45 pages • 1 hour read
True Notebooks: A Writer's Year at Juvenile Hall
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Essay Topics
What motivates Mark to begin teaching the class at the Central Juvenile Hall? How does his motivation change throughout the book?
What are some of the topics Mark has his students write about early on? How do the students' responses to these topics reflect their experience in jail?
Early in the book, Nathaniel Hall tells Mark that he is able to "play" him. What does this mean? How does this compare with other warnings Mark has received from the staff?
Why is Benny Wong picked on by the other students? How does he respond to his treatment? How does Mark respond to this dynamic, and why?
The majority of Mark's students are high-risk offenders and violent criminals. How does this affect their perspective on their futures, and their writing in the class?
Mr. Sills tells Mark that the students need the staff to be "tough" with them, as it demonstrates concern. Does Mark's experience teaching the student-inmates support or refute this recommendation?
What does Judge O'Neill say in Kevin's sentencing? How does it compare and contrast with Mark's own thoughts on Kevin's personality?
What was in the letter Mr. Sills sent to be read at Kevin's sentencing? Why do you believe Mr. Sills did not mention this to Mark, when they spoke?
Jose, towards the end of the book, suggests that it is "nice" that the students try to be good, but it doesn't really matter, given where they are going. Is he right? Why or why not?
In his final letter to Mark, Kevin insists that he will "use the time to grow."Is this possible, given the long sentence he has received? What does this say about how the legal system perceives the possibility of growth and change?
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