I confess I was always a little disappointed when my students would choose a Dogman book over one from my carefully curated and painstakingly displayed classroom library. But I would bite my tongue…
How I Made Peace With Dogman by Susan Hansen | Nerdy Book Club Nerdy Book Club About Nerdy Book Awards 2011 Nerdies 2012 Nerdies 2013 Nerdies 2014 Nerdies 2015 Nerdies 2016 Nerdies 2017 Nerdies 2018 Nerdies 2019 Nerdies 2020 Nerdies Posts Author Posts The Nerdy Bookcast Nerdy Site News New Book Reviews Pay It Forward Polls Reading Lives Retro Reviews Surprise Sunday Top Ten Lists WANT TO BE A NERDY BLOGGER? Store Home » Author Posts » How I Made Peace With Dogman by Susan Hansen August 30 Tags Susan Hansen How I Made Peace With Dogman by Susan Hansen Posted by CBethM on August 30, 2021 in Author Posts, Reading Lives | 8 Comments I confess I was always a little disappointed when my students would choose a Dogman book over one from my carefully curated and painstakingly displayed classroom library. But I would bite my tongue and never let on my true feelings about their choice. From avid readers to emerging ones, everyone loves Dogman. They are graphic novels (i.e. comic books) about a part human, part dog policeman. The books are hugely popular with kids, especially in elementary school but I have seen middle schoolers read them as well. Librarians can’t keep enough copies on the shelves. I did read a couple of the books myself because I wanted to be able to have meaningful conversations with my students as fellow readers. Then came along Luis. When he started fourth grade he came with a portfolio heavy on his weaknesses. We don’t know which came first: his challenges with learning to read or his difficulty in regulating his emotions. I won’t say Luis couldn’t read. He couldn’t decode but he loved listening to books on his laptop or to those read aloud by adults. He could retell books that had been read to him in first or second grade. He was on top of where we were in our classroom read-aloud book, books I chose intentionally because of their beautiful and sophisticated writing, their complex story lines and deep societal messages. For some reason all attempts at teaching him letters and sounds had failed. One afternoon when we settled down for our independent reading time, Luis pulled out the latest Dogman book and sat on the floor by our window. His name had been pulled in a raffle to be the next person to check out the book from the library. He was turning pages and looking at the pictures. I sat down and offered to read the book to him. A few pages in, I noticed the kids sitting nearby abandoning their own reading and scooting over to hear Dogman. Before I knew it a crowd had gathered. There was the girl who read 200 page novels all by herself, the boy who had arrived from Mexico just a few months ago, and all the other Dogman fans in the classroom. What started happening around me was a literary conversation among readers. They compared the plot of this book with the others, they updated me on the back stories of the various characters, they agreed and disagreed with each other, they used evidence from the text to support their opinions. All this happened without me doing anything except maybe asking some probing questions motivated purely by my own curiosity. Having had the opportunity to observe them in this genuine engagement with text testified to their abilities to do the kinds of things readers do, I was now able to draw on this experience when reading other texts: “Remember how you compared the plot of one Dogman book to another? Now let’s compare the message of this article to that of the poem.” or “Remember how you were telling me about why Dogman does what he does? That’s his motivation. Now think about the motivations of the characters in this book.” That afternoon taught me a few things: No one learns from someone who holds their tastes and interests in contempt.Beginning by looking for what is already there will help us find a way to build what needs to be there.Before all else, there must be connections – connections between teacher and reader, among readers and between reader and texts. When my children were young and I worried about the variety and richness of their food diet, my pediatrician friend told me to look at what they ate over a week. They didn’t need to have all food groups every day. When it comes to reading, the same approach is helpful. Let the kids read what they are truly interested in and able to read right now. But as teachers and parents we can supplement that diet with other stories and texts that are still engaging, meaningful, thought provoking and necessary. Susan Hansen has taught reading and writing in Spanish and English to third and fourth graders in Texas. She is currently an instructional coach, supporting dual language teachers in middle school. She blogs at miningforhiddengems.blogspot.com on educational topics and on writingfourlives.blogspot.com on everything else about life. She is the author of the children’s book biography From Behind All the Veils: The Story of Táhirih about the nineteenth century Iranian poet and champion of girls’ education and emancipation. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... ← Rebellious Sailors by Rebecca Rode Weathering the Storm Together by Dan Yaccarino → 8 Comments J. Bodwell August 30, 2021 Such a great point that took me a few years to come to myself. It’s just as important for kids to be reading choice books, like Dogman and others, because that’s truly how they develop a love of reading, when they’re in control of what they’re reading. I just love hearing the enthusiasm in their voices as they tell me about what they’re currently reading during our 1:1 conferences! Great article, thanks for sharing. Reply Laura LA August 30, 2021 I’ve been working on the content of my 1st Teacher Tuesday program (I’m a teacher turned bookstore owner) and this article is a great addition. Thank you for this important comment on the value we place on student choice and how to make connections through independent reading. Reply Hannah Schneewind August 30, 2021 I firmly believe in giving students choice in what they read, but it can be hard to really do that. Thank you for your honestly and for showing the power of Dogman, trusting your students, and trusting yourself to find teaching opportunities. Reply Marcie Haloin August 30, 2021 I so much agree! Great post for professionaldevelopment! m Reply Tricia Springstubb August 30, 2021 “Beginning by looking for what is already there will help us find a way to build what needs to be there.” What wise and empathetic words! Thank you for the reminder that kids themselves can show us what is “best for them”. Reply kathalsey August 30, 2021 Excellent, Susan. I am definitely sharing this! Hoping to open some eyes! Ty. Reply Jenn Matters August 30, 2021 It’s for these reasons that I keep quiet my dislike of Twilight and some of the other paranormal romances out there. Most of those books are written at a 5th-8th grade level, which means most of my teens can read/listen, and I want to support critical thinking, visiting new worlds, learning new words…however I can. Reply Jen Kleinknecht September 7, 2021 “No one learns from someone who holds their tastes and interests in contempt.” That did so very true. Thanks for saying it so memorably. 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