What is Next?

Where will I go from here?
It seems like a simple questions but when I think more about it I realize it is a very complex question. As we have learned more and more about the lack of diversity of children's literature, I have realized the importance of it in the classroom. I know that even though I may not find something offensive, others may.
Some differences that people have are easy to see; like race, or gender. However, the ones that are not physical are often the ones that people feel the most strongly about.
I have decided that it is my duty as a teacher to make sure my students can experience and talk about these important and complex topics like religion and sexual orientation in a safe place where they can discuss things that they may feel ashamed or confused about when talking to others.
I also have decided that I will start researching and paying closer attention to the books I chose for my own library as well as looking and campaigning for my school library to get more books that show multicultural literature in a positive way. I don't want to see the only Jewish literature to be about the holocaust. There is so much more to learn than that!
I also want to instill in my students the importance of not making generalizations, being open to learning about others and their culture, and also being able to stand up for people when they hear someone making a generalization about a group of people. Most of all I want my students to have compassion and be more knowledgeable about the many wonderful differences we have as humans.

Reflection of Final Project

As I look at the collection of books I selected for my topic which is books about children with chronic illnesses, I feel satisfied by them.
The books are by no means perfect, but I am happy that they are at least at the library available for children to look through and read and begin to think about how the characters and similar and different to them. It also gives me hope that children who are affected by serious illnesses, or physical deformities find a connection in some of the books I chose or the others that are available in bookstores and libraries.
However, I am concerned by the lack of good, accurate novels that do not portray stereotypes of people with physical and mental disabilities. The most common problem I found when looking at books were the many generalizations that are made. For example, if the book is about autism, it seems that the characters exudes characteristics that are commonly thought of when thinking of a person with autism, but other characteristics are left out completely. It is important that there are a wide variety of books so that children can see the many different types of people and the complexities that arise when dealing with a chronic illness.
I also hope that libraries, especially school libraries, take notice of the importance of including these types of books because students are curious about these types of things because often asking a person about a deformity or an illness can be uncomfortable and seen as rude. By reading about characters that are not stereotypes students can get a glimpse of a day in the life of a person going through the many ups and downs that come with a disability whether it is physical or mental.

Lizard

Covington, Dennis. Lizard. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books, 1991.
Lizard is a book about a boy who was born with a physical deformity of his face. He lives with a woman who decides he needs to go to the Leesville Louisiana State School for Retarded Boys even though he is not mentally disabled. He runs away with a traveling play and in the process learns about himself and what it means to have compassion for people and have people care about him.
This book started a little slow. The boy is relatable, however his home life is very complex and it is hard to understand the relationship he has with the woman he lives with. Once he goes to the State School, there is some great characters introduced but there is not much development of these characters. When Lizard escapes he is able to learn how to use his deformity to his advantage as well as learn that he must accept this deformity and understand it is part of his identity.
This book is a good piece of diverse literature because it helps the reader become more aware of the troubles someone with a physical deformity would encounter during everyday life. The reason I would be hesitant to read it in a class is because there are some sexual references that are what a normal teenage boy learning about himself may encounter. This book creates a lot of complex relationships that are very believable and make it a real page turner.

Diary of an Anorexic Girl

Menzie, Morgan. Diary of an Anorexic Girl. Nashville: W Group, 2003.
This book is about a teenage girl who is struggling with trying to fit in at her school. She decides that the only way to get people to look at her in a positive way is to be skinnier. It is then that she decides to become anorexic. She also brings religion into her story by talking about how God has affected if she has lost weight or not.
This book is based on the true story of what the author went through while battling anorexia. At the beginning she talks about different characters in the book and how they are related to people in her life. She also writes about the reason that she wrote the book and how it has helped her get through her weight problems.
This is a good piece of diverse literature because it speaks openly and honestly about a Christian girl who feels completely unhappy with herself. It is a character that is so real that she is very easy to relate to. She could be any girl of any race or cultural. The only thing that distinguishes her is her religion and the importance it plays in her journey of self discovery. It does not make light of the issue, however, it offers hope and shows the positive side that a person can get through it. The relationships and the self discovery the character goes through is very typical and relatable. The fact that there is so much religion in the text may make it less relatable for some readers but I think it can also educate them on how the relationship with God can be different for different people.

