Holler If You Hear Me, Comic Edition

This graphic memoir of teaching in urban America is a brilliant reimagining of the classic text by Gregory Michie, Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students. Michie is joined by illustrator Ryan Alexander-Tanner and 10 artists—most of them young people of color—to bring a fresh, vibrant energy to the original tale of struggle and hope in the classroom. First published in 1999, the text has become one of the most enduring teacher memoirs of our time. Using comics to tell the story, this edition weaves back and forth, like the original, between Michie’s awakening as a young teacher and the first-person stories of his students. Set in 1990s Chicago, but startlingly relevant today, this powerful adaptation of a long-time educator favorite is sure to inspire a new generation of teachers, students, and anyone who is concerned about the future of public education.

Book Features:

• A comics format that draws readers in and adds to the power of Michie’s original text.
• Each chapter is adapted and illustrated by a different artist, most of whom are young people of color.
• A new introduction and afterword by Michie and Alexander-Tanner that contextualize this comic edition.
• Students reflect on their experiences inside and outside of school.
• Highlights critical, present-day issues in K–12 schools, such as culturally relevant curriculum, cross-cultural teaching, racial justice, and the social contexts of teaching.

Gregory Michie teaches 7th- and 8th-graders in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. He is the author, most recently, of Same as It Never Was: Notes on a Teacher’s Return to the Classroom. Ryan Alexander-Tanner is an art teacher, illustrator, and coauthor (with William Ayers) of To Teach: The Journey, in Comics.

“Individually and as a collection, these stories remind educators of their primary purpose: to fully see the young people they teach with and learn from each day. Interpreted and adapted by a group of incredible young artists, this new edition is a particular gift to those eager to see with young people, shifting our lens toward empathy and justice as we learn the value of seeing school through their eyes.”
—Carla Shalaby, Coordinator of Social Justice Initiatives and Community Internships, University of Michigan School of Education

"What moved me when I first read Holler years ago as a new teacher, and moves me even more now with the new graphic novel, is Greg’s willingness to keep listening to young people, to keep valuing their inherent brilliance, and to keep seeking ways to make his instruction respond directly to relevant issues. I cannot wait to share Holler If You Hear Me, Comic Edition."
—Kim Parker, cofounder of #DisruptTexts, and assistant director of the Teacher Training Center at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts

“It is a great and marvelous thing to be reminded that to change the world we need only to change ourselves. Greg Michie and his students give me that hope.”
—Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street

CONTENTS (Tentative)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii
Authors’ note on race and representation ix

INTRODUCTION 1

1. ROOM TO LEARN 5
TAVARES 17
Illustrated by deon reed

2. NEVER TOUCH A STUDENT 21
HECTOR 33
Illustrated by tatum howlett

3. TERRIBLEHORRIBLENOGOODVERYBAD 36
ARMANDO 48
Illustrated by xena lopez

4. THE STORY OF THEIR LIVES 52
NANCY 65
Illustrated by isabelle dizon

5. LOOK AT YOUR HANDS 69
LOURDES 80
Illustrated by sarita hernandez

6. NO ZOMBIES ALLOWED 84
PALOMA 94
Illustrated by hennessy morales

7. SEE IF I CARE 98
RUBY 108
Illustrated by dalin dohrn

8. YOU GOTTA BE HARD 111
JUAN 122
Illustrated by citlali perez

9. AND JUSTICE FOR SOME 125
REGGIE 139
Illustrated by august abitang and tatum howlett

10. TO BE CONTINUED 143
YESENIA 154
Illustrated by Stephany jimenez

AFTERWORD  159

ABOUT THE AUTHORS 163