Where'd You Go Bernadette Rating: 5 of 5
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Rating: 5 of 5
Speak Rating: 5 of 5
Overview
It has been a while since I have posted a teacher-student text set, but recently I have come across some amazing teacher reads, and thought I would construct another text set. Initially, I was planning to post a set with a 1-to-1 ration (1 teacher text paired with 1 student text), but I fell in love with TWO teacher texts and, thus, am suggesting both be paired with this week's recommended student text.
There are two themes interwoven in this week's texts: women's empowerment and mental health/ overcoming trauma. Both of these topics are important for all educators and students to explore, but are especially pertinent for secondary (middle and high) school students and their teachers.
There is an often unspoken fear of addressing issues pertaining to mental health and abuse in schools. Perhaps some of this fear stems from a desire to deny the existence of such problems. Surely some of this fear is rooted in uncertainty of how parents will react to lessons that could pose emotional and social discomfort. And of course there is fear of triggering students who have undergone, or who are currently confronting challenges with such issues.
Unfortunately, we (as educators) often respond to these fears simply by choosing not to bring up topics of mental health and abuse. In doing so, we believe that we are sparing students from having to bear the burden of facing these "adult" realities for the first time. This belief is fallacious. Research shows that the majority of students from young ages are likely to have been exposed to— whether directly or indirectly— mental illness, physical, or sexual abuse. Research also points to young women as being especially vulnerable to such exposure. It is naive to think that we are doing any service to students by utterly avoiding discussions surrounding mental health and abuse. We are more likely doing a disservice to them by depriving them of opportunities to process issues that are guaranteed to affect people around them, and that may— unfortunately— impact them directly.
With this said, we must also consider how and when to approach these sensitive topics. Clearly, some discussions that may be appropriate for a middle school student may not be appropriate for an elementary school student. And even before we approach these topics with students, it is important to educate ourselves on them.
This post provides a brief overview of three texts: Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and Speak. The first two are texts aimed for adults (though high school students may enjoy them as well), and the last text is geared towards late middle school and early high school grades. All of the texts explore mental health and women's empowerment through uplifting and inspiring lenses, making them an appropriate gateway into education and discourse on the subjects.
A Brief Introduction to the Texts
Teacher Text 1: Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
- tells the story of Bernadette, a headstrong, fierce, witty middle-aged mom from Seattle, who goes missing after failing to repress a series of personal and professional losses from over a decade ago. Her disappearance leaves behind her 15-year-old daughter, Bee, and her husband, Elgin.
- is told through a series of emails, personal letters, FBI documents, and meeting transcripts that gradually uncover the truth behind Bernadette's disappearance. The narrative is unbelievably humorous, gut-wrenching, and heartwarming.
- follows multiple characters as they navigate struggles in their personal and professional lives.
- reveals how mental health is not black and white; people aren't either mentally "sound" or mentally ill. Bernadette exemplifies this. She often displays erratic, impulsive behavior and experiences overwhelming bouts of anxiety that interfere with her social interactions. Is she "crazy"? Or does she have it all under her control? The novel explores these questions, and reveals how mental well-being is never fully in stasis, but rather fluctuates due to circumstance and choice.
- reveals how such stigmas surrounding mental illness hinder individuals in their process of personal healing. Bernadette is rebuked and abandoned by her husband due to her decline in mental health— leading to her disappearance. Meanwhile, Bernadette's daughter steadfastly supports her and believes in her, which brings the novel to its inspiring conclusion.
- explores themes of finding oneself, overcoming loss, and pursuing one's passion.
- is available as an audiobook! This is one of the best audio renderings of a novel I've heard. I STRONGLY recommend it :)
- has been made into an absolutely stunning film. The trailer is below!
Teacher Text 2: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- tells the story of Eleanor, a 30-year-old woman who embodies the awkwardness and social ignorance of the stereotypical middle school student. Something is off about Eleanor— but what? The book slowly reveals the history behind Eleanor's odd behavior and isolated tendencies. As it does this, readers fall in love with Eleanor and find themselves enthusiastically rooting for her.
- reveals how childhood trauma often manifests itself well into adulthood. Yet, simultaneously, it explores how adults can work to overcome the trauma of their pasts.
