How should we respond when a teacher rejects my son's graphic novel for a 'novel of your choice' assignment?
Education"It isn't the kind of novel I meant," the teacher told my son. He had spent the weekend making notes about the book's panels, captions and repeated images.
He's thirteen. The assignment sheet said "a novel of your choice" and asked for a discussion of a character's changing loyalties. It didn't say whether a graphic novel was allowed. The teacher now says the task is intended to assess analysis of sustained prose.
My son wants me to argue that the book counts. I can see why he thought it did, and I can also see that the teacher may have had a particular skill in mind. The report is due next Friday.
Should we ask for his current choice to be considered, or for time to choose something that meets the clarified task? He has stopped writing because he thinks either option means admitting his reading wasn't real reading.