My final thoughts on TE448!

I honestly didn't notice how much I was benefiting from this class until the very end after I completed the final project. I have learned so much about how culture and diversity can be used in children's and adolescent literature and what a great addition these books are to a classroom library. Picking out my own books on cerebral palsy for my text set for my final project showed me how much I have learned about what to look for in books about cultural and diversity to put in a classroom library. I never looked at books that critically before this project, and now whenever I look at picture books I find myself looking at every aspect of them including the pictures, how the text is positioned on the page, the stereotypes it may portray and what the text says itself. It all can have meaning or hidden messages, and I really enjoy looking for these!

Although the first couple "questioning the text" papers were a little difficult for me to write, they got progressively easier to write as the course went on. I had never read an adolescent book that critically before, and during the first couple papers, I didn't understand that the best kind of questions about texts are ones that have multiple interpretations and answers. I liked having the small group discussions about the books and the papers because there were so many different opinions about the books and the questions that were brought to the table. The most rewarding thing about having whole group discussions and large class discussions is that I left that class having more ideas about the books than I came in with on my own. I think that a person's personality and the way they form opinions can really affect the reading and interpretations of a book. We had so many different personalities in our class, and I know that some of the ways my classmates looked at the books would never happen in my mind. It was great to hear opinions and thoughts other than my own about the books. It was very enlightening and interesting.

This class has made me very interested in reading more diverse children's literature and researching it to see if it will make a good addition to my future classroom library. Thinking back to my elementary school and language arts classroom libraries during my earlier years of school, I cannot remember any specific books on diversity and culture being included. I'm not sure if that is just because my memory is bad or because there actually were none, but I am very sure that it is the latter reason. I think it's so important for students to start being aware of diversity at a young age, because it gets more and more difficult to make it apart of their lives as they get older. If they see it from the early beginning, it will simply become another aspect of their lives and they will hopefully be more accepting and interested in it.

Our class focused especially on stereotypes throughout this semester, and I became so much more aware of how much they are prevalent in literature. Children are exposed to enough stereotypes in their daily lives by their parents, the media, and the influence of other students; I want to make sure that the books they are reading in my classroom are not reinforcing these stereotypes by their pictures and their ideas. My goal is to find children's literature that will actually help break some of those stereotypes that the children might have formed already. Again, the earlier you catch that and correct those misconceptions, the better!

I am so happy that I took this class. I enjoyed most of the books that we read, and I got a lot out of listening to the discussions in our class and doing the blog postings. Literature is going to be a huge part of my future classroom, and this class has prepared me more than I could ever imagine for looking for books to include in my library.

Final thoughts on blogging for this class....

I thought that blogging for this class was really a fantastic idea. I think many people had very strong opinions about the books that we read and there wasn't always time to discuss them in class. The blog presented an unlimited amount of space to pour your thoughts out about anything you wanted regarding the books that we read, something that was discussed in class, or any other thoughts that you had about the subject of multiculturalism and diversity in the classroom. It was great to look at other people's blogs after class and see what they had said about the class discussions or their thoughts on the books that we read. I liked how everyone's blog was listed on the classroom blog. It made them so much easier to access. The blogs are also a great place to put any resources regarding the topics from class or even information about the authors of the books we read or the books themselves. I don't think a lot of people look advantage of this, but it would be a great idea for future classes.

Another reason I especially think the blogs are good for this particular class is that it gives people who aren't comfortable sharing their thoughts in class a place to share them. There were topics discussed that people might have been uncomfortable about or were afraid to talk about in front of everyone; the blog gives them a safe place to present their thoughts.

I think I will definitely continue using a blog in my future for my personal life and as a teacher. I think that it's a great way to communicate with parents and caregivers of the students, and it would also be a great place to post homework and class assignments and announcements for students who might have been absent or had to leave school early. For personal use, I think I might use the blog as a place to post poetry. I enjoy looking up poetry and writing my own, and I think that a blog would be a great place to post my work and other poetry by others that I find.

