Journal Entry 10

Discussing a story with a partner or in groups would really be helpful in understanding one’s feelings and clarifying one’s thinking. Sometimes having the feelings makes us more confused and we do not think clearly. The decisions that one has to make would be a better one if one discusses about it. In discussions we can be exposed to a lot of views because different people would have different reactions and interpretations about the selection we are reading. For example I think Cormier’s Chocolate War is for boys to read and so I didn’t really understand some parts but later after discussing with my friends, I understood the story better. Exchanging the ideas with friends make sure that I was thinking and feeling along the same lines. Students make responses in discussions by giving general reactions to the story to their reading. They do in-depth exploration together. Lastly, they do creative projects to understand better.
Writing the confusing thoughts or whatever that comes into mind should be helpful. Our thoughts become clearer because we have organize the thoughts. Well at first it would all be jumbled up and when you start writing, a revelation might hit right in the face. Oh! Now I understand better. I understand why the story happened that way. I understand why the character is acting like this or that. Is it a reflection of me? I understand how the character feels because I had the feelings before. I was trying to deny all the feelings and deny thinking about it. I understand why the decision was made. I wish I could turn back time to make everything better. The past is the past. The future is now. I can still be helped.