should be done?

What areas are "safe" areas? Where do you feel most comfortable?

Bragging

How does it make you feel when people brag about having sex? Does it make you respect them more? Does it make them more cool? Why do you feel that way? Why do you think some people brag about having sex?

Note: What was your opinion of Mrs. Delaney's "talk"? Did she answer your questions? Is there anything you wanted to ask, but never got the chance?

Owed

Some people believe that if a boy wants to have sex, his girlfriend owes it to him. What do you think about that idea? Do you agree or disagree? Why? How does that idea make you feel?

Druggies?

Do you know anybody who has ever benefited from smoking, drinking alcohol, or using other drugs? Do you know anybody who has been harmed by smoking, drinking alcohol, or using other drugs?

PURPOSE

What do believe is your PURPOSE in life?

Too Fast

What things in your life have you missed because you were going to fast?

Wisdom

How is wisdom acquired? Which experiences have you had that have made you wiser (smarter)? Describe what you've learned in 211 this year?

Compliments

What was the last compliment you received? How did it make you feel?

Rant...

What irritates you?

Giving

If you could give any gift in the world, what would you give and to whom?

If only...

If you could talk to one character from Nineteen Minutes, who would it be and what would you say? Why did you choose the character?

Jealousy

Do you become easily jealous of others accomplishments (brother, sister, friends)? How can you turn jealousy into joy?

Adulthood

It seems like when you are a kid growing up you can't wait to get to be a grown up and when you are a grown up you wish you could be back. Imagine one day in which you are granted adulthood for 24 hours. How do you utilize this 24 hour period? What sort of things would you do with your new adult status?

Time Travel

The opportunity arises to go back in time and alter one event. What event do you alter? Describe your encounter from the past and its consequences in the present.

You can choose your last meal. What will the menu consist of?

Truth

If you could find out the truth about one thing, what would it be?

Depressed?

Who do you talk to when you are feeling down? What does this person do that helps? Do you ever do the same for others?

Hear the Music

Take a character from Nineteen Minutes and examine your ipod . What three songs best describe the character?

Revenge

“When you begin a journey of revenge, start by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself.” From Nineteen Minutes

Write a blog explaining your belief that seeking revenge can be justified or can never be justified. Support your thesis with examples from texts your have read, examples from the news, or your own experiences.

Popularity

Ask a random kid today if she wants to be popular and she’ll tell you no, even if the truth is that if she was in a desert dying of thirst and had the choice between a glass of water and instant popularity, she’d probably choose the latter. See, you can’t admit to wanting it, because that makes you less cool. To be truly popular, it has to look like it’s something you are, when in reality, it’s what you make yourself.

I wonder if anyone works any harder at anything than kids do at being popular. I mean, even air-traffic controllers and the president of the United States take vacations, but look at your average high school student, and you’ll see someone who’s putting in time twenty-four hours a day, for the entire length of the school year.

So how do you crack that inner sanctum? Well, here’s the catch: it’s not up to you. What’s important is what everyone else thinks of how you dress, what you eat for lunch, what shows you TiVo, what music is on your iPod.

I’ve always sort of wondered, though: If everyone else’s opinion is what matters, then do you ever really have one of your own? (p. 241)

Is popularity more important than anything else…dying of thirst?

What is the difference between being popular and belonging to the group?

Can everyone be popular?

Abusive Control

What are some ways you’ve seen people try to gain control over other people?

Is emotional abuse just as damaging as physical abuse? Can it be worse?

US VERSUS THEM

He was staring in a way that cut her to the quick. Josie shivered. “I’m not,” she said quickly, and she took a deep breath. “I just…I don’t like the way you treat kids who aren’t like us, all right? Just because you don’t want to hang out with losers doesn’t mean you have to torture them, does it??

“Yeah, it does,” Matt said. “Because if there isn’t a them, thee can’t be an us.” His eyes narrowed. “You should know that better than anyone.” (pp. 218 – 219)

In a middle school setting…talk about the “them” vs. “us.”

Can middle school ever break down the barriers so that each and every student feels a part of the school?

Is there Another Way?

What are some other ways, besides sex, to express your love or affection for a boyfriend or girlfriend?

