Project Mulberry

While our group was discussing the book Project Mulberry we starting talking about the purpose of the text that Linda Sue Park included where she had a conversation with her main character, Julia, between chapters. We thought this could have potentially been a great asset to the book as the reader would gain insight into the author's thoughts beyond what was presented in the actual story. It was an incredibly unique idea that I have never seen in a book before. However, I was disappointed with the way that the author used these excerpts. I felt as though they were completely unnecessary to the text itself and I did not gain any deeper understanding of Park's motives or the character herself through their conversation.

When I first starting reading the excerpts between chapters I was interested in finding out why the author chose to write the way she did or why she included details and created the plot as it appears in the book. However, the author didn't disclose any new information - when the character would ask why she wrote something the way she did she would simply say something along the lines of "You'll see." This frustrated me so much, especially since the reader never did "see." The book could have been read the same whether those excerpts were included or discarded; they added nothing new to the text.

I would be interested to read another book that uses this concept. I think it is a great idea for an author to include their thought processes within their writing for the reader to gain a more thorough understanding of what the intentions of the book were from the author's point of view. Talking with the main character is a great way to do this, especially in a children's book. However, I do not think that Park made adequate use of these excerpts in a way that enhanced the story for the readers.

Language Use in Chilren's Literature

In our last class we discussed the use of language within text for children, specifically the use of Spanish. My discussion group looked at numerous books that included the Spanish language and we could never seem to agree completely as to which books used the language authentically. The only time we came to an overall consensus was when the books wrote the entire text in both Spanish and English so bilingual readings could have the choice of the language they wished to read the book.

What our group talked about most was how to include only some Spanish vocabulary and do so authentically. To me it seemed as though it is unrealistic to have dialogue in which a character would say a word in Spanish and then immediately translate it. That is not the way people would really talk. However, a point was brought up that this method of including both languages could be helpful for both bilingual and monolingual readers. The words will be presented in both forms and the reader can make use of this in whatever way works best for him/her.

Another thing that our group noticed when reviewing the books was that many used the strategy of writing a phrase in Spanish immediately followed by the English translation, but the next time the phrase was used in the book, the translation would not be provided. We thought this was a good way to incorporate both languages. The book would not become redundant for either the bilingual or monolingual reader.

After our discussion, I still feel like I am unsure of the best way to include another language in an English text and do so authentically. I don't think there is only one right answer, but I am nervous that I will choose books for my classroom library that may not be of high quality due to a inauthentic portrayal of another language.

Michigan Reading Association Annual Conference

I attended the Michigan Reading Association’s annual conference Saturday, March 15^th. The seminars I chose to attend at the conference were all extremely interesting and I learned a lot about incorporating literature in the classroom during each session. One of my favorite sessions corresponded to this class and was entitled Beyond Heroes and Holidays: Teacher’s Enactment of Multicultural Education throughout the Year.” This seminar discussed a middle school teacher’s ideas about how students’ cultural identity can be included in the curriculum throughout the year – not just during Black History Month, for example.

One thing that the speaker discussed was the fact that some students may have difficulty identifying themselves as part of a specific culture. For example, she shared her experiences in the classroom as several of her Caucasian students claimed that they did not have a culture, they were “just white.” This view is most likely a result of the educational system traditionally regarding multicultural education as paying attention to and respecting those thought of as the “other” while whites are seen as the cultural “norm.” This connects to Peggy McIntosh’s article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” In her article, McIntosh claims that those who identify themselves as “white” do not realize the advantages that are given to them based on their race alone. One of these advantages is that they are considered the “norm” by many. However, this could be detrimental as students who claim to have no culture at all will not connect to and understand their heritage.

A common thing teachers attempt to do to solve the perceived dilemma of incorporating and respecting each individual student’s culture is to claim that they are “colorblind” and are able to ignore race and teach all students the same. Although this may sound positive on the surface, the speaker made an insightful claim: teachers who teach all students exactly the same are like doctors treating all their patients the same and prescribing the same medicine regardless of unique conditions. Instead, teachers should allow each student to identify with their own unique culture and make use of the diversity that exists in the classroom.

In order to respect the various cultures that are present in any given classroom, one suggestion is to provide opportunities for students to use their home language in school, specifically during reading and writing. This idea can be seen in Bronx Masquerade as the students in the novel are encouraged to express themselves using language that is most comfortable to them. This allows students to better connect with new information as they become more involved and interested in their learning.

Another suggestion is to implement a whole year project where students would intimately learn aspects of different cultures – including but not limited to their own. One aspect of this project would be to have students create a scrapbook page that depicts the important aspects of their culture. The teacher would encourage parents to assist their children in the construction of the page, which would add another dimension to the task. The entire class would combine their scrapbook pages and keep the completed book on display in the classroom library throughout the year.

Another aspect of the ongoing project would be to have students read multiple multicultural texts and write responses to their reading in a journal. These books would be chosen by the students, not the teacher, and there would be no limitations as to what novels should be used. The only requirement of this component would be to have the students choose one book that corresponds to their own culture. When the speaker implemented this in her classroom, student responses were highly positive and students were excited to be given to opportunity to explore these books. One student claimed that it was her “first experience with a book like this” and she was “very happy to have found and read it” because she “learned a lot about my culture that I didn’t know before.”

Although the seminar was short and only a few ideas could be discussed about how to incorporate multicultural literature throughout the curriculum, it got me to start thinking about how the books we read in this class can be used in an actual classroom. I was happy to hear a teacher share her story about how these strategies worked for students to learn about their own, as well as other, cultures. I learned how important it is to make students understand that their culture is valuable and respected at all times, not just on holidays that celebrate a particular culture.