Review of Professional Resource

Stevenson, Deborah. Reaching for Sun (Review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books - Volume 60, Number 7, March 2007, 314.

I found a review by Deborah Stevenson on Reaching for Sun, one of the books in my final text set. In her review, Stevenson says, "The plot and the characters are largely predictable, and the writing is sometimes overwrought-poems often succumb to the cliche of using their conclusions as dramatic and dramatic emotional punchlines, and the phraseology is occasionally strained or puzzling." Although I do agree with these descriptions of the book, I don't necessarily believe that they are a negative aspect as I get from the tone of Stevenson's words. This is a story about a young teenage girl living with cerebral palsy, falling in love and trying to get out from under the hand of her mother. I remember how dramatic I was at that age, and I think the author was very aware at how dramatic she was making this young girls' thoughts. I think it would be a very difficult time in a young girls' life to grow up with this physical disability; it already is a difficult time without any kind of disability! As for the predictable plot and characters, I almost think that this is good for a children's book. Some children like that kind of stability in a book, and I think that the author did a great job with both character and plot development. Personally, there was one major part in the book that I did not even expect to happen.
One point of view that I did think was very interesting in this review was when Stevenson said, "It's an emotional story for all that, with a sensitive perspective on Josie's physical difference, a difference that she sees from the outside when her grandmother struggles with her own physical limitations." When I read this book, I did not even think that Josie's grandmother's physical limitations had any relation to Josie's physical limitations. I thought this was a really great connection and it made the book a lot more meaningful for me.

Click here for Stevenson's full review

Reflection on my Text Set

Working on this project with these three books significantly opened my eyes to cerebral palsy. Before this project and reading these books, I didn't know exactly what cerebral palsy was besides that it was some form of a physical disability. The books that I chose for my set gave me a mixture of view points from children living with cerebral palsy, and gave me both the informative and emotions side of the disability. Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair actually states what causes cerebral palsy and while I know that it was a very simple explanation, it got the point across to me, and it was definitely in a way that young children would understand. Reaching for the Sun and Nathan's Wish show emotional struggles and made my heart go out to these children while I was reading them, but left me with a positive feeling at the end. These books show the emotional struggles of living with this disability, but they also show the characters building confidence and loving who they are which is very important for young children to see. I think that it is important to see both the struggles and the accomplishments of living with a disability in order to get a well-rounded understanding of what it actually entails, and I think that this text set does just that.

I also liked how the authors of these books had experience with children with this disability and others, whether it was being a special education teacher, or working at a rehabilitation center for children with physical disabilities. Although these books weren't written completely from an insiders point of view, it is still a view that readers can trust. These authors have seen these struggles and understand what comes with having this physical disability, and I think that it is great that they wrote these books in order to educate children and make them aware that this is out there. It is also great that these books show the characters with cerebral palsy living close to normal lives. I think that some children are afraid to talk to other children with physical disabilities because they think for some reason that they are completely different than them, when really they are similar in more ways than a child might think.

I feel very comfortable putting these books into my classroom library. I think that they would reach a wide range of readers because they're three completely different genres: poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. From these books, I learned that it is very important to stress to students that people with physical disabilities are just like them in more ways like us in more ways than they might think. It is important to include these children in conversation and activities just like you would any other person; just because they might not be able to move around like we do does not mean that they cannot still participate in the activity in some way. These books contain reliable information and representations of living with cerebral palsy, and I think that they could have a very positive affect on young readers, making them more informed and accepting.

Book Review #3: "Reaching for Sun"

Zimmer, Tracie Vaughn. Reaching for Sun. New York, NY: Bloomsbury U.S.A Children's Books, 2007.

Reaching for Sun is a story written in poetry verses about a young girl named Josie. Josie allows readers to step into her personal thoughts about her life and her disability, cerebral palsy. Readers are taken through Josie's maturation process as she falls in love, deals with the "popular kids" in school, and stands up to her mother for the first time, as she travels through a year of personal growth, self acceptance, and confidence in a brighter future.