That Summer

Johnston, Tony. That Summer. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002.
This book is spoken through the voice of a boy whose brother has Leukemia and the many trials and tribulations that the boys go through when they realize they only have one summer left together. The illustrations are colorful until the boy learns he is sick. At this point the pictures become more like old photographs. There is one colorful picture in the middle which depicts friends that came caroling in July to try to get the sick boy out of bed. Also the very last illustration is colorful and shows a boy (the brother who was not sick) with a shaved head holding a dog.
The author wrote the book after losing a brother herself, although she does not say specifically how he died. She also states that she wrote this book to “honor the courage and young people who died and of those who loved them” (back flap).
The book is one that does not explain about a specific illness besides mentioning having his head shaved, but rather the grieving and what the family goes through when finding out the boy, Joey, is dying. It also gives insight into how Joey takes everything with a sense of humor.
This is a great book for diverse literature because this topic can be really hard for children to talk about and this book can bring up the topic in a noninvasive and positive way. It talks about dying in a way that makes it seem real, but not too scary. It also is able to stimulate discussions about death that would help children talk about the fears they may have about death.

The Flight of a Dove

Day, Alexandra. The Flight of a Dove. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004.
This book is based on a true story about a child with autism who shows no interest in any one until she meets a special bird. The illustrations of the child are black, white, and brown colored and the child is pictured with a box around her. Outside of the box is colorful. As the child becomes more outgoing more colors come into her box. Finally a dove impacts her so much that the box is completely gone and she is able to speak her first real word and have voluntary human contact.
The author, Alexandra day, explains in an authors note that she wrote the book to explain the “important role that animals can play in the comforting, balancing, and healing of us humans”(Day i). She also explains that she wrote the book because she worked in many hospitals with rehabilitation dogs and saw first hand the affect they had on the children. I think this helps make the book more believable and makes the reader more likely to believe that this is an accurate description of a person with autism.
This book is a good piece of diverse literature because it gets a conversation going about autism and how it can affect students. However, it does not explain the many different stages and spectrum of autism. There is some explanation about what autism is but only through examples of what the child does that makes her a little different than other students.
The book shows that miracles can happen and that it is important to help children who may be going through tough times. It is also important to remember that not all people with autism would respond in the same way this child did. This would be an important part to explain to children.

Critical review of Flight of a Dove by Alexandra Day

I decided to use this review because it focuses on both the positive and negative aspects of the book I decided to include in my collection. She states that although the pictures are "luminous" they still help convey a powerful and serious message about children with autism and gives insight into how they might feel. An example of this is depicting the girl in the box. This shows how autism is like being in your own world where you can not get out and no one can get in.
I do have to agree that the words are much to difficult for a young child but I think if an adult takes the time to read it to a child and explain it, the child would see the importance, and feel the many emotions that are a part of this picture book.
Where I do not agree is the last statement, "it may be more successful as one of those timeless fables that draws adults hungry for meaning and inspiration, than as a typical children's picture book". To me this sounds like an excuse to not read challenging books about complex topics to children. If done the right way, I think it can be very beneficial for a child to learn about a disease that is affecting more and more people every day.
Dawn Elizabeth Hunt (Children's Literature)
From the author of the delightful "Good Dog, Carl" series comes a book with similarly luminous pictures, but a far more serious message. This is the story of four year-old Betsy, a severely autistic child who finally begins to open up to the world as she watches a dove fly. It is based on the true story of the little French girl told in Why the Wild Things Are, and on Ms. Day's experience with her Rottweiler, Zabala, a therapy dog who accompanied her into many hospitals. This is a very touching story. Ms. Day's fans will find paintings in the same radiant style as in all her previous books. Even the pictures of Betsy before her awakening are beautiful--almost too beautiful. Although Ms. Day uses muted tones and encases Betsy in a gray box, one still has a hard time identifying the child in the pictures with the dark, wooden images painted by the words. The publisher lists the book as being appropriate for ages four to eight, but much of the language is more sophisticated than normally found in a picture book. The first page alone weighs in at a 10.2 grade level on the Flesch-Kincaid readability scale. It is a beautiful book with a beautiful message. But because of the reading level, and because so many adults have enjoyed Ms. Day's earlier books, it may be more successful as one of those timeless fables that draws adults hungry for meaning and inspiration, than as a typical children's picture book. 2004, Farrar Strauss & Giroux,
Hunt, Dawn E. Rev. of Flight of a Dove, by Alexandra Day. Children's Literature.