Extra Credit - LGBT Safe Schools Seminar: LGBT Teachers and Education Issues

I attended the LGBT Safe Schools Seminar on March 13, 2008. During this seminar the speaker, Jay Kaplan from ACLU of Michigan, discussed the issues that arise in schools due to students, teachers, and parents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered. He described numerous laws that are currently in place and bills that are being presented to Congress, but I learned that there is not nearly enough protection or rights given to people of this culture.

One part of the seminar that caught my attention more than anything were the statistics presented in regards to harassment concerning LGBT issues in the school. Homophobic remarks are so common in school that 90% of students report that they hear comments such as “that’s so gay” or “faggot” on a regular basis. In addition, 67% of students claimed they were harassed because they were thought to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual and 60% claimed they were harassed due to their gender expression. Unfortunately, even with these extremely high statistics the rate of students reporting these incidents is less than 40%. Most students claim that they choose not to tell a school authority because they don’t think adults would take them seriously. This claim may hold some validity as statistics also show that less than 30% of teachers or other staff intervene when they hear derogatory remarks used in the school setting. This is thought to be because teachers are worried that if they do choose to intervene they could risk their own job security or that others may think that they are LGBT themselves.

One of the most shocking things I learned at the seminar is that there is no federal law prohibiting harassment or discrimination against those who identify as LGBT. There have been numerous cases where people have lost their teaching job once their sexual identity was disclosed and their termination could not be fought. Although the Michigan law states that every school must have a harassment policy concerning sexual harassment, this does not include LGBT issues unless the specific company incorporates gender and orientation in their personal harassment policy. The “Matt’s Safe Schools” bill has been passed by the Michigan House of Representatives and is waiting for a hearing in the Senate. This bill calls for anti-bullying policies to be adopted in schools. If the bill is passed it is expected to help the unfair discrimination and treatment of LGBT members of the school community.

I was not aware that there is currently no law prohibiting unequal treatment of those who identify with the LGBT community. The fact that firing people based only on their sexual orientation can be justified makes me very angry. Our society has progressed so much over the years and I don’t understand how after the struggles of African Americans and women to gain equal treatment in society (although there is still much progress to be made in those areas as well) our culture continues to deny rights to human beings just because they may be different than what is seen as the “norm.” This seminar opened my eyes and made me realize how far our society has to go. As a teacher, I will make a point to address harassment that occurs in my classroom and not push it under the rug and allow students to continue to ridicule one another using homophobic terms. I will make it clear to my students that that language will not be tolerated and will work hard to create a respectful classroom environment.

Towards Developing a Personal Philosophy

So far this semester, this class has helped me grow and develop as a future educator of a diverse body of students. I chose to take this class to enlighten me as to how to incorporate a variety of multicultural literature in my classroom that will allow all students to be able to see themselves and relate to the stories that are provided in the classroom library. In addition to being able to relate to the books, a collection of literature from a wide range of cultures will act as a window for students to learn about others who may be different than themselves. This is a difficult task for teachers to adequately provide quality multicultural literature for their students. I took this class to help me understand what to look for while evaluating these texts and do get insight as to what makes a piece of diverse literature valuable. In addition, this class will help me learn how to incorporate multicultural literature in everyday discussion and lessons. Although pedagogy is rarely discussed, I can take what I learn from our class discussions and transfer it to my own pedagogical practices in the future.

As a teacher, I hope to be able to make all students, of all cultural backgrounds, feel confident and comfortable in my classroom. In order to do this these students must feel that their cultural identity is valued and respected. A good way of showing students this is by incorporating literature that represents their culture and heritage accurately. This class will teach me how to evaluate literature and assess its accuracy so I know how to choose books to include in my classroom.

Issues of diversity are an important aspect in teaching literature. Students who are unable to see themselves in the texts that are read are more likely to disregard it and lose appreciation of reading. On the other hand, when books are available for students to use as a resource for seeing their own identity as well as a tool for learning about other cultures, they will become more interested and involved in their growing knowledge. Diverse literature can be used as an instrument to broaden students’ understanding about the world that surrounds them. When multicultural texts are shared in the classroom students will most likely gain appreciation for both themselves as well as others.

My philosophy concerning multicultural education is that students of all cultures, and of all subcultures, should have an equal opportunity to learn in an environment that fosters their growth as individuals and respects the differences among all students. Children’s literature can be used as students utilize it to gain knowledge about the world. Although children’s books do not contain a complete illustration of a specific culture, if the portrayal is accurate it will still help to develop a classroom that respects all students, regardless of their cultural background.

When I think about actually implementing my philosophy in a classroom filled with a diverse body of students, I get really nervous that the literature I choose will offend some students. Although I am learning a lot in this course regarding assessing quality literature and addressing issues that may arise from diverse books, I am sure I will not be able to catch all the possible misrepresentations that may be present in a text. I will feel terrible if I choose to incorporate a text in the curriculum that contains stereotypes or distorted images that may lead my students to believe the inaccuracies or take offence to the representations in the book. Because of this, I will try to seek another opinion aside from my own as to how the book represents the culture it is about. Although I will try to avoid books with any obvious offensive stereotypes, I’m sure they will come up. In cases like this, I will use the book to spark a discussion as to why the stereotypes may be incorporated in the text and the harm they can cause for those who read the text. This course has made me feel more confident in my ability to choose quality literature and I am excited to implement what we have learned so far in my future classroom.