Susan Stearns's Page

The article pieces about teaching peace and war in the classroom were very interesting.



I don't really see the connection between how Coleman McCarthy teaches and his claim that he teaches peace other than his students read pacifist literature and learn about nonviolent leaders such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Tolstoy, and Dorothy Day. I don't see how not giving grades or not punishing students who fail to turn in work, and forbidding students to ask question and instead challenge… Continue

It is so sad to know that attempted suicide among gay/lesbian teens is so high. All they need is support and to feel that they aren't alone, and books would be a great way to receive that support. It is unfortunate that most of the early books about gay teens resulted in the main character dieing prematurely, or living a horrible life. It is refreshing to see that is changing and there are more uplifting books about "coming-out" that young teens can relate to. I liked how the author of the… Continue

I visited Colorado Comics on Wadsworth and 66th Ave. It's located right in front of Arvada High School, so I was surprised to find out that most of their customers are adults, not teens. The salesperson did say that X-Men and any Superhero series have been a constant as far as popularity. What the teens do like in that store are the collectable card games, which I was surprised about, but I guess I don't know many teens either. How I would determine if a graphic novel was appropriate for… Continue

I think the draw to particapating in most sports is that you are part of a team. Whether it be a large popular team like football, or a team that may not be so popular. In the booki>Whale Talk> the swimming team was not widely accepted in school. It was made up of a very mixed up bunch, but their differences made them a closer and they had a place where they felt like they belonged. You have automatic friends when you join a team, may not be close friends, but you suddenly know more… Continue

I was never aware that Young Adult Literature has gone through so many changes in the past and also been the topic of much controversy. Even the catagory "YA" has changed names and I thought that odd. I guess I always assumed that the great books I read growing up, The Outsiders, A Wrinkle in Time, and the Judy Blume books, to name a few, have always been available (not those exact books but at least the quality of books was available early on). I feel lucky that honor winning books were… Continue