Final Project Troubles

Now that I am a little less stressed about the final project, I have begun to think about the many problems that I had finding some quality literature in the three libraries I visited.
I wanted to find books about children dealing with serious illnesses. I figured that children who are going through these illnesses were proably really scared and had no idea what to expect. I also thought about the many parents and siblings that have worked with these children to help them through that would be able to write about it to help others going through the same thing.
Not only was I wrong about how many books there would be, but I was surprised to see the very little amount of books with insider authors.
At first I thought it was just the libraries that I was visiting. But when I was looking online for more ideas about books I realized that there were actually very few anywhere!
This was very disheartening to me and I hope that it is a genre that will continue to grow and also help students who do not have a disease like leukemia or autism learn more about the disease and understand what their peers are going through and how they can help their fellow peers get through these tough times.

David Levithan

After reading Boy Meets Boy, I was very interested in learning about the man who wrote such an insightful and revolutionary book.
I started looking for information on his website since the information in the book about him was very broad and short. I found out many interesting things about him and why he decided to write books about GBLTQ people and their culture.
One of the most interesting things I learned about him was that he wrote the book Boy Meets Boy after thinking about a friend he had who had grown up in the Midwest in a very strict household. He could not truly live his life until he moved out.
Listening to how David describes himself, I would have to say that he reminds me most of Paul; a boy who is comfortable with himself and has a family who accepts him as he is. I also found out that the novel started as a story that David wrote for his friends on Valentine's day which is a tradition he has done for many years.
Another really cool thing I learned about David is that he is one facebook. I added him as a friend and I hope that I can read more of his books. His books can be such a great conversation starter to get students, teachers, and parents talking to one another about the issues that GLBTQ people go through on a day to day basis.

Gay student bullied and killed

I recently read an article in the state news about a 15 year old student shot because he was gay. THere was a vigil held in Lansing for the student as well as to raise awareness about a bill that will be going to the Senate which will require schools to have a uniform anti-bullying code.
I think that this bill is an important piece of legislature but I think something more proactive needs to be done in schools to stop bullying before it even starts. One important way of doing this is getting students to see that many minority groups are just like them and have many of the same emotions and feelings that they do.
Bullying starts because of a misunderstanding and intolerance for others. Teachers need to work to create an atmosphere that makes all students feel comfortable and safe. Teachers also need to help students become aware of minority groups that may be too scared to talk openly about how they feel and show their true identity.
A great way for teachers to open up the conversation in their classrooms is to take a piece of literature that can get students talking about different groups of people and how the text may depict a group differently than the students would have thought and therefore allows them to question the stereotypes that exist in their class, school, and community.
This can also be a great way to get students talking with their parents about the student's feelings, and even their own identity. Anything that can get parents and children talking about issues that are sometimes hard to talk about is a really great thing.

Native American Stereotypes on T.V.

I was recently watching on TLC a show called Little People Big World. Part of the episode had to do with the Roloffs wanting to put something on their farm that represents the Native American culture in their area. They originally just wanted to put a teepee up until they were corrected that the tribes in their area build plank houses.
I thought this was a really good episode to connect with our conversation about Native Americans and the stereotypes that exist even now. I thought it was especially important that the Roloffs recognized that their stereotype was incorrect and they took the time to correct it. They did this by having the plank house handmade by a local tribe, as well as having a traditional ceremony once it was built. I hope the episode opened others eyes to the rich, unique, and very diverse culture of Native Americans that I am just now beginning to understand. By going to the conference, reading the articles in class and the discussions in class I can see now how important it is to take the time to understand the Native American culture and learn about the many differences. I also was glad that the episode touched on the many similarities that people have as humans and no matter how different one may seem they are actually the same in many ways too.

Little House on the Prairie books

When discussing the Little House on the Prairie books in class yesterday, I found it very interesting to heard about what others thought about the portrayal of Native Americans in the book. I along with others had never thought twice about the fact that Native Americans were described like animals would be when we were younger and reading the book. It also disturbs me that no one took the time to correct these stereotypes to me. It is for exactly these reasons that people still hold these descriptions to be accurate. This is so damaging to an entire group of people just because there are people that do not want to let go of their childhood memories that they have of these books without even thinking about how it affects others. I am definitely going to be talking to people I know about the problems with these books so that more generations do not go on being ignorant about these books.
I do think they still hold a lot of value but without direction from adults how will children know that these descriptions are not accurate and never were even in the time period it was supposed to have taken place. It is important to helps students know the difference between fact and fantasy and the incredibly false descriptions and pictures created in millions of children's mind's eyes while reading these books.