- touches on themes relating to individual healing and self-discovery, while simultaneously highlighting themes relating to collective growth and mutual support.The novel slowly reveals the most heartwarming story of a developing relationship between Eleanor and a co-worker, Raymond. As Eleanor continues down a path towards self-healing, she gradually makes more room in her heart for this friendship. But will her friendship with Raymond become something more? As each chapter progresses, the reader is itching to find out.
- is available as an audiobook. Prepare for a range of thick Northern European accents, if you do decide to listen!
- will supposedly be made into a film produced by Reese Witherspoon.
Student Text: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
- tells the story of Melinda, a high school student who was sexually assaulted at a party as she pieces together what happened to her and tries to cope with the aftermath. No one knows— neither her friends nor her family. Even Melinda is still somewhat uncertain of exactly what happened and why.
- takes a stance in support of survivors speaking out. As the novel progresses, Melinda gradually gains the confidence to speak out against what happened to her— first in small acts, such as writing warnings on the bathroom stalls at her high school, and later in bold expressions to protect herself and her peers by sharing her story.
- acknowledges the trauma of sexual assault, while simultaneously revealing a hope for healing from such traumatic events. Melinda, understandably, struggles emotionally, socially, and academically following the incident at the party. But she slowly pieces her life back together as she realizes that what happened her was not her fault, and enables herself to move forward by speaking out.
Conclusion
This teacher-student text set provides a small sample of books that can deepen our understanding of the complexities of mental health issues and the aftermath of trauma. All three of them center on strong female protagonists who have undergone a great degree of hardship, and all three of them provide a hopeful perspective on healing from trauma.
To adequately address topics pertaining to trauma and mental health takes far more than reading one text set. These books are simply a heartfelt accompaniment to an in-depth study of current research pertaining to both issues. Teachers cannot expect to read Where'd You Go, Bernadette or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and be all set for addressing issues pertaining to mental health and women's empowerment. Moreover, we cannot simply hand the book Speak to students without preparing for the conversations that will ensue. Because the content is so heavy and because it may mirror realities in our students' lives, we need to be prepared to support students' as they process— preferably with a school counselor on deck. We should also recognize that some students may wish to refrain from reading or speaking about the content in books like Speak; the content may be too close to home. That's okay. Our job is not to force students to explore such content; rather, our job is to provide a safe space for them should they wish to do so.
Hi, I really enjoyed how you brought up the fear in todays world to bring up touchy subjects like mental health and abuse in school. It is important to address these issues, and start sparking those conversations. Using books in the classroom is a good way to bring up these issues, as some children might not get any of this information outside of school. This blog post was very helpful, as you brought up multiple books that do address mental health, abuse, women empowerment, which are all important topics.
The importance of addressing mental health for all ages is especially important in todays world I believe. There are students who do not have access to resources and are uneducated on the topic of mental health, so incorporating it into the classroom is important. This is a hard topic to talk about and can get confusing, so being educated on it will benefit both educators and students. This blog post really got me thinking about mental health and women empowerment!
@pbrinnj
Thank you so much for sharing your story; that itself takes courage. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking it must have been to lose your father to suicide, and am inspired by how you’ve emerged from that experience with heightened motivation to create greater awareness surrounding issues of mental health. Your future students will be lucky to have you; the daily practices you mentioned to help them become more aware of their own and each other’s emotions will help in creating a safe and supportive classroom community.
Thank you all for sharing your thoughts! The task of educating ourselves and our students on mental health is so important. It is encouraging for me to see so many up-and-coming teachers who will be devoted to this topic as well as the topic of women’s empowerment. As some of you mentioned, issues of mental health can be challenging for teachers to address with their students. During my time in the public schools, I remember attending many seminars and workshops on creating an environment that was welcoming to students of diverse racial, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, but never once having an opportunity to explore the topic of mental health with my colleagues. This needs to change. Teachers need opportunities to…
I think that it is really important that you addressed these topics. Mental health is a growing topic of discussion lately and having young girls read things likes this opens their minds to see that so many people are struggling and that it is okay to ask for help if you need it. One other thing I love about this is how empowering it is. Again recently women's empowerment has been such a huge topic. It is important for girls to remember that younger girls are always looking up to them.