Boy Meets Boy

Today while in class I became very intrigued during discussion to find that many or most other people in class were pondering the same type of questions I had about the book. While not only in small discussion groups but also in large group discussion, questions arose about the community within which Paul resides. I was very interested to find out that once others in the class had done a little research on Levithan's website, he actually provided some sort of rationale for creating the community that he did. I found it very pondering that he possibly did this on purpose to show his readers what the world should and possibly one day will be like. I find this very hopeful for those who view the world as a prejudice place. It brought to mind a few other questions that I had been wondering throughout the novel. I began to wonder and anticipate the time when Levithan was going to have Paul explain that he was in a special school or community. I kept wondering if her was enrolled in a special high school that in some way protected the "atypical" teen. As we discussed in class, I came to find out that there actually are high schools in existence that hold special places for students with different prefrences. Valerie, you mentioned it a little in class but I was just wondering if you knew the type or criteria that was in order for such a high school. I mean I imagine that these are rare seeing as I have never heard of them before as well as somewhat complicated to get established. I also then begin to wonder if this type of seclusion or safe haven as some may call it, is really that in fact. In some ways I feel it is important that people with similar characteristics should be surrounded by one another, but then again I feel that it may actually end of sheltering them in the long run. I also wonder how other students that perhaps attend public schools near these alternative schools would react to those students once they came in contact with them.

These ideas actually bring me to another thought about the high schools in my hometown. They have just begun the process of seperating the middle school and high school grade levels. When I was in high school it went from 9th-12th grade and middle school consisted of 6th-8th. Well, recently a decision was made to build 9th grade wings or in this case entire seperate buildings for the 9th graders so their transition from 8th to 9th grade would be easier. The Boy Meets Boy discussion made me think about this idea and I offer my thoughts...I believe that seperating the new 9th graders really does not do much benefit. I think that the old 9th grade freshman will in some ways become the new 10th grade freshman and the transition will be the same regardless. Either way those sheltered 9th graders will need to face the real world of high school sooner than later. So going back to my discussion of the novel, I wonder if creating alternate schools in some areas serves this same purpose--to ease the transition out into the real world? Well enough of my ranting, these were just a couple of things that sparked my thought process while discussing Boy Meets Boy