Reading in the Middle, Junior and Senior High Schools, Spring, 2010

Wow! I love this book already. I love the fact that Shawn has this hilarious sense of humor and outlook on life and tells many of his stories with a dry sense of sarcasm.
Basically, in a nut shell...Shawn is a fourteen year old boy with an older brother who fulfills the "jock" role, along with an older sister, mother and father. Shawn's father who has "divorced" the family, but mainly Shawn was introduced in during the first five chapters. He apparently has written and had "five seconds of fame" so to speak, about a poem he wrote. His poem, in which he later won a Pulitzer Prize for describes how Shawn's dad was never able to deal with his Cerebral Palsy and the "pain" he believes Shawn’s encounters during his seizures.
Chapter five leaves readers with a description of Shawn's attire for his father's initial/first poem reading. Shawn's humor is evident when he describes his appearance and outfit as making him look like, “Bing-Bong the Idiot Puppet Boy". Shawn continues to describe his experience of the event as he waits in the kitchen with a young server boy, listens to audience members blowing their noses, applauding noisily, and afterwards receiving pats on the shoulder, head, and back. Aside from all this attention, Shawn describes his overall feelings by saying, “It’s one thing not to be known for who I actually am, but to be known for who I've never been by a roomful of strangers was the worst."
An appropriate activity that could be implemented within a class of students who were reading "Stuck In Neutral" would be a thinking map such as a double bubble. Students could compare what society/Shawn's family feels are his capabilities versus what Shawn's actual capabilities are. Students could then reflect and see if any of these qualities are the same and connect these ideas in between the two bubble maps. An interactive Smart Board could be used to create these. Afterwards, the teacher could try and find a student or adult with cerebral palsy who would be willing to collaborate with a class of students about his/her condition, life experiences, struggles, daily routine, etc. This would assist students in capturing the realness of "Stuck In Neutral" and perhaps give them a better grasp along with background knowledge of Shawn, the character in their book.

Chapters 1-5:
• Summary:
Shawn McDaniel is a 14 year old boy who has cerebral palsy. His brain functions just as a typical 14 year old, in fact he has the ability to remember everything, and when he says everything he means everything, since he was four years old. He cannot move or control muscle movement in any part of his body. He has a mom and dad who have divorced now, and a sister, Cindy, and a brother, Paul. He lives with his mom and part of the story takes place before his dad left through flashbacks Shawn has and then there are references to times in the present when the mom and dad are divorced. Additionally, Shawn thinks his dad is trying to kill him based on intuitive feelings rather than hard evidence at this point, but never the less he thinks it could be true. Shawn describes a time when he, his sister and mother were in a wreck and their dog died. He said that death, with the dog, looked him directly in the eye and he says that really makes him even more nervous about the possibility that his dad could be planning to kill him. He thinks this because when his dad has been with him on a few occasions, he has used phrases such as “end his pain” and such that leans Shawn to believe his dad may be thinking about killing him to end Shawn’s suffering when in reality, Shawn is fine, he just has no way of telling anyone. The chapter ends with Shawn saying that he loves his seizures, but with not a lot of explanation as to why.

• Reflection:
The subject of this book really caught my eye as an interesting piece of work and it is proving to definitely be that. You can’t help but love Shawn, for his intelligence, for his humor, and just for the person he is that no one knows. I, along with Shawn, was terrified when I began to see why Shawn thought his dad could be planning to kill him. I predicted it was probably out of mercy, but can’t imagine being in Shawn’s situation and unable to tell anyone that I was fine inside my useless body.

• Highlight/favorite part:
One of the best parts about this first section is that Shawn speaks about himself in a sarcastic tone. He makes fun of his inabilities and he has such a great sense of humor and even though it’s not okay for anyone to make fun of others for being different, I think it shows his sense of humor for the situation rather than being depressed all the time.

• What left you hanging/what happens next?
I was left with the question of why does his dad want to kill him? And why Shawn feels so strongly that this is true. I also wanted to know at the end of chapter 5 why he loves his seizures?

• Possible activity:
Have students write on this prompt:
Since the book does not yet describe what Shawn means when he says that his seizures are “doorways to a place better than reality”, what do you think he means? What kinds of things makes Shawn say that this place is better than reality?

