I Made a Comic Strip (It's so bad)

 Using websites like Canva to make comic strips is pretty fun. I think it would be a good way to get unmotivated students to incorporate story analysis with art. Take a shakespeare unit, for example. Many, or most, younger students may dread writing feedback about their understanding of Romeo & Juliet. But if you introduce them to something where they use art skills to re-tell the play in their own comic strip, they'll probably see it as less work (though intellectually it is, my crappy rushed comic took me hours to make), and most will probably get it done more efficiently than if they had to apply their understanding in writing.

I also think it would be cool if a social studies class were assigned to do presentations for current events with their own comic strips instead of powerpoints. As I mentioned before with writing, there are a lot of students who dread making detailed presentations. There are also a lot of students who dread watching them, and because of that they may not give their upmost attention. I feel like the likeliness of both of those issues are lower if you used something more visual and eye-catching to spread important information about what's going on in the world. It may also be easier to remember details so the information will really stick with the listeners.

As the title of this post tells you, I made a comic strip of my own. I used Canva, and instead of choosing a story or making my own, I based it off of the game Can Your Pet. It's a cute game where you get to raise your very own pet chick. You can dress it up as you like, feed it, bathe it, play ball. And when it's time, you have to let him go. I used to play when I was around 9 or 10, it and watch gameplays on youtube of my favourite channels reacting to this quick and lighthearted web game. My friend Graham was the one who first introduced me to it, and it changed my life. Literally.

Ms PJ - Confused yet? LOL. I will have you play this game on Monday during class. You won't understand the comic otherwise. Don't worry though, it'll be quick and fun! 

Gender Queer: a Memoir, by Maia Kobabe

 

Published by Lion Forge Comics in 2019

Ms. PJ recommended this Graphic Novel style memoir by Maia Kobabe, is an American cartoonist and author who identifies as non-binary and asexual. e is also dyslexic and did not learn to read until age 11, which we see in the more beginning part of the book. Kobabe graduated with an MFA in comics from California College of the Arts. Eir work often displays themes of identity, sexuality, and anti-fascism. Gender Queer, being eir first full-length book, is about the journey of how e grew up discovering eir identity as a non-binary and asexual individual. I found it deeply inspiring, and could even relate as someone who is currently a cisgender AFAB. Everyone questions their identity, hopefully, at multiple points of their lives. I think it's important to listen to and share stories to and from people who are figuring things out themselves, or already have and hope help make the journey easier for others than it may have been on themselves.

Unfortunately, there are those who do not agree with the following, and therefore everyone with that same morality must suffer. That's right, unfortunately, Gender Queer is on the list of banned books, even in our very own school. People want it banned for "pornography."

Yeah, right.

I can't believe it's 2023, where society is supposedly 'making progress' and everyone can coexist. And yet, fascist bigots still cannot admit that they are fascist bigots, and thus make lousy attempts to cover their true opinions. I mean, come on. You either discriminate openly and move on, or choose to simply coexist peacefully. Don't ban a book for "pornography" when really it's just the fact that the "pornography" (aka artistic display of reproductive, sexual, hormonal experiences) is not within a heterosexual relationship. I could probably find umpteen hundred different books in our school library alone with the most vile, dirty, steamy, raw sex scenes between some generic white dude and a victoria's secret model-type woman. Seriously, nobody has a problem with Colleen Hoover. But when it's the exploration of LGBTQIA+ sexuality, all hell rains down upon earth apparently.

I've been traumatised by the heterosexual sadists in novels who enjoy tying their pleasure dolls up and performing carnage, actual carnage, on a woman's reproductive organs. But people think 50 Shade's of Grey is so hot, and thus so many women get the idea that roughness, degradation, and high-key rape-y behaviour is what makes up a good sexual experience. You see that in so many hetero romances. I mean, you like what you like I guess, but if I had the morals of those who want to ban GQ for the sexual scenes (that were actually light-hearted, kind of wholesome, and showcased acceptance and respect for a sexual partner), then I would be so quick to ban those books. (50 Shades is a good trilogy of course, IMO, however that's like purely because of Christian's character development)

Not once did I feel uncomfortable at any point during the reading of this book, and I really don't agree with it being on the banned book list. It's so obvious to me that GQ is on it due to bigotry, and nobody is noticing that or correcting it. 

If I were a 12th grade Psychology teacher, I could see using Gender Queer for an assignment on gender identity and sexuality, and also including the effects book bans can curate for society.

(Wont let me embed)

Reflecting & Thinking Ahead (Pt 2)

 Did you honestly think that I, a student librarian (on purpose!) am not an extreme bookworm? Oh, you didn't? Yeah, I figured.

I'm super into anatomy, the workings of the human body, mental health/illness research. I'm especially into neuroscience, because it pretty much has to do with all of that. Recently, I finished reading The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett, which pushed me so much further into my nerdy fixation on the human brain. It's a non-fiction self-help book (published February 16, 2016) where the author, a neuroscientist, explains (and sort of dumbs down - as much as neurology can be dumbed down at least) some important inner-workings of the human brain and how it contributes to the things I bet most people experience everyday, such as addiction and emotions (etc). It's meant to help understand your mind so you know what can be done in situations where it acts out, and what exactly may be causing the reactions. Not only did I love reading this because of my passion for neuroscience, but also because now that I know all of these seemingly basic aspects of the brain, I feel reborn in a way. I feel that I can handle tough or overwhelming situations and genuinely self-improve because of everything I learned from this book. 

The beginning of chapter 7, titled Group Hug! - How the brain is influenced by other people, is opened with the following passage;

"Many claim to not care what anyone thinks of them. They will say this often, and loudly, going great lengths to behave in ways that make it absolutely clear to anyone who'll listen."

