A Request of the Blogging World

I am really excited about some work I am doing over the next few months with one of our local high schools. These are students who have fallen behind in units so attend the continuation high school. In addition, most of these students come from poverty, with single parent households, and have either drugs and or alcohol as a recurring theme in their lives (or that of their parents). I am impressed every day that they walk through the school's front door ready to learn. I don't tell you this to garner sympathy, rather to give you a little bit of who they are.

Two English teacher friends of mine are having the students read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and they will also watch the movie. Part of the work the students will do is blog posts comparing the book and movie. I am going to spend two class periods talking to them about blogs, blogging, and helping them set up their blogs using their Google accounts and Blogger.

I also said I would find outside readers who could read blog posts and comment. I think this is such an important aspect of the process: to write not just for their teacher, but for people outside their classroom (a genuine audience). I am asking teachers and staff in our school district, friends of mine, and now... you, my blogging community.

Please consider signing on to be an outside reader for at least one of these students. The commitment would include reading 5 posts per student (each post will probably be a paragraph) and leaving a comment on each post. They will begin in early February 2018 and (if they do the work on time) will probably do a post a week.

Please comment if you are willing to take on this task and let me know how many students you are willing to do it for. Include an email where I can read you.

Thank you in advance!