I'm really enjoying this book so far! It's really interesting to read the story from the perspective of Shawn, a 15-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. He is non-communicative and is wheel-chair bound. Everyone think that he is a vegetable...that he is not able to do anything. Because he can not talk or has no control over any of his muscles, he can not tell them that he is smart and can understand them. So, he lives his life being "goo-ed" and "gaa-ed" at by his mother and taught his ABC's by his younger sister. His dad is not longer around because he could not handle seeing Shawn. Shawn says that his dad did not divorce his mother, sister, or brother, but that his dad divorced Shawn..because his dad could not handle to see his "pain". Even though Shawn was never in pain, his father thought he was. Shawn thinks that his dad is trying to kill him...not because he hates him, but because he loves him so much that he thinks that he is helping him. Shawn is terrified at the thought of this.
A good opening activity to do with the opening of this book is to have the students research about different kinds and levels of cerebral palsy. To have a better understanding of Shawn and his disability, the student can read online sources or books at the library to find out more information. They will better understand the book and what Shawn is going through when they have a better understanding of his disability.

So, thus far, Stuck in Neutral has given interesting perspective on the life of a child with cerebral palsy by sharing his it through his every thought. Shawn, the narrator, has the ability to remember every conversation, lyric, or movie line he hears. He can hold every bit of information he hears but is unable to express it in any way; verbally, physically, with eye movement or gesture. His father is a Pulitzer Prize winner for a poem he wrote about Shawn. Once he was sitting with his father, alone, and he made a comment that disturbed him. He knew his father was freaked out by the seizures Shawn had because that’s why he left, but his father’s idea “maybe you’d be better off if I ended your pain?”, has left Shawn confused.
I really enjoy this author. He’s not too wordy with description, but it is very descriptive. He uses good metaphors and references. The description he used of Seattle really tickled me. He said it’s “near Bell Town- the Grunge Capital”, a reference that makes me think of the Kurt Cobain era when Seattle was his stomping ground. His descriptions of the movements of the body were on point and vividly applied them to a child with CP, such as “gears engaging on their own” or “vocalizing program click in” or “drool if my drool function is running”. I like when authors incorporate different types of literature within a book. In this story, once the poem Shawn’s dad wrote is introduced, a section of the poem is used at the beginning of every chapter, starting at the last chapter we read this week. I wonder if the section of the poem chosen with be elaborated in the following chapter in some way?
A lesson we had talked about doing as an introduction to this book was researching cerebral palsy in order to gain background knowledge about the book. There are also references to crows and black rainbows, Seattle, “grunge culture”, and Pulitzer Prize, which could be part of research for a group project. Each group could take one of the difference references and share research findings to the class. This would teach research techniques and shares “random knowledge” with the students.

Chapters 6-10:
• Summary:
Shawn begins by explaining he loves his seizures because they take him to places he cannot go in “reality”. He has a fully-able body and is able to spin, walk, run, skip, fly and do whatever he wants. Additionally, he says his spirit leaves his body and he can actually watch his body during the seizure. He laughs uncontrollably whenever he is seizing just out of brain stem activity. Shawn does go to school; he is in a severe/profound special education class. Shawn talks about each of the individuals in the classroom, the teacher and two assistants. It becomes very clear that along with a clearly thinking mind, Shawn is also developing hormonally as any typical adolescent does. He describes the dynamics of the class and says he thinks he’s the only “secret genius” in the class. He talks openly about things that make him and the others in his class different, and he speaks in a sarcastic tone about it. His dad comes into his class at school with a film guy from PBS to talk about Shawn and how the school system is “educating the uneducable”. He goes on to discuss how it costs $35, 000 per student like Shawn per year for services. Then Shawn seizes and as he awakens, he hears again his dad using the phrase “end his pain”. Shawn talks openly about the additional pressures his condition has placed on his family and how he feels that his dad divorced him not his mom. However, his dad and he share a special skill, they both have double joined thumbs and this becomes an area of bonding between Shawn and his dad, after describing this, Shawn goes on to say that he trusts his dad will always do what’s best for him. Then, Shawn’s sister Cindy has friends over for a sleepover. Shawn says this is a time when he enjoys being invisible to people because the girls run around and talk about all kinds of interesting juicy stuff. Cindy has a new friend over, Ally, and Shawn is automatically love-struck to the point that he dreams about he and Ally that night. The chapter ends with Shawn’s mom Lindy calling Cindy and Paul downstairs and telling them that their father is writing a book about Earl Defraux, a father who killed his 2 year old son with severe and profound disabilities out of said mercy for his son’s suffering, and he is inviting the children to come onto the Alice Springs show with him to talk about his research and the Earl situation. Cindy and Paul both feel very strongly that they certainly do not agree with what Earl did and will not support their father. However, Cindy comes around and goes with him but Paul sticks to his strong feelings and refuses.

