Creative Connector
Pg. 174-175: Yesenia and her confession to Mr. Michie that she does not want to leave Quincy:
I think we can all relate to this moment in some way or another. I remember how scary it felt to leave any huge milestone in my life whether it was the move from high school to college and college to now. Both moments have me feeling the way Yesenia feels; miserably sad because of the unknown and leaving all of my closest friends to move on with my life. That was a very powerful moment in the book to see just how insecure and scared these students were to go into this completely new world of challenges and possible disappointments. It is never an easy change, but one that everyone must endure and discover new things about themselves and the world that they didn’t know was there. Of course there will be obstacles along the way for Yesenia and the other students of Quincy, however, the students will live and learn along the way as they continue to grow, make mistakes, gain success, and discover new inner identity.
Pg. 182-183: Final scenes of graduation and the mariachi band performance:
This scene of graduation made me think of my own graduations and the emotions you feel on that day. It is, in reality, just an ordinary day, but it is also a huge step on someone’s path of life. I could picture this scene of the surprise mariachi band performance in my head and the absolute shock and excitement on all of the students’ faces. If I were Mr. Michie, I would do the same thing as he did and take a seat and enjoy the moment. I’m sure for him, it was one of the happiest days to see all of his students celebrating together, laughing together, crying together, and enjoying themselves together. It was a long and hard year for Mr. Michie and his students, but I have a feeling that on that day, those feelings go away for most of them as they find the good and positive outcomes of that year and look at all that they had accomplished together as a community.
The Final Chapters in Holler If You Hear Me!:
Even though Chapter 10 was the last chapter, there were still a few chapters at the end that catch up on where all of the students Mr. Michie discusses throughout the book are today. I was very compelled to read these chapters because as I read through the chapters about his students, I almost felt like I knew them and that I had this connection into their life. I wanted to check and see if the students who did go through difficult times throughout the book ended up finding happiness and success later in their lives. Most students did, others didn’t. The one story that broke my heart the most was Reggie. Reggie, who was so innocent, quiet, and polite in school, was unfortunately dealt with a difficult year when he was a subject of police brutality. Today, he remains in prison for attempted murder. It breaks my heart to read stories like this and make me wonder how and why things continued to get so hard for Reggie. I then think about myself as a teacher and how I would feel reading a story in the paper like Reggie’s about one of my former students and how that would make me feel. I know I would want to do something, or think about something I could have done better in the past maybe. Of course, that probably wouldn’t change much of what life has in store for most people, but I will always feel for and care about my students, no matter how much time has gone by since I last saw or taught them. I think that is what I took away most from this book; finding those connections with my students and holding on to them for years to come. That is, after all why I wanted to become a teacher in the first place.
Essence Extractor:
Hold on to that one thing that keeps you going as you teach, and never let it go.
Vocabulary:
Hoopla- Bustling excitement or activity; commotion
Taquitos- Small cubes
Reverberate- To reecho or resound
Demeanors- Conduct; behavior; deportment
Novios- Boyfriend
Rancheras- Popular Mexican song
Mariachi band- Mexican street band
Charros- Guady; showy
Guitarron- A large guitar
Elotes- Sweet corn; corn
Chicharrones- Cold processed meat made from pork
Balada- Ballad; a song
No comments:
Post a Comment