This book is very deep and personal, and shows the emotional side of living with cerebral palsy. The book is made up of a series of poems that tell this story, which helps readers connect with Josie on a more personal level. The poems serve as a way into her thoughts and feelings, and readers get to see just how she feels and what she is thinking through each experience.
The author uses a plant metaphor to mirror Josie's disability. I thought that this was a great way to make it a little easier for young readers to understand. The metaphor painted more of a tangible picture for children that they could refer back to throughout the book. In the poem titled "like me," Josie says:
"But this spring
half the branches wear no leaves,
claimed by disease or insects.
So the bulldozers tear it from the soil
with their terrible teeth
and splatter the leaves and limbs
like garbage.

Why can't they see
that half still blooms-
like me?
(Zimmer, 82)
I thought that this way a great way of saying that just because someone has a physical limitation does not mean that you should ignore the rest of them. Just because a person cannot move as well as others does not mean that they are broken and that they should be discarded completely.

Josie's newfound friend, Jordan, is a great model of an accepting friend. In the poem titled "the question," Jordan comes right out and asks questions like, "You have cerebral palsy, don't you?" and "How did you get it?" and "What's the hardest part?" When Josie answers that last question by saying, "Everyone thinking I'm retarded," Jordan responds with,
"But Josie,
you know tons of stuff! Anybody
who talks to you at school knows that.
(Zimmer 74-750)
People who have any disability don't necessarily want people to ignore it or pretend that it doesn't exist. Jordan shows readers that it's okay to ask questions, as long as they're appropriate, and take an interest in every aspect of their lives, even their disability. That is what builds a strong friendship.
I will include this book in my classroom library. I thought that it was honest, real, entertaining, full of heart, and inspirational.

The author of Reaching for Sun, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, started off her teaching career in special education. She has worked with high school students with autism and middle school students with learning and developmental disabilities. Zimmer got the idea for this book when she was a special education teacher working with students with multiple disabilities. In an interview about Reaching for Sun, she says, "Many of my students didn't realize they were different; they were kind of blessedly unaware. But I had a few students, like Josie, who knew they were on the outside of everything. These bright kids were stuck in bodies they felt betrayed them. I witnessed their daily courage and grace. I wanted to honor them in a story."
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer's homepage

Book Review #2: "Nathan's Wish: A Story about Cerebral Palsy"

Lears, Laurie. Illustrated by Stacey Schuett. Nathan's Wish: A Story about Cerebral Palsy. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company, 2005.

Nathan's Wish is about a boy who wants to find some way he can help his neighbor, Miss Sandy, to repay her for all of the time she spends talking with him about the injured birds that she takes care of and involving him in the processes. However, what Nathan can do for Miss Sandy it very limited because he has cerebral palsy and can't walk very well. However, with a little inspiration from a Screech Owl named Fire with a broken wing, Nathan realizes that there are many things that he can still accomplish even with his disability to be helpful to Miss Sandy.

While Nathan's Wish is not meant to be informative, it is a somewhat inspirational read for insiders who have this disability. This story shows that just because there are some things that you can't do and can't participate in doesn't mean that you are less important or useless. I have noticed a common theme in books about disabilities of the character feeling "trapped." This is a big theme in this particular book with Nathan feeling like he is not free. This story shows that there are many other options for people with physical limitations, and that those children can still make a difference in this world.

Something that I didn't like about this book was the fact that it seemed to make readers think that Nathan was not accepting of his disability. I did not understand how the title of the book fit into the story until getting towards the middle of the story. The dialog goes like this:
"Poor fire, says Miss Sandy, "She wished so badly to be free."
I turn away so Miss Sandy won't see the tears slipping down my cheeks.
I know just how it feels to wish for something that can't come true. (Lears)
This seems to show that Nathan does not like himself and wishes to be different. I don't necessarily think that this is negative because I understand that children might have these thoughts, but it might have the wrong affect on outside readers, making them think that children with this disability are unhappy and sad all of the time and always wish that they were different.

Author Laurie Lears taught special education for seven years. She has written many other children's picture books about other disabilities such as autism, epilepsy, and stuttering. She has also written a children's picture book about adoption.