• Reflection:
This was really the meat of the book, and it set it up for a really interesting ending. Shawn talking about loving his seizures is really ironic compared to what we think about seizures but it makes sense. What if all along, we think people who have seizures are in immense pain when really they are feeling feelings of joy and happiness during them? I got really worried when Shawn’s dad came to school because it seemed he was building some case about why kids like Shawn would be better off dead than in school supported by lots of tax payer money trying to be educated when it was an impossible feat, or so he thought. The part about Cindy and her friends and Shawn’s interest in them was hilarious to me because mentally Shawn is a typical adolescent male and of course he was using his invisibility to his advantage in this situation, most kids his age would probably envy him for that fact. When the part about the Alice Springs show came, I got really worried because I didn’t know what the kids would feel about it because I know having a sibling like Shawn does put a lot of pressure on other family members but I was so happy to hear they would never let that happen.

• Highlight/favorite part:
I liked the part about Shawn and his obsession with Ally. I think it’s easy to forget since Shawn cannot move or act on any of his feelings or thoughts that Shawn does have all the typical thoughts a boy of fourteen years old has. I thought it was so funny to hear how he uses the fact that some people see him as invisible to his advantage and to watch his sister’s friends and listen to their conversations.

• What left you hanging/what happens next?
I wanted to know what happened on the filming of the Alice Spring’s show. I also wanted to know how Shawn’s mom and siblings felt about whatever their dad had to say on the show.
• Possible activity:
Create a debate discussion atmosphere where pairs of students are either assigned to be for or against Earl Defaux’s situation. Students must find evidence and back up their side of the discussion and debate in front of the class accordingly. Sides will be assigned, not chosen.

Rochelle: I have to agree with you about loving Shawn's sense of humor, he's histerical. I also really like your activity idea about the double bubble and having students compare what people think about Shawn to what really is. This would be a great way to talk about perception and how making assumptions can sometimes be very dangerous!

Rosalie: I agree with you about liking when authors incoporate different types of literature within a work. I think the poem at the beginning of each chapter does effectively serve as a way my interest is peaked and my attention is captured as a reader. I also really like your research project, it has guidelines but leaves a lot of room for kids to use their imagination. :)

Chapters 6-10
Summary:
In chapter 6, Shawn begins to explain more in-depth about what his seizures are like and why he loves them so much. When he has a seizure, it looks like he is in intense pain, but he loves them because they take him to reality and allow him to be free from his body. Shawn talks about how when he has seizures his spirit leaves his body and he can be “normal” and do “normal” things. As he is describing this, he reveals that he is just like every other boy with hormones and desires. He loves the thought of and looks of females and desires to be able to be with them. He tells us that he is considered the “lowest” person in his class, but he knows that he is secretly the smartest kid there. While at school one day, his dad came in with PBS to do a special segment on “educating the ineducable”. He does the report with Shawn in the background. In the middle of the interview, Shawn has a seizure and his spirit returns to his body at the end of the segment only to hear him say something about “ending his pain”. This scares Shawn. He thinks that his father is trying to kill him, and after his previous experiences, Shawn feels that this is a confirmation of his father’s plans. When Shawn gets home from school that day, his sister, Cindy, has a lot of her friends over for a sleepover. Shawn loves it when this happens because he becomes invisible and can listen in on their deep conversations and gets to see them run around in their underwear. Cindy has a new friend over, named Ally. Shawn immediately falls in love with her, and that night he dreams about her. In the last chapter, Shawn’s father approaches Lindy, Cindy, and Paul about coming on a show for an interview about the Earl Defraux story. Defraux was a man who killed his two year old son with severe disabilities to end his pain. Shawn’s mother, brother, and sister refuse to even consider such a thing and think that their dad is going insane.
I enjoyed reading these chapters. It started to give me a better understanding of Shawn’s seizures and why he likes them so much. I'm curious to know what Shawn’s father is exactly thinking and what he is planning to do.