Philosophy

When thinking about why I was taking this class lots of things came to my mind. The obvious ones like, it's required, or it sounded interesting were there but there really is a bigger more important reason about why I am taking this class. I want to be able to broaden my horizons about children's literature and be able to impact students ideas, beliefs, and life just by opening their eyes to a new book that presents a particular topic that may be new or different than what they had originally thought about that subject. I also wanted to learn how to pick books and learn what makes one book better than another. I learned in 348 that that can be a hard thing to do somethings. It take a lot of time and effort and research to figure out the criteria and to know what is appropriate for all students in my class.
I know that in my class I will incorporate reading into all of my subjects and lessons so knowing how to pick good books is a huge part of what I hope my students will get out of my class. I also hope to some day write some of my own children's books so I know that I need to know what the criteria is for good books so that I can create a book that is mindful of all viewpoints and does not make generalizations about a particular group of people.
It is so important to me to embrace all of my students into my lessons and in order to do this I must work hard to give good representations of all groups of people in my teaching. I know that it will take more work to be conscious of this but I also know that it will be worth it to show my students that I care about each of them equally and that I do not value one group of people over another. I hope that my students will pick this up and also begin to see that as a valuable trait for themselves and see it as something they want to do.
By adding more multicultural literacy into my curriculum, I will be able to give all of my students a book to either relate to, or to learn something new from; at least that is my hope. I think it will be really hard to make sure all of my students see these connections and understand that I want them to learn something about these many cultures. I think it will also be hard to not put my own bias into the lessons.
Thinking about what my philosophy about multicultural education is, is a complicated task. I know that in order to reach and connect with students you must show that you respect all people and cultures. I think one of the most efficient and best ways to do this is to use books to explain all sides of a story or event. In this way I can get my students talking to each other about hard issues that may be uncomfortable. I hope I can create an environment that is safe and students feel they can share their opinions and learn new things about their peers that they may have never known before. I am worried that this may not go smoothly at first but I hope eventually I will learn what works and gain new knowledge about how to approach different subjects in a way that makes all students feel I am respecting the culture.

Habibi

This book really made me think this week and although I am not writing a paper on it it still brought up some questions for me. I loved that the book was written about a subject that is rarely talked about with children because few adults know the details and reasons that the Arabs and Jewish people are fighting. Children hear about the holy war all the time but few probably take the time to think about the children that live there and how they are affected and the countless violent acts that take place in front of the children living in Palestine.
However one thing that I found interesting about the book is the character that was supposed to teach the reader and Liyana about Jewish culture was a boy. I feel this complicated the relationship further and made the relationship between
Liyana and Omer a little more superficial (that may not be the right word). It seemed that she was not basing her feelings on a long lasting friend but rather on more of his surface qualities. I think its interesting that Nye would not have chosen a female for Liyana to make a connection with.
I also found it interesting that her fathers family was so welcoming of her and her mother and brother. From the experience I have meeting family for the first time from another country, it is awkward and hard to make conversation. Perhaps she was showing how she felt her family's culture would participate if put in that situation.
I think this is a great book for all ages and will definitely be recommending it to my niece because it gives information about cultures and religions that are often overlooked in mainstream culture.

Insider vs. Outsider Debate

I do not feel that it is necessary for a person to be an insider or an outside to a culture to be able to write about the culture they chose to write about.

Prior to reading the articles, I would have definetly said that in order for an author to write about a particular culture they would have had to live it and know how a person of that culture feels deep deep down in their emotions. However, I have decided that in order to write a story about a culture you defiantly need to do your research and talk to all different people of that culture, but there is no reason an outsider could not do this just as well as an insider. Both would run the risk of writing stereotypes or making a mistake about some aspect of the culture just as both are able to succeed in writing an enlightening and enriching story about the culture.

I feel that books need to be judged by what is in them not by who the author is. As long as the author takes their time and works hard at writing an authentic text, it should make no difference if they are an insider or an outsider.

Introduction

My name is Katie and I am a senior in the elementary education program. Since I was very young my parents have always tried to introduce me to new cultures and diverse people and situations. They have expected me to make my own decisions about people and not to form opinions or stereotypes based on other peoples ideas and viewpoints. Because of this, I have always had an urge to learn more about cultures and groups of people I may not have the opportunity to interact with in my daily life. It is for this reason, that I have turned to literature and novels to learn more about diverse culture and people.
I am most interested in this class because I am hoping to broaden my horizons when it comes to children's literature. I think students learn best when the teacher puts subjects like history and science in the context of a story. Students usually become more engaged and want to learn more about the topic. I am hoping this class will teach me what to look for in diverse literature and what makes the book an appropriate and useful book for the classroom.