Dealing with Tough Topics in American Literature

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Dealing with Tough Topics in American Literature.   Dealing with Tough Topics in American Literature American Literature is a staple of high school Language Arts. Teens are at an excellent age to wrestle with some of the difficult concepts and topics that arise through American Lit readings. That is wonderful and tough on moms because sometimes we, ourselves, feel uncomfortable with some of the topics. So how do you deal with these uncomfortable topics? Sabrina, Vicki and Kym join forces today for a comfortable chat about uncomfortable topics in American Literature. Things that can be distracting and uncomfortable in literature can actually be enriching when dealt with wisely. (This is timely because, if your teens are aware of the turmoil in the world around them, you can use some of these ideas to start discussions that help them grow and become healthy adults.) FYI: We are basing our discussion on a post that Sabrina wrote a while back but that homeschool moms have often told us has been helpful to them. So how do you deal with tough topics in American Literature (and all Lit courses)? To start with, when teens read something that is uncomfortable to them, most of them find it impossible to ignore. (As adults, we often have developed a skills of ignoring or shelving things that are uncomfortable so that we can go on and enjoy the story.) Often teens will stop and say things like, "I don't like that!", "Why is that in the book?", "What does that mean?" As Vicki points out, Sabrina had lots of experience dealing with these questions, with her own teens but especially in our local homeschool group classes. When teens asked pointed questions like those, Sabrina had a way of making space for them, while maintaining a healthy atmosphere. Here are her tips: Moms, start with acting skills and non-verbals: * Say inside your head, "I will not freak out! I will not freak out." * Keep a slight smile on your face. * Sit in a relaxed posture. * Before you respond, take a deep breath. (Never underestimate the power of a deep breath.) * Validate that teen for having the courage for bringing up the question. * "I'm glad you were brave enough to bring that up. How did you feel when you read that?" * "I'm glad you brought that up, I'm glad you notice you are uncomfortable." * Then, be honest, "To tell the truth, this passage makes me uncomfortable too..." (Do not jump into a lecture here, just allow a pause.) * Often, when teens are validated and adults are calm and honest about how they feel, the young people calm down and hostility tends to fade. (Often when teens talk in a hostile way, they are doing do so because they are afraid they will be shut down or criticized for their thoughts or feelings. * They will present their discomfort as anger (maybe even anger at you). * If you enter into that discomfort with them and say, "I'm really uncomfortable with that too, let's see what we can learn from it...", teens will often say, "Oh, she's on my side. She understands what I'm feeling and thinking." Sabrina never rushed into correcting teens for their viewpoints. For us moms, when we are uncomfortable (or want to spare our teens the "pain of thinking incorrectly", we will rush into "fixing their thoughts or viewpoints". Avoid telling teens the right way to think immediately. Unfortunately, if we slip into this, teens will feel unheard and disrespected. Instead,