Through this course I have gained great insight into multicultural books that represent a wide variety of cultures. The most valuable skill that I took from this course is the ability to evaluate and critique books based on their authenticity regarding the culture they are representing. Although there is no way to catch all the stereotypes and negative representations in every book, I learned how to question literature to the best of my ability and notice the details in the text that may portray the culture inaccurately.
While reflecting back on my Questioning the Text papers, I can see a vast difference in my writing from the beginning of the semester to the end. When I first starting writing the papers I was unsure of exactly what to look for when evaluating multicultural texts and was nervous that I was going to miss something important while reading the books. When the time came to write my final papers I had numerous ideas about what to write about that I could support with examples from the text and the accompanying articles. I now find myself evaluating media all around me – whether it be literature, magazines, television, movies, etc. I look at the multicultural aspects of the world that surrounds me and I am more apt to be sensitive to stereotypes or misrepresentations than I was prior to this course.
The articles that we read to accompany the books were very helpful in providing additional insight as we read. They helped me to identify characteristics of the books that should be questioned and provided a model for me to look to as I created my own critical essays of the works. By reading the articles and seeing the wide range of valuable information they provided concerning diversity in literature, I will be sure to seek this type of resource in the future as I choose and evaluate books to include in my classroom library.
By reading the books assigned for the course and completing the final project, both my own as well as listening to others’ discuss their findings, I feel confident that I will be able to find literature that will depict underrepresented cultures and include these books in my classroom library. It is important that students in my classroom can look to the books as both a mirror, to see a reflection of their own culture, and a window, to gain insight into the cultures of those who they may not be familiar with. I never paid much attention to the representations of various cultures within books unless it was specifically stated as the book’s purpose to teach about a certain culture. I now can look at literature with a different lens.
My biggest concern about incorporating multicultural literature in my classroom is the reaction of parents and others in the community to books that may be controversial. Although it is sad, the truth is that not everyone is open minded enough and ready to see certain cultures represented positively in literature meant for children. Some parents may complain that it is their responsibility to teach their children about various cultures in a way that reflects their own family’s values and beliefs. As a teacher, I know that students will be exposed to a variety of cultures starting at a young age and it is important that they have had positive exposure about cultures that may be different than their own – and an excellent source for this exposure is literature.
After taking this course I am much more aware of the importance of incorporating books that portray a variety of underrepresented groups accurately and without associating stereotypes in a negative way. I now know how to critically look at books and identify portrayals that may offend the culture they are representing and deciphering whether the negative representation is enough to remove the book from my library or if it would suffice to find a companion reading to refute the negative images. When I am building my classroom library I will constantly be looking for how the books represent various cultures and will make a conscious attempt to include books that depict numerous groups, not just those dominant within my classroom or community.
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