Possible activity:
I would have my students think about the concept of Shawn’s spirit coming out of his body. They could write a creative paper about what they would do and how they would feel if their spirit came out of their body. They can also talk about the significance of why Shawn loves having his seizures so his spirit can come out of him.

After reading chapters 6-10, I've begun to notice how each chapter begins with a short excerpt from poems Shawn's father wrote. It seems to be a very vivid illustration of what Lindy and Sydney have experienced together as a result of Shawn's cerebral palsy. Shawn continues to go into further depth about his seizures and describes their frequency over the course of four chapters. I was surprised at how in depth Terry Trueman was able to go when describing what Shawn's seizures consisted of. I have never had a seizure before, yet felt like I had a good idea of what one might feel like after absorbing Trueman's lengthy, detailed insight. I wondered if he had ever had one, or if perhaps he had just done lengthy research and/or interviews with individuals who consistently experience them. I did find it peculiar when Shawn said, "imagine a world where every time you laughed, everybody else looked sad.", in reference to his seizures. I personally think that Shawn's only escape to experience genuine happiness is during his seizures, yet it is a shame that no one can share this joy with him.
My favorite part of this section was when Shawn describes times when his spirit has left is body by saying, " I do all the things I see and imagine other people do: I soar, sail, walk, run, skip, sit, lie down, roll over, wiggle like a snake, swim like a fish, leap tall buildings in a single bound, slither through cracks in sidewalks and walls, zip over clouds, whirl like a deverish, dance like John Travolta, sing like Kurt Cobain, and look the world in the eye." Shawn's portrayal of a reality in which most individuals experience daily, yet to him is an unknown adventure.
I noticed that Shawn spoke of "Becky", a classroom assistant, who he fantasizes about regularly. Shawn also makes it clear that he is interested in girls when he describes "spying"/observing his sister's friends as they come over to the house. I along with Shawn find it humerus how his observant nature keeps him entertained and informed about females both physically and mentally!Finally, I found that Shawn's opinion about his classmates' intelligence level compared to his "secret genius" abilities was ironically true, and made me wonder if any of the other students share a similar situation as Shawn.
Post-reading with my students, I would have them complete an activity entitled, "Channel 7 News vs. Alice Ponds Show". Students would group themselves into pairs, fulfilling the role of either Sydney McDaniel and Channel 7 camera man or Sydney McDaniel and talk show host Alice. Students will complete the assignment using technology such as a video camera and/or a recording device. Students should complete and outline an in depth argument as to a.) Should tax dollars be spend in order to "educate the ineducable"? Or are these individuals capable of learning, ultimately making your tax dollars well spent? b.) Was Earl Detraux, along with other convicted individuals simply "putting their child out of misery" or committing a heartless act of murder? Students will conduct their interviews and strong arguments, then host multiple debates on each topic.

Chapters 11-16:

