I'm reading Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen. It is one of those books where I wonder if it is too old for my 6th graders. Can they handle it? Will they understand it? Am I giving them ideas they don't need to think about yet?
Wren is a girl who began experimenting with drugs and alcohol when she was a middle-schooler. She began running with the wrong crowd because they gave her some much-needed attention. Her parents know that she is heading down the wrong path and don't know what to do or how to help her. So they send her to a wilderness camp.
Tonight as I was reading, a line grabbed my heart.
"Sometimes it doesn't take much for what's dormant to bloom."
This line is filled with so much hope. I know it is a metaphor for Wren's life. She has been dormant for so long and needs someone to show her that her life can be beautiful.
I think about my former students who took the same path as Wren, who are living life a dormant stage.
I think about the students sitting in my classroom today. Do I have a Wren looking back at me? Or maybe avoiding looking at me?
If I place this book on my shelf, will it help someone to bloom?
I am not finished with the book yet, so I still have many questions.
But it doesn't take much for what's dormant to bloom.
...Maybe I will.
From this one line, it seems the book treats this delicate topic with care.
ReplyDeleteI love it when a line grabs your heart! I want to be better about writing these lines down somewhere. Maybe I will start a new journal just for those lines! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteLove this reflection, Leigh Anne. I sometimes struggle with whether or not a book is developmentally appropriate for my students, even when it's a book that just has to be in some of their hands. Putting it on a shelf or in my case, posting it on my "Sra. Waingort Reads" Padlet, is the best way to get it out there. Hopefully, the kid(s) that needs it will pick it up.
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