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.