A Teacher Describes How She Hooked a Resistant Student

The work of a teacher is especially challenging when he or she is faced with a resistant or struggling student. The standards and tests give no hints about how to inspire learning for such kids. Here's a retired high school teacher, Marilyn Hollman, describing the subtle magic she worked with one such kid.
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Justin wore some kind of dull blue rain or running gear, a crinkly, shiny jacket and matching pants with zippered ankles. Tallish, thin, pale. Affectless.

He entered an independent literature section, last period of the day for most seniors, spring semester. Students read in class -- they choose the books -- or write in their notebooks or conference with me about their reading. It looks like we're all doing nothing.

Sometimes I invite the students to sit on the floor, and I think I did this time, but it became clear that floor time meant snooze time for those in the back. The floor was no longer an option. Justin continued to lie down, now and then, to sleep. When I walked to him, tapped his shoulder and asked him to wake up and sit in a chair and read, he was mildly rude. Or he made noises, rarely had a book. Otherwise, we all were quiet. And did what was to be done. I think I can speak for his peers; we all thought he was strange.

But other than that, things went as usual. I toured the class to touch base, commented on a choice. As I did with others, I asked him what he was reading; he brought a book. Finally, he signed up for a conference which turned out to be pretty normal; he had even completed a book card, required, in the correct format.

"What should I read next?" I wanted to put a book in his hands right then, so I looked at the two big shelves of books by my desk. Can't be too big. Can't be babyish. The Stranger by Albert Camus caught my eye. Aha! A hero estranged displaying little affect. "Here's a book we bought for strong readers. Try it -- it's kinda strange but I think you'll like it." He did. No more floor.

(I frequently recommended The Stranger to students many teachers would consider only "young adult" readers. My reasons were what I wrote above: prestige; length; strangeness; estranged hero. Another semester I read the novel with an honors class and they had a hard time "getting it." None of the Justins ever did. They knew Meursault even though they might cry when their mother died.)

There's more I could write about Justin -- the past expulsion, the alternative high school; the return for his senior year; an empathetic and active counselor, his completing the course, reading six books, even writing the long paper. Then, graduation with all the "regular" folk. No longer quite a stranger.