Book Review #1: "Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair"

Heelan, Jamee Riggio. Illustrated by Nicola Simmonds. Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers, LTD, 2000.

Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair is a picture book made for lower elementary students. This book is narrated by a boy named Taylor who has cerebral palsy, and lives his life in a wheelchair. Taylor talks about his struggles in therapy with trying to learn how to walk with a walker and how frustrating it was. Taylor soon discovers, however, that he can accomplish many activities when using his new wheelchair.

The first word that came to mind when I finished reading through this book was 'inspirational.' It is very positive and shows determination and accomplishment of a boy going through struggles that come with having cerebral palsy. I also thought it was very informative. Not only would this book be a great read for a child who is also wheelchair bound to learn from and relate to, but it's a great way for outsiders to be able to see into the mind of a child who is experiencing this disability first hand, what they go through, and what they have to consider on a day to day basis. Taylor also describes cerebral palsy himself, making readers know that he is aware of his disability and he does not mind talking about aloud and sharing his difficult times. It is both informative and easy for inside readers to relate to, portraying a tone of confidence that could possibly be contagious.

This book does not focus on only the struggles that Taylor experiences in his wheelchair, however. This book also portrays Taylor as a normal boy, one who likes to eat chocolate ice cream, wrestle, and watch the Chicago Bulls play basketball, all with his brother, Tyler (Heelan). The illustrated bodies with the real life faces make Taylor a more personable and real character who is actually surviving through his disability day by day. I thought that this was a great example of making a seemingly inconvenient disability seem positive and sometimes even fun, and would be a great addition to a classroom library for both inside and outside readers. A child could learn a lot about cerebral palsy from this book, and that other children with this disability are more like them than they think; they just get around a little differently.

Author Jamee Riggio Heelan has a degree in occupational therapy. She works at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago with a focus on pediatric rehabilitation. She has written a few other children's books with the hope of educating others about childhood disabilities.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

I kind of took this book to have one of the same themes as Project Mulberry, and that is to embrace who you are and learn more about yourself. However, unlike Julia in Project Mulberry, I felt like Justine's issue with self identity was more resolved. She embraced her religion and found out more about it on her own, and in the end the reader could tell that she was satisfied with her choice. I personally felt much more satisfied at the end of this book. I think one of the turning points for Justine is when she receives her grandmother's necklace. I was very surprised that she began to wear it so quickly, especially with her being so confused with what religion she was going to identify with. I think that wearing the necklace made her feel closer to her grandmother and that might even be ultimately makes her choose to explore and stay with the Jewish religion. She does decide to read more up on it and visit the Center for Jewish Understanding after she reads the letter that her Bubbe leaves her. Maybe it is a way to feel connected and closer to her Bubbe.
I do believe that she was struggling more with just religion in this book. She was dealing with the loss of a close family member, she was the middle child, she had physical self-confidence issues, she had her first major crush on a boy (to make it worse, her best friend's brother), not to mention she is about to enter a very confusing stage of life: adolescence. I think that young readers could relate to this book on many different levels, and that the discussion of religion is one of may things that the main character is dealing with.
We recently had a discussion in one of my classes about how to talk about religion with your children as parents. My professor said that his personal belief, the one that he is currently following with his children, is to make sure that they are educated about various types of religions including the one that you follow. He wasn't saying to carry out religious practices other than your own, but to just make sure they are educated. Bring the child up under your religion, but understand that when they become an adult, they might decide that this religion is not for them. He said that parents should be open to this and to not force religion upon their children. I agree with this now, but I honestly don't know how I would feel as a parent. It really did surprise me that Justine's mother was the one upset while her Bubbe was very open to the idea of her converting to Catholicism. Usually elders are very "stuck in their ways," as any like to put it. But I can understand why Justine's mother would be so upset, especially since her daughter is not even 13 yet and she is already making these decisions. I would be curious to see what others thought on this topic.