It goes on to talk about how anyone who tries to be different does so in hopes of approval, and the same going for those who try to fit in. Either way we place ourselves in categories and groups of others. Human beings are driven by the opinions and approvals of others, henceforth, I will never actually be out of highschool. Life is highschool, if that's the way this cookie will crumble.

And this is just one of many examples of the author using sarcasm, humour, wit, and so on, to spread information. He does it in a way that even though the topic of the book itself may not interest an average individual who may not really care to know about the patterns of the brain, they will likely still be inclined to read more. That's what I meant by dumbing it down. I think it's a very effective way to write research-y kinds of literature because I think it's very important to know about your body, and that most definitely includes the organ that controls, like, the whole thing, especially important whilst it's still developing so you can grow to understand alongside your brain. And this witty style of informative writing can indeed gather the attention of many younger generations that wouldn't give it the time of day otherwise.

Sometimes not knowing what's going on can be frustrating, scary, upsetting, overwhelming. Having that understanding of what's wrong, what's the cause, and how might it be fixed, can be the most relieving thing. I'd recommend this book to many, like myself, who simply need the comfort of knowing what could be going on in their heads. People who may not have access to someone specialised that already knows it all, or might shove remedies in your pocket that don't help or make things worse. I'd recommend this to someone who wants to do better in school, at work, or in any relationship.

Reflecting and Thinking Ahead (Pt. 1)

 The Sesame Street video was really cute. Cookie monster was my top favorite character besides Elmo, Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus. And the order is the same to this day of course. I didn't learn anything from it, but I loved the sense of nostalgia I got from watching it. I love things that remind me of when I was just a wee thing. Now I'm a big wee-wee. Ba-dum-tsss.

Anyways, working in the Library this month has been so chill. I get first dibs on any new book, free pastries from teachers I don't know, customer service experience I guess (like am I wrong? no.) not to mention I get to spend so much time in a place I love with like what's left of my cold stoney heart. I also am like 86% sure I have OCD so I like shelving books and setting them out in categories when Ms. PJ has a class in the library. I enjoy the social media posts too, they're so fun and I love selecting which books to post on the stories because I love to give book recommendations. The blogs are fun, but I'm still improving my ability to throw my best effort into them. I think I'm doing okay. I also have been reading so much more than I already did before being SL. I think that's because I now have such easy access and am constantly revolved around literature. I'm glad we started a book club, as I think it's an essential for every library in my non-expert opinion. I think we should do more to display literature and our library in general throughout the school. Technology has made our generation so out of touch from real life, and I think it's important to at least make the consideration of picking up a real book and reading an option for our youth.

This is a scene from Monsters University, which is like one of my favourite Pixar films. It's not informative at all, I just think it's funny how librarians in films are always perceived as like some old, grey haired, super cranky lady who's always shushing people. And then in reality, you have librarians like Ms. PJ, with pink hair and cute stationary tools. They even listen to Weezer.

WTNF is wrong with Dewey?

 Before we start, WITNF is my own personal creation that I just thought of right now as an individual with a split personality - student librarian by day, rebellious teenager by dusk. I'm very mysterious.

It means What The Non-Fiction. I'm also very clever, as you can see.

Anyways, I hate the Dewey decimal system, but before reading these articles it was just because I thought it was annoying and there are IMO a variety of better ways to categorise non-fiction. And now that I have some real dirt on my dude Melville Dewey and his horrible division system, you best believe I am utmost honoured, delighted even, to be the one to display said dirt on your very screen in front of you.

First of all, man was discriminatory as HECK. Like even the people back in his day were shocked by his antisemitism, and considering it was like the 1800s or something, that says a lot already - but we shall go on. Dude even had his own private social club that "did not allow Jews or blacks to become members or visitors." seriously. The club even had its own pamphlet that read “No one shall be received as a member or guest, against whom there is physical, moral, social or race objection. … It is found impracticable to make exceptions to Jews or others excluded, even when of unusual personal qualifications.”

Finally, he was so racist that he even infused his creation of the DDS with it. First of all, Dewey was 21 when he invented the system, which automatically forces my hand and I have to believe that he was bonkers drunk when he did so. No one can tell me otherwise. I'm a hater, and haters gonna hate. Period. But anyways, Dewey was one of those generic white Christians who believe that no other religions or cultural/ethnic perceptions were valid nor were they a priority. That being said, in the DDS, you can find the topic of religion under the 200s. However, 60% of that section is made up of subjects on Christianity, which is literally one of over four thousand different religions. Those four thousand? Crammed in the remaining 40% space. Not to mention there's an entire section in the 200s that is "just for black people." Yowza.

Oh! Dewey was also sexist and hella creepy! AWESOME! 

Yeah in the last article, I read that he repeatedly got called out in his day for sexual harassment. Today, he would be a registered sex offender. But yeah no just go ahead and use his organisation system (WHICH IS LITERALLY OUTDATED APPARENTLY????) In public schools and libraries worldwide!!! It's not like it's literally the future where we can generate an entirely new and effective system with the help of, like, a robot or the digital soul of Einstein or whatever.

Like - okay, I 'm not smart enough to create my own system, besides, I'm young and more out of touch with reality than your average folk, but can't we just alter the DDS or something at least? So that everything has it's own section that isn't overruled by the other subcategories. Add more numbers idk. Use symbols - like how books about truth and reconciliation go under the Indigenous category with the orange feather. Again I wouldn't know, but that doesn't mean Melville Dewey is the library god and is the only holder-of-truth when it comes to how to organise non-fiction as opposed to fiction.

I mean, I get that altering systems or finding ways to subject literally anything without it being even the slightest bit controversial is hard and definitely some sort of process, but, like, there are people on this Earth who have to pee on themselves to stay warm, so I really don't think it should be that much of a burden yk?