Chapter 7 of Jago

The first line I underlined in this chapter was, "Assessing students' progress toward these standards makes sense. Unfortunately, too often exit exams punish students for the failings of their schools" (page 148). I agree. When I was in school I did not write analysis papers. I could crank out a research paper with no sweat, but if I had been asked to analyze a character and relate it to my own life or experiences I would have been lost. I would have felt like the students Jago had who were always asking why they were reading about old men. I feel that if we want students to graduate having learned these benchmarks we have to pay attention to what works. This goes back to the Gallagher article and how he allowed students to keep improving. Finding out what students' weaknesses are and building from there is a good way to find out how best to help each student.
The second line I underlined was, "As students grapple with the decisions characters make they explore their own values" (page 150). Again, I agree. Having students relate a character or entire novel to their own lives is a great way to get them to understand it better. It may not relate entirely, but there is some aspect to every novel that can be related to the reader personally. If the student has never been in a similar situation, doesn't know anyone who has, hasnt't watched a movie or television show where the characters can relate, etc. the student should be able to put themselves in the shoes of the characters in the novel and recite how they would react. Why? How? What elements in the novel would change?
This goes along with the last line I underlined, which was, "Students will graduate abel to read and understand the best that literature has to offer. They will be exposed to ideas and values outside thrie realm of experience" (page 160). This is a great goal to live up to as a teacher.