There’s Room For Me Here
Janet Allen and Kyle Gonzalez
Stenhouse Publishers 1998 ISBN 1-574110-042-3

Each person reading a book gets a different message. This was very much the case when I read the book "There’s Room For Me Here" By Janet Allen and Kyle Gonzalez. Having just changed teaching assignments I chose this to preview what my sixth grade literacy program should look like. Instead what I found myself focusing on was the scenarios the teachers presented in the book about how sixth graders act. Middle school teachers are a rare and special breed of people. I hope I can mix with that group well.

Once I pulled my attention back to the focus of the book and swallowed the lump in my throat I found a lot of good information in the book. It was difficult to read because the titles of the chapters didn’t really tell what the chapters included. The goals chapter was the clearest and was the idea I liked best in the book. In previous years I have tried to allow children to choose their topics and read and write about what they were interested in. This chapter extends that by having students work on goals that are important to the children. I am sure there would have to be some encouragement and direction, but student created goals could be dynamic in an age when children don’t have their parents’ attention, let alone any freedom of choice in their homelife.

A large part of the book is devoted to the dynamics and relationships in an adolescent’s life. Anyone teaching middle schoolers need to understand where the students are coming from before they can guide them where they need to go. This book brought out all the mood swings and vulnerabilities students have. These vulnerabilities can impede and halt learning all together. If they can’t read or write then students won’t do it because it is not successful. I think the authors minimized the effects of students listening to books on tape. I think there could be a lot of teasing and rejection of taped readings because of the stigma associated with poor reading skills. I think it is a great idea but worry about negatives that could arise.

The authors also discussed the importance of a positive classroom environment. There were many instances where I thought the classroom was going to breakdown or loose the cohesiveness the author reported. They seemed to hold it together and really back each other up. I have seen classrooms that naturally work together and others that don’t even with all the team activities out there. I know this will be the hardest part with implementation in my class is keeping people positive and contributing helpfully to class.

The last part of this book that really struck me was the lack of and building of experiences discussions. These children had lived 12+ years and still had no experiences to build their work from. Teachers who recognize that and can help their children form these experiences are a real value to students. Unfortunately money issues, lack of participation, and lack of parent involvement can make building life experiences difficult. Some people can’t make it to class each day let alone a party or educational event out of school.

I feel this book is worthwhile to read and intend to recommend it to our curriculum director for the school to purchase. I found many great worksheets and resources in the appendix. If you have the time pick it up. You will be intrigued and maybe even inspired to practice what is suggested.