The first couple of chapters began describing Sydney and his daughter Cindy's experience while on The Alice Ponds Show. I was thoroughly entertained as I read Sydney and Alice's conversation and visually imagined the audience expressions', press, and media's opinion of the controversial things that were said. The discussion held pertained to Earl Detraux, a man who murdered his own child who had an intellectual disability. The Alice Ponds Show, and Alice herself seemed to play the devils advocate or perhaps formed her opinions around what society as a whole agreed upon when taking sides. I personally had never put a lot of thought into cases such as Earl's, which aside from the our book, actually occur within our own country. It was interesting to hear the perspective and comments towards cases such as this, coming from a parent who has a child with a disability. It actually makes me nervous for Shawn after hearing what his Dad had to say! The interview that was conducted between Earl and Sydney was equally interesting to hear because it allowed a typically one-sided argument to be perceived from the opposite side. Shawn also had another seizure while watching the show at home with his mom and brother. I have begun to see a repetitive nature of his seizures and feel as if they happen when he or individuals with disabilities come up onto conversation.
One of my favorite parts of the text within these chapters was during Shawn's seizure that he experienced while watching the talk show. He gave a vivid description of the joyful things he thinks about and remembers. It allows me as a reader to learn more about the main character who in the story, is perceived as a mystery to even his own family. He continues his description by making a positive statement that read, "Life can be great, even for me. Even for me". I wish Shawn's dad could hear his son voice this, which could potentially change his mindset about putting "individuals who are helpless out of their misery.". When reading about Shawn's memory with his dad, "holding him tight" as he experienced the simulation at the Science Center; I felt like for once, Shawn and his father were able to make a real connection as Sydney advocated for him.
Finally, the last chapter was very intense but left reader's hanging and free to make their own predictions of what Shawn's outcome would be, Syndey's final decision, etc. I am aware that there is another book that is told from the perspective of Paul, Shawn's older brother. I am curious to read what Paul has to say about his personal life experiences of living with his brother Shawn who lives with cerebral palsy.
A final activity that could be implemented within the classroom and wrap up the last chapters of "Stuck In Neutral" could be entitled, "Stuck In Neutral: Saying Good-bye or New Beginnings?" Students would be given the task of making their own hypothesis of Shawn's outcome. They would write a descriptive story from either Shawn or someone in Shawn's family and how the last chapter in the book would play out or end. Students would be encouraged to further their predictions by writing the next chapter within the story and what events would unfold for the McDaniel family. Student's will then bring something symbolic to class that represents their Chapter 16 ending, personal predictions of what Terry Trueman intended, or writings of their additional chapter. Students will present their symbolic item to classmates and give a brief description of either a.)Their personal hypothesis b.)Their additional chapter c.)their personal predictions of what Terry Trueman would write.

Katherine--
I LOVED your classroom activity idea for Chapters 6-10! I think it's always positive for students to participate in activities that encourage free thinking and creativity. It also encourages students to consider what symbolism is and how author's frequently incorporate it within literature. In addition to this assignment, students' could break up into groups of three to four and share their present their stories/ideas to on another. As a group, students could then combine their stories into an illustrative and collage that was symbolic of what they would see, hear, smell, experience if their spirit was capable of coming out of their body.

Ch. 5-10
Shawn describes the experience of having a seizure in great detail. He says they are all in his head, more than physical, because his medication controls muscle contractions. This makes his seizures more enjoyable than before, and he actually does enjoy them. In contrast his brother and father absolutely hate them. It may be because of the pain they think he’s in or because Shawn has a grin on his face and laughs during them (which the doctor says is an “autonomic, uncontrollable systemic reflex”). For Shawn seizures are a way of sneaking away from his body to a state of freedom and independence.
Dad comes into his class one morning to do a video segment for the news. And what an outrage it is! I can’t believe his argument that the thirty-five thousand dollars per child, per year, that comes from tax dollars is spent on student he claims to be uneducable. “Why do we teach children who cannot learn?” he asks, “Is it worth the price?” Dad is not promoting institutions, merely asking what is to be done. As if having them in a public school is an out rage. I already do not like the father. EVERY student deserves the services tax dollars provide. He is being prejudice against his own son. And again, when Shawn has a seizure Dad says “shouldn’t someone end his pain?”
Shawn starts thinking about love. He knows the unconditional love his mother has and wants to love and be loved by a girl. That girl was his sister’s friend Ally. The night after Ally slept over and Shawn thought of love, his mom told him and his siblings their father was writing a book about a man who had recently killed his son with a seizure disorder. The kids were already mad at him for leaving but now he wanted to “exploit” their family on a talk show. Mom explained Dad wanted to do it to advocate for families with children with special needs, not just for selfish reasons. But Shawn also recognizes that his dad is getting deeper and deeper into supporting his theory of mercy killing.
I absolutely love Shawn’s sense of humor. He has a beautiful gift of looking at the good things in life and never taking anything too serious. I see this when he describes his classroom set up as “a friggn’ zoo” and “an amazing piece of work”. His relationship with William, one of the teacher’s assistant, is expressed in a way that radiates admiration and makes the bond between the two glow. His use of sarcasm, calling William an “incredibly cruel, vicious psychopath with huge hairy arms who tortures us and does terrible things to us whenever we’re alone with him…” shows the playful relationship the two must have. He obviously has a thing for Becky, the other TA. He describes her breasts as any school age boy would, objects of desire and adoration.
Shawn shows no self pity, a noble trait, and thinks of himself and his classmates as weirdos for the simple fact that they do not “do the same things in the same ways and at the same pace” as normal people. They are only retards because that is what normal people call them.
So, I’m still left wondering, what are Dad’s motives for all this research on killing children who are suffering, and how is it all going to end? Will dad redeem himself and turn out to be a hero, because right now I am not a fan of him?
Something students could look into for this section of the book would be a history of parental homicide of their children. It’s a gruesome topic, but I think it is very relevant when dealing with the stresses and thought processes of families who have a member with a disability.