The Lambda Literary Foundation Award (LLFA)-Group Post

The purpose of the Lambda Literary Foundation Award (LLFA) is to "celebrate LGBT literature and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians - the whole literary community." From www.lambdaliterary.org/index.html

The selection criteria is as follows:
~Books are about LGBT categories
~Author does not have to be LGBT themselves, as long as their piece of literature includes something about LGBT. Perhaps even one character.
~There are 21 different categories that book nominations fall under
~Only the author or a publisher can nominate a book.

The selection committee includes the writers themselves, booksellers, librarians, teachers, book reviewers, journalists, and/or members of the literary community. It is also stated that editors and publishers or members of the Board of Trustees may serve as a judge.

The LLFA relies on support from the literary community to connect LGBT writers and readers. Personal donations and organizations also help to fund the award.

Our group could only find 4 young adult books that had won the award. However, not all of the books' main themes were LGBT. In "Eight Seconds" by Jean Ferris, the story is not at all about LGBT, it is about bull riders and the rodeo. However, it won the award because one of the characters is gay. The other young adult books we found were "Between Mom and Jo" by Julie Anne Peters, "Express of the World" by Sara Ryan, and "The Full Spectrum" edited by David Levithan and Billy Merrell. "The Full Spectrum" is a compilation of short stories that are about LGBT.

Finally, the book "Boy Meets Boy" by David Levithan is also a winner of the LLFA!

Becoming Naomi Leon

I actually really enjoyed this book, although I did have to put it down a few times because Skyla made me so angry. I think that this book is a perfect representation of diversity in children's literature; it not only talks about Latino culture, but it also touches on physical disabilities that Owen has, Naomi's brother. Owen was by far my favorite character in this book. He had such a positive attitude that was almost contagious and there were many times where his responses and words made me actually smile. He is a great role model for children with disabilities, having a positive outlook on life despite the fact that he is a "FLK," as the doctors called him. The book also portrayed him as being extremely intelligent which is also breaking the misconception that people with disabilities aren't as smart as people without them.
I loved the use of Spanish language in this book, especially when they were all actually in Mexico. It added a reality and authenticity to the book. The last part of the book when they were in Mexico was rich with description of the area around them, and the use of the Spanish language gave the reader a sense as to what it is like to live in this part of Mexico.
Overall I thought that this book was a wonderful story with a very positive portrayal of the closeness of family and the Latino culture, and I would definitely include in my classroom library.

Living with Autism

Last week, we watched a short portion of a documentary about a women named Sue Ruben who is 26 years old and who was diagnosed with autism at a very young age. Autism is a brain development disorder that results in impairments in social interaction and communication. The documentary was written by Sue, but she was not the narrator. Still, there was a positive attitude that could be heard in the way that the script was written. By making this documentary, Sue wanted to bring people into the world of autism and show them how she has grown into an adult and her struggles that she has experienced along the way.
Sue has always lived with the assistance of others and her neighbor, Jackie, is her psychologist. Between these individuals who help her with daily life and her family which was also shown throughout the movie, Sue has a lot of support. She even said that she "has never felt aloneness" which I thought was absolutely amazing. I think it would be so difficult to trapped in this world that no one else close to you can fully relate to, and having a difficult time being able to communicate with others would definitely make relationships difficult.
I loved the scene when the video showed her eating dinner with her family. Her father talked to her like she was completely normal. He did not speak slowly or censor big words; he spoke to her as if she was any other normal adult. If Sue's parents treated her like this throughout her life, if can be easily seen why she is so comfortable and positive with her disability. I can't imagine what it would be like for her parents to raise her in this state, and I respect them for their extreme patience and unconditional love that she seemed to show throughout the documentary. There was mention of self-abusive behavior that would occur with Sue when she was without supervision. This would be so scary for a parent; I would want to be with my child every minute of the day!
Watching this video reminded me of videos that I watched in CEP240 about children with both physical and learning disabilities. Just like those, this video opened my mind and my heart up to people who live with this disability, and it made me more aware of just how difficult simple tasks and daily life can be. I must admit that sometimes I do forget that people with these disabilities do exist out there right now and are living a completely different life that I could never even begin to imagine. Seeing videos like this helps me remember that this is a real problem, and encourages me to want to find out more information on this and other disabilities.

