Wednesday, October 10, 2001
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Wednesday, October 10, 2001 |
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Teacher writes book that motivates teens to read
Teens who used to hate to read now have a new love for books thanks to a teacher who wrote a book with a plot that parallels their lives and experiences. Having taught English for 14 years, Sandy Creek High School English teacher and football coach Tim Taylor knew that the more books students read, the stronger readers they become. The challenge is to get them motivated to read because most books that are of literary quality do not offer story lines that relate to the life of a teenager. Last year, Taylor began kicking around the idea of writing a book that would appeal to younger audiences. While Taylor aimed for a concept that would capture students' attention as soon as they read the first page, he also wanted to create a book that would serve as a teaching element in the classroom. Before he started developing a story outline, he wrote first the curriculum elements that the book needed to teach and then worked backward. In order for students to find the book interesting, he knew that he would have to write it from a teenager's perspective. Although he had taught high school students for a number of years, Taylor realized that for the book to be a success he would have to solicit input from the very audience he was trying to capture. Around March of last year, Taylor walked into his classroom and put an outline of the book on the board but did not tell his students what he was planning to do. "He started telling us about the plot of this book and we just thought it was a book that had already been written. We thought he had found something that related to us and we were going to read it in class," said Carla McLeod, who is now a senior at Sandy Creek. When Taylor told his students that the outline he had given them was actually a book he was planning to write, many were shocked. He told his students that they were going to help him write the book by advising him on the different aspects that influence a teenager's life in today's society. "It is hard for an adult to get on the level of a student so he had a good idea to come to us. He is very easy to talk to. I think we all felt comfortable in telling him what we liked and didn't like about what he was writing," said Adam Worsham, who also is a senior this year. The book, titled "Players," centers on a football player and his girlfriend. In the first person, the football player tells about events and relationships that shaped his senior year of school. He also talks about how he hates school, teachers and especially books. To him everything is a game, from school and playing football to his relationships with his friends. "In this book everyone is some type of social player. That's why I chose the title," said Taylor. The book incorporates elements that today's teenagers deal with in their daily lives such as stress, school shootings, suicide and relationship problems. Throughout the book there are underlying motifs that teachers can use as teaching tools. The book also has a surprise ending. Taylor wrote the book one chapter at a time. His students read each chapter as he wrote it and provided feedback. Taylor had planned to finish the book in a six-month time period but ended up completing it in four weeks. To date, 300 students have read "Players." Taylor has used the book in his classroom and so have two other teachers at Sandy Creek. Students report that the book is so interesting that they have a difficult time pulling themselves away from it. "I hated to read but this book is so interesting that you can't wait to see what happens next. It is hard to find books that relate to you. I am stuck on the idea of this book and I strive to find others that meet its quality. There need to be more books like 'Players,'" said McLeod. Taylor is currently trying to find a publisher to print his book so that students can use it in other school systems. If he cannot find a publisher, he says he has plans to self-publish. Appropriately, Taylor has dedicated his book to the senior class of 2002 because they were the students who served as his sounding board while he was writing it last year. "If this book never makes it out of Sandy Creek, I am satisfied because there are some kids who hated to read and this book has changed their attitudes," he said. "I told my students that if by chance this book should sell one million copies, the dedication will remain the same because they are the success behind all of it."
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