Chapters 11-15:
• Summary:
At the beginning of the chapter Shawn, his mom, Cindy and Paul are gathered in the family room to watch the Alice Springs Show. On the show the crowd is very one sided, opposed to what Earl Defraux did to his son. However, Shawn’s dad strongly makes a case for the fact that it was done out of mercy for his son. On the show, they then show an interview with Earl where he recounts his actions and talks about how he would do it again because he is sure he spared his son from his own misery. By the end of the show, Cindy and Paul now have the same worry that Shawn has about his dad killing him. But as long as Paul is there, Cindy knows their dad will not have a chance and then Shawn flashes back to an incident that happened when Paul protected him. Shawn was sitting in his wheel chair on their porch while Paul was working in that garden. Two strangers were at the bus stop and kept asking Shawn when the bus was coming. Obviously he didn’t answer so the boys walked up to him and were taunting him and finally got a Bic lighter and were about to burn him when Paul attacked them. He beat them to a pulp, covered them in gasoline, and was about to set thing on fire when Cindy ran out and stopped him. From that point on, Shawn knew Paul would always protect him. Then Shawn talks about a time when his family went to a Science Center and Cindy and Paul rode this ride where it was like they were flying and then he figured that would be that but then their dad demanded that Shawn get to do it. Even though the operator was hesitant, Shawn’s dad insisted and Shawn got to do it. There is lots of evidence that Shawn’s dad obviously loves him very much. Shawn talks a lot about wanting someone to just know him. He feels like many people love him because they have no reason not to or they have to, but he wants to be known and then loved for the person he is since no one really knows who that is. One night, he dreams that he is out of his body and at his dad’s house. He’s talking with his dad and his dad is really upset and crying and saying that he is so sorry that his baby boy is gone. The next day, Lindy takes Cindy and her friends to an out of town game and a respite care provider comes to stay with Shawn. She doesn’t give him a lot of attention but time passes quickly. Then shockingly Shawn’s dad decides to come stay the night with Shawn, which he has never done in the fourteen years of Shawn’s life, and the respite care provider leaves for the night. After she’s gone, Shawn’s dad goes up to his room, lowers the side of Shawn’s bed, takes a pillow into his lap, and begins talking with Shawn. He repeatedly says how much he loves Shawn and how he would do anything in the world for him. Just as the situation climaxes and you are dying to know whether he kills Shawn or spares him, Shawn has a seizure and the book ends, leaving you to your own interpretation of what really happened.

• Reflection:
What an ambiguous ending! After reading the part about Shawn’s dad on the Alice Springs show, I had a gut feeling that Shawn’s dad was planning to kill him and in addition to writing his book, he’s doing this research to almost convince his conscience. There is no doubt that his dad loves him, but I do think that out of mercy for what his dad does know about Shawn, he would do it for him, why else would he take up the case of Earl Defaux and try and defend him basically on national television. When Shawn’s mom left, I had a really bad feeling and rightfully so because when Shawn’s dad called and asked to come stay the night, I knew it was no good. Honestly at one point I thought the dad might commit suicide but when he went into Shawn’s room and took the pillow into his lap I felt for sure that this was it. Then when Shawn’s seized I thought thank goodness. I think his dad came there with intentions of killing Shawn but after the seizure, I don’t know if his dad will still do it.

