Welcome to the Alt Ed Lit Circle Journal

A major portion of your Tolerance Unit assignment is to keep a journal relating to your reading and learning in this unit. You will be required to respond to three of the ten journal prompts provided below. You may respond to the prompts in any order you choose, although the response is expected to be at least the equivalent of half a page typed. You should respond to at least one entry per week. I may ask you to do additional entries or follow-ups to your posts.

If you have any questions about the journal prompts, or about how to post, email me: albeam2@ilstu.edu


To respond to a post:

1. Choose the post you wish to respond to
2. Click on the "Comments" link at the end of the post
3. Type your journal entry into the box in the pop-up window. If you'd prefer, you can compose your journal entry in Word and paste it into the window. You may also want to save a copy of your entry in Word in case of technical difficulties.
4. Be sure to include your name at the end of your entry. If you don't include your name, I won't be able to give you credit for the entry.
5. If you have a Google Account (for GMail, for example), use your Google login & password to post your entry. If you do not have a Google account, use the link provided to get one.

Journal Entry A

In your own words, please define "tolerance" and "intolerance." Support your definition with some examples of behavior you consider either tolerant or intolerant. These examples can be drawn from your own behaviors, those of your peers, and/or those of people in the world around you. Next, verify your definition by offering a definition from an outside source. Identify the sources and discuss how its definition varies from your own. Which do you prefer? Why?

Journal Entry B

Susan's brother Tom doesn't stand up for her when his friends pick on her. Randy doesn't stop the other athletes from bullying students. Amber says "Sitting back and watching. That's as bad as the ones who do it, I think. " Do you? Do you think Tom and Randy's behvior is as bad as Kale's? As hurtful? Or is it worse? Is ignoring intolerance as bad as being intolerant? WHy?

At first, Susan is hesitant to be seen with Brendan. Do you think it's the same thing? Is Susan's behavior wrong? Why or why not?

Journal Entry C

Susan and Brendan are both the victims of the school bully. Read these two very brief articles on bullying:

• Bullying Widespread in U.S. Schools, Survey Finds: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/bullying.cfm
• School Bullying and Teen Bullying Statistics: http://www.familyfirstaid.org/bullying.html

Do you think the articles' estimates that approximately 16% of teens are victims of bullying is to high? Too low? (16% is about 1 out of 5 teens.) Why? Keep in mind that bullying includes teasing and name calling as well as hitting, etc.

One of the doctors in the first article says that teens are more likely to be bullied about their appearance or their behavior than their race or religion. What things do you think teens are most often bullied about?

The second article says that younger teens (6th-8th graders) are more likely to experience bullying. It also says boys are more likely to be bullies than girls. Do you agree? Again, remember that there are many different kinds of bullying.

Journal Entry D

Identify at least one part of the novel that really made you think. How has your own thinking changed or remained the same as a result of reading this portion of the book?

Journal Entry E

One stereotype about overweight people is that they are stupid. When Susan responds to Mr. Duffy's comment about people choosing the same seats to feel safe, Tracee seems surprised that Susan sounds so intelligent - perhaps Tracee believed the stereotype about overweight people (p.37).
What other stereotypes are present in the novel? How do the characters fit their stereotypes - or not? What stereotypes do we see in our own lives? Have you ever judged someone - or been judged - based on a stereotype (please don't include names)? Was there any truth to the stereotype, or was it completely false?

Journal Entry F

Discuss teenagers and body image. Do you think teens are more sensitive about their bodies than college age students and older women? Why is this so or not? How can girls live with society’s expectations of beauty without being chained to some unrealistic expectation? Do you think it's more important for society and the media to be more tolerant of different body types, or do girls and women need to be more tolerant with their own bodies?

Journal Entry G

One of Susan's main conflicts in this book is with Kale. Kale seems to be at the center of many conflicts. Is Kale a typical teenage boy in some ways? Do young men face pressures that are different from pressures faced by young women? How can young men learn to treat women (and even their own peers) in a respectful way? Do you agree that “boys will be boys” or is that just an excuse that allows some boys to be disrepectful and intolerant?

Journal Entry H

Discuss the bumper stickers that are given in the final scene. Which one was your favorite? Why? Whose is the best match for them? How does it reflect who he/she was at the beginning of the book, and who he/she was at the end?
Do you think the change will be permanent? Why or why not? Is it realistic to expect people to change in response to an "Alt Ed" experience?

Journal Entry I

What behaviors on the part of yourself and your peers would you now consider either tolerant or intolerant which you would not have seen in this light before? What has caused you to change? Be as specific as possible.

Journal Entry J

How has your understanding of the terms "tolerance" and "intolerance" changed in the weeks since you began this unit? How are your current definitions similar or different from other people? (In order to answer this, you will need to discuss these issues with others, or read others' blog posts). Please identify the person or people with whom you discussed these issues and explain how their opinions are similar to or different from your own. Did their opinions cause you to alter your own? How?