Concerns about Habibi

So far from the two books that we have read for this class, I have learned a lot about stereotyping and how it is so easy to do when writing about a certain culture. In the first book that we read, The Heart of a Chief, I noticed major Native American stereotyping throughout the text that really made me dislike the book as whole. I did the QTT paper for Habibi for this past week and I also focused on stereotypes looking at how Arab Americans were portrayed throughout the text. I was so concerned and wrapped up in examining how the author portrayed Arabs and Arab Americans that I didn't even notice the negative portrayal of the Israeli soldiers until we started discussing the issue with the book at West Bloomfield school in class.
I do agree with the school district for removing Habibi from their curriculum, especially since it was being used in a 7th grade classroom. I think that this book would be more appropriate if used in a high school level English class where more in-depth discussion on the portrayal of stereotypes could be conducted. This book does not do a great job at portraying the actual Israeli/Palestine conflict, and I don't think it's the richest piece of diverse literature to be using simply for the sake of its diversity in a middle school language arts classroom. This book would be more useful if it was critiqued by higher level students and if the stereotypes were closely examined by a more mature set of readers.

The "insider/outisder" Debate

As we have seen in the articles that we have been reading and some of the children's literature we have been looking at, it is very difficult to tell if the information presented is coming from a reliable source or not. The insider/outsider debate asks the question of whether or not an author of children's literature is a reliable source if they are not a native of the culture that they are writing about. Personally, I feel that author's writing about their native culture are going to present the information in a more accurate and intimate way than an author who might not know as much about the culture that they are writing about. However, I do believe if an author sites reliable sources and conducts appropriate and accurate research on what they are writing about, then they can be as reliable of a source as an author that is a part of that particular culture. It will just take more time and effort from the author who is not from that culture.
I believe strongly in portraying cultures and races in an accurate light, and as long as an author can do this, the background of the author should not matter. In the Bishop article, she states in regards to multicultural literature that, "you have to know a culture intimately if you're going to reflect it accurately in your fiction." I do agree with this statement, but I don't necessarily believe that the author has to be an "insider" of the culture to know a culture intimately. There are many people who grow up as a minority in a culture and are almost as knowledgeable about it as the people who practice the culture themselves. Also like I stated before, with a lot of dedication and research, it is possible to learn about a culture thoroughly, and although there might not be that intimate connection that comes with actually being a part of it, it is still possible to put together a piece of literature about it that is accurate and reliable.

A little about me and my hopes for my future classroom library

Hello! My name is Stephanie Jablonski and I am a Senior this year at Michigan State University. I am an Elementary Education major focusing on Language Arts. If someone were to ask me what a passion of mine is, my response would probably be writing and literature. I have been writing short stories and poetry since elementary school, and I always have a book other than one required for school with me to read for pleasure during my spare moments. Reading and writing expose a whole new world of imagination that can bring knowledge and creativity, while also enriching the vocabulary of the reader or writer.
Literature will definitely be a major part of my classroom, and I cannot wait to expose students to all of the different kinds of genres and types of texts that there are available to them. Diversity and multiculturalism will of course be a key part of my classroom library. I understand how important it is to stress diversity to students at a young age and make them aware of how diverse our world is. I want to expose my students to multiculturalism and diversity in literature as early as possible so that they will begin to become aware of it in their daily lives and know how to respond to it. Also, I hope to create a learning environment in which students feel comfortable discussing issues in diversity, and are open with their thoughts and opinions as well as those of their peers on these topics.
Discussion of diversity and multiculturalism leads to awareness on the subjects which then leads to openness and acceptance. Our world is continuing to evolve into a place rich in various cultures and diversities, and the only way to ensure that there will be peace and acceptance amongst us all is to become knowledgeable and aware of them. By including this type of literature in my classroom library, I hope to help the future generations of our world appreciate diversity of all kinds, and make them want to continue to enhance their knowledge on the subjects all throughout their lives.