• Highlight/favorite part:
I liked the part where Shawn’s dad demanded that his son have a chance to do the ride like Cindy and Paul did. Even though the operator was hesitant, Shawn’s dad said “I didn’t want to take the wheelchair” meaning to me that Shawn is so much more than his wheelchair and little does he know that it really is so true.

• What left you hanging/what happens next?
Of course, I was dying to know what Shawn’s dad did, and if he did not kill Shawn, if it weren’t for the seizure, would he have, was that his intention?

• Possible activity:
Have the students write the ending to the story. Have them use evidence from the book to support why they feel the book would end as they write it to.

Rochelle: Cool activity about having kids the kids be assigned a role and argue their points as that person. I had a similar idea, and I think it would be a great way to develop lots of skills and put into action the comprehension of the text as well as critical reasoning of what they are reading. :)

Rosalie: I really liked your idea about researching the topic of parental homocide. I do agree with you that it is a gruesome topic, but it definitely is something that would get kids thinking about different struggles people go through and really understanding that people are so much more than just want you see at school with them. This book is one account, so it would make it easier for them to build an opinion about the topic if they know more about other information and other individual's stories. Yay! :)

This book brings up some very controversial issues. “Have you ever wondered if a definition of love might not include taking responsibility for someone who cannot take responsibility for this or her self?” Euthanasia and voluntary euthanasia were discussed pretty deeply; “If you were unable to kill yourself but you wanted to be dead, don’t you think you’d want somebody to know your wishes?” This is almost beside the point though, because Shawn has never been able to discuss his desire to end life. Dad claims Earl, who killed his son with a seizure disorder, loved his son enough to end his own life to end his child’s pain. When I stopped to think about it, this is a real everyday struggle for families with a child with a disability. It is a touchy subject. When a person falls into a coma it is likely that they have a living will or have discussed the matter with their family as some point in the conscious life. But, when a child has severe disabilities they have never been and will never be able to discuss the issue of euthanasia with their family. There is no way the family can know their wishes.
After Shawn’s dad and sister appeared on the talk show- and after another seizure- he over hears Cindy and Paul talking about the show. They discussed Shawn’s safety, if he was in danger from his father. They both agree that dad would have to go through them first. This brought back a memory for Shawn of a time when Paul proved his loyalty, in the best way brother could. Two neighborhood hoodlums started assaulting Shawn, verbally and by burning him. Paul comes around the corner and knocked both boys, who were bigger than him, to the ground until they are not moving. Cindy came to the rescue just in time, right after he poured gasoline on tem and had a BIC lighter in his had. Shawn though “I never loved and feared Paul more than in that moment”.
In a dream Shawn visits his father, who sees him as an angel. They are able to converse in the dream, and Dad says he’s sorry he was gone and sorry he “had to let him go”. After this peculiar dream, Dad comes to spend the night with Shawn, “relieving” the babysitter of the duty, while Mom and the siblings are at a sporting tournament out of town. This is a shock to Shawn because in all his life his father never spent the whole night alone with him. His father sits next to him on the bed, saying how much he loves Shawn, a love that no one would understand unless they had been in the same position before. All the time you wonder if this is Dad’s goodbye because he holds a pillow in his lap (a pillow was Earl’s method of choice to smother his son). As Dad cry’s and shares his feelings Shawn begins to have a seizure.

Well, this is a cliff hanger. Did Dad do it or not. I am left wonder and inferring what possibly happened. My instinct is to say that Dad ended it all for him; the seizure at the end would put him over the edge. There is a part of me, though, that would say No Dad had a change of heart when he looked into Shawn’s eyes; at least this is what I hope.

My favorite parts where when Shawn shared his memories of his family sticking up for him. When his father made sure he was able to get on the ride, making it clear that the wheelchair isn’t going to riding the ride, it would be his son; the wheel chair is not part of his son and is not what wanted to ride. When Paul took on 2 boys that were not any smaller than him I was so happy to see his adrenaline take over and his will to protect his brother who could not protect himself.