Time

When is it okay to start having sex? Why do you think that?

Regrets

Do you know anybody your age who has been harmed by being sexually active, or who regrets being sexually active? What were their regrets?

Boys and Girls

Boys: Do you feel like your manhood is on the line every time you're around a girl?

Girls: Do you feel like your womanhood is on the line every time you're around a boy?

Do you act like yourself or some one different around the opposite sex?

Fairness

“I [Peter] tried out for soccer, but never got any time on the field. Once, I helped some kids play a practical joke on a teacher by moving his car from the parking lot into the gym….I got detention, but the other kids didn’t, because they were on the basketball team and had a game on Saturday.”

Is discipline fairly administered in our school?

Do some students get preferential treatment when it comes to discipline?

How “fair” is our school in general?

We have discussed fictional heroes like Batman and Spiderman, but now we will focus on heros in our everyday lives. For Ms. Carr and I, it would have to be all of you. Describe a hero. It can be either someone you know or simply qualities of a hero.

Music

"Don't let your music die while it is still inside you."


Explain this quote in your own words.

Are some kids ridiculed at your school? Why? What do they get picked on about (height, weight, appearance, disability, accent, skin color, etc.)? Exactly how are they picked on? How do you think these kids feel about this? How do you feel about it? How does that kind of behavior affect the climate in your school?

Super Day!

Superhero day was a reminder of "what it was to be a kid." What sort of adventures did you use to take when you were younger? Do you ever wish you were a kid again? Why?

Create your Own Hero

http://cpbherofactory.com/

Thank You

This is a heartfelt Thank You to all of you. We appreciate your efforts to get together a petition to keep our class going, but for now we would like you to let things happen as they were intended to happen. We cannot support a petition, although deeply flattered, because some of our colleagues will lose jobs and all we will lose is our class.

You have been taught the most valuable lesson we can teach...Stand in the face of TRUE injustice . We cannot put any of you in harms way just to make a point no matter how disappointed we are with our circumstance.

Every single one of you holds the deepest place within our hearts and we will make the next three months the most memorable time we have ever had in room 211.

Thank You,

Mr. G and Ms. Carr

Super!

If you were a super hero, what would your super hero name be? What would your super power be?

Change

Tell about an event in your life that has caused a change in you.

Just a Kid

Compare the thoughts and feelings of Peter with the lyrics from the song,

“I’m Just a Kid by Simple Plan”.

Violence in the Media

The town of Sterling is looking for answers. The media wants to blame T.V. and music...


Many people think there is too much violence on television. They say it makes us less sensitive to real violence in our homes and communities and more tolerant of it. And they say it sometimes even encourages some people to do violent things. What do you think about all this? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Self-Absorbed

A lot of people say that teenagers are self absorbed and don't care about anything but themselves. Do you agree or disagree?

Self-Esteem

What we believe about ourselves is usually reflected in our self-esteem. Positive beliefs make us feel good about ourselves and raise our self-esteem. Negative beliefs make us feel bad about ourselves and lower our self-esteem. Write about some positive beliefs you have about yourself and do the same for some negative beliefs you have about yourself. Would your friends agree with your lists? Where do your negative beliefs come from? How accurate are they? How important are they? What can you do to get rid of them?

Town

Think about the reaction of Peter's crime by the town of Sterling and consider this quote by Jodi Picoult.

"They ask, how could this happen here? Well. How could it not happen here?"

What does this quote mean in relation to the story? Could something of this nature ever happen in our town or school?

Cruelty

Should teachers intervene when they witness peer cruelty? To what extent?

What role should adults in school have to diminish peer cruelty?

Do you think teachers “get it”? Why or why not? PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS!

Forgiveness

Would you be able to forgive someone that you loved if they acted like Peter Houghton? What requires forgiveness? What can’t be forgiven?

Conformity

In Part One, Josie doesn’t feel like putting on the act of pleasing her friends and teachers, have you ever felt as she does? Do you always portray who you really are or do you act as you are expected to? Explain why people conform in society and why some people fight conformity?

Conflict

Do you think parents are allowed to ever “hate” their children? Are children allowed to ever “hate” their parents? Explain.