Nightjohn reflection
I wanted to memorialize my “aha” moment when reading Nightjohn through the lens of a teacher.
There are so many themes that run through this very brief story. I was searching for the connection to education. I believe I found it when reading the except from Sarny by Gary Paulsen. The risks that Sarny took to learn to read did not seem to have any immediate benefits. At the secret school in the woods, students gave up rest and risked physical abuse for the chance to read the label off a bag of goods, something inconsequential at the time. Years later, however, during the chaos of the Civil War, Sarny used the skill she had acquired to read the ledger detailing the sale and transport of her children to another plantation. Having this knowledge gave Sarny hope and the impetus to act in a positive way to improve her situation.
The lesson learned from Sarny is that there is a point to education. Even though students may not see the need to learn particular skills or facts as they are presented in the classroom setting, that knowledge is transferable to the real world in some form. Sarny had a natural desire to learn; she knew instinctively that having that experience was important, even if the resources were inadequate or the topics irrelevant.
Does this relate to the idea of process vs. product?
Heather H.