Since this book touches on a very controversial issue it could be used as an introduction to a lesson on persuasive writing and other controversial areas. Students could practice taking a side by taking a side on what they think the dad did or being assigned a side of what the dad should do. After that they should pick their own topic of interest to research and share about a controversial subject.

@Elle- I like your idea of having the class use the passage about Shawn's seizures as a“doorways to a place better than reality” for a writing entry. This could really get the student to think creatively and put their proverbial feet into Shawn's shoes.
@Rochelle- I like the idea of incorporating technology by recreating the News 7 and the Alice Pond show. What a great way for the kids to act out the book and use a video camera.

Chapters 11-16 response- Katherine Wiggins

Chapter 11 starts off with Lindy (Shawn’s mother), Cindy (sister), and Paul (brother) sitting in the living room watching the airing of The Alice Ponds Show that his father and sister appeared in. Shawn is sitting at his usual spot in the kitchen in front of the window listening to the show. The topic of the show was “parents who kill”. They talked about Earl Detraux, a man who murdered his own child with severe disabilities and showed an exclusive interview that Shawn’s father had with him. Mr. McDaniel (Shawn’s father) talked about Shawn and his current situation with him. Mr. McDaniel explained that he loved Shawn very much and knows with no doubt that Earl Detraux loved his son as well. Shawn’s father confessed that it was very hard to see Shawn every day and wonder if he was just a vegetable or had some brain functioning. He hated to see Shawn have his seizures because he looked like he was in so much pain. Mr. McDaniel openly talked about his struggle that since he loves his son so much, is it right to keep him here even if he is always in pain? Shawn’s father talked about how huge of a struggle it is to make hard decisions for your kids even when you love them so much. As Shawn was listening to this, he came to the conclusion that his father was trying to find a reason not to kill him. Before he can hear any more, another seizure comes and he misses the rest of the program. When he comes to, Cindy and Paul are talking quietly in the living room. They are whispering about if they think their dad has the guts to kill Shawn or not and if they think Shawn is safe. This makes Shawn nervous to think that they are discussing his safety, but he is confident that his brother, Paul, will protect him. Shawn begins to reminisce about a time last summer when some bullies came up to him and began to pick on him and hold a lighter up to the bottom of his chin. Paul catches them and beats them to a pulp, then pours gasoline all over them and was about to catch them on fire when his sister, Cindy, ran outside and stopped him. Shawn knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Paul would protect him no matter what. But, Shawn also knows that Paul will be leaving soon to go on a weekend trip and that he will eventually go to college, so he knows that Paul cannot protect him forever. The next several days, Shawn can’t think of anything but his father. He relives many memories that he has had with his father, like Christmas mornings and going on roller coasters at the park. Shawn dreams at night that he is with his father and can tell him verbally that he loves him. He tries so hard to let his father know that he loves him. The weekend comes and Paul, Cindy, and Lindy are all leaving on a weekend trip and are leaving Shawn behind with a full-time caregiver. Shawn is worried that they are leaving him, but feels like he can’t control anything anyway. When Shawn is tucked in bed and his caregiver is watching TV in the next room, he suddenly hears his father come in through the front door and tell his caregiver that she can leave for the night. His father comes into his bedroom and sits at the end of his bed and picks up a pillow and holds it in his lap. He is fighting back tears and talks to Shawn about how he struggles that he does not even know who Shawn is-what is capabilities are and if he can even understand anything that he is saying. Shawn tries to say that he loves his dad, but he cannot force himself to communicate. As Shawn is trying this, he begins to have another seizure. His final thought, before he gives way to the seizure, is that he is not afraid of death. Death may be like a seizure where his soul can finally fly free.

I was so disappointed that we did not learn exactly what happened at the end of this book!! I really enjoyed this book and hearing from Shawn’s point of view about his disability and how his father struggled to understand Shawn’s needs and thoughts. Really, no one could truly understand who Shawn was and what he was capable of. I loved exploring the different point of views and struggles that everyone dealt with.

A good activity to do with a class is for them to write the ending to the story. Did Shawn’s father kill him? Did he spare his life? I think this would spark good conversation and new creative ideas.