Course Reflection

I didn't really know what to expect from this class at the beginning of semester. I had heard good things about the class and I'd had the instructor before so it seemed like a good combination. In addition, we don't get very many opportunities to discuss literature that we could add to our classroom library so it felt like a good idea to take the class.

Overall I'm glad I took the class. There are some things (like what to strive for when producing my papers) that I wish I'd figured out earlier in the semester than I did but at least I learned it. I feel more comfortable looking at literature from a different perspective than just whether or not I think a student could learn from the book. I've learned better ways to review literature and determine the level of quality and the authenticity of its representation. There are some stereotypes and generalizations used in literature that I may not have even noticed before taking this class.

In addition, I've learned ways to go about finding diverse literature to add to my classroom library. Whereas before I may have just gone to local bookstores, libraries, and browsed online a little, I now realize that there are better ways to go about finding the best literature to offer my students. Most bookstores and libraries don't have the amount of diverse literature that they should...probably a result of demand. Most people probably aren't aware of what could be offered. Now I would probably start with the different awards offered for literature and/or use Amazon.com for suggestions in different genres.

While I wish I had learned some insight into ways to incorporate this material into my classroom I value the tools I now have to evaluate diverse literature and determine its authenticity and its role in my classroom.

Reflection on Latino/a Literature

Latino/a literature may not be the most underrepresented genre in children’s literature but nonetheless it is one that is not always explored and used to its full potential. There is much to be learned by readers about Latino/a culture, history, and experiences, as well as commonalities that connect the characters to the readers.
A common theme among each of these narratives is that of triumph and overcoming an obstacle. Both Esperanza Rising and Harvesting Hope confront the trials of Latino laborers in the United States. A Bird About to Sing shows a young girls struggle to perform for an audience. Doña Flor shows Flor attempts to maintain her community and protect it from potential threats.
Most of the literature shows the strength characters gain from leaning on their respective communities to better their lives. Readers can learn ways to reach out to others as well as provide support to others. The stories also encourage readers to believe in their abilities to change whatever they fear is detrimental to their lives or those of others. They provide an historical perspective of some situations of which students may otherwise lack knowledge.
Hopefully teachers will be encouraged to incorporate some of these pieces of Latino/a literature into their classrooms.

Doña Flor: A Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart

Mora, Pat. Doña Flor: A Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2005.



Doña Flor tells the story of a giant woman who keeps watch over her town. She cares for her neighbors and is a friend to all. She can speak the languages of all the animals around her. One day none of her friends come to see her as they usually would and when she tries to discover why she finds that they are all frightened by the cries of a puma they have been hearing. Flor searches for the puma and struggles to find it. Finally, after asking her animal friends, she discovers where to look. She finds the puma roaring into a hollow log to make him sound more ferocious than he really was. He was a young puma who found the sound amusing. She took the puma home with her, introduced him to everyone, and the neighbors were no longer frightened because she had protected them.
This story earned the Pura Belpré award for illustration and was an honor book for narrative. Pat Mora shows how Flor connects her neighbors and the animals native to her area together and to the world that surrounds them. She aims to help everyone she knows however she can. Mora describes a world where everyone can live together and work together. She helps paint a lesson for children about acceptance.
Mora also incorporates some Spanish language into the story, providing the meaning directly within the text. While it may be more meaningful for the meaning of the words to be conveyed without the definition directly following, thus in a sense repeating the word, the format still provides a learning opportunity for readers.

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic. 2000.



Esperanza Rising is the story of 13-year-old Esperanza Ortega. She is the daughter of a wealthy family in Mexico and is accustomed to being spoiled by servants and family. Suddenly her father is killed and her home is burned. She and her mother and a few close servants escape to California to a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza struggles with her adjustment to a new life of poverty and hard work. She must cope with her mother falling ill and other workers threatening to strike and how that affects their lives.
Ryan takes the experiences of her maternal grandmother and weaves them creatively into a beautiful story of a girl developing into a young woman. She won the Pura Belpré award for narrative fiction in 2002.
Esperanza is forced to change from a dependant child into a young woman who focuses on the needs of her and her family. Readers get an accurate portrayal of life first as a privileged child in Mexico and second as a poor laborer in California during the depression. Ryan incorporates Spanish language throughout her novel for the English reader to acquire knowledge. In addition she authored a Spanish version of the novel.

A Bird About to Sing

Montenegro, Laura Nyman. A Bird About to Sing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2003


A Bird About to Sing tells the story of a young girl who finds inspiration to create poems in everything she sees. Her teacher takes her to a poetry reading but she is afraid to read her poem in front of everyone. Everyone tells her she’ll be okay and when she’s ready to perform she’ll be able to. She and her teacher ride the bus home and she asks if she can read her poem to just her teacher. She does, and she grows stronger, realizing as she finishes that all of the people on the bus are clapping for her and are the same people who were at the poetry reading. She feels confident in performing in front of other people once she’s accomplished this.
This story is something that can resonate with many readers. Many children (and adults) fear performing in front of others. This story shows how a child can overcome that fear. Montenegro also incorporates the use of poetry into the narrative. As many children are not exposed to poetry, this piece can encourage its enjoyment as it seems more fun to read than the line-by-line format.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc. 2007



Harvesting Hope tells the life of Cesar Chavez. Starting with his home life when things were good and his family was happy, it goes on to discuss how the circumstances for his family change and he is forced to move to California to look for work as a farm laborer with his family. Disgusted by the unfair treatment he and his coworkers were treated, Chavez organizes a walkout and a march to the capital. He was successful in getting fair wages and health insurance for employees of the company for which he worked. He spent the rest of his life fighting for the fair treatment of workers throughout the world, participating in hunger strikes, ultimately contributed to health ailments that ended his life.
While Krull is not a Latina author she is well informed and talented in the art of biographical writing. Yuyi Morales earned an Honor mention for the 2008 Pura Belpré award for the illustration.
Many children grow up without any knowledge of who Cesar Chavez was and what he accomplished over the course of his life. Krull gives an accurate portrayal of what life was like for most of the farm laborers before they were able to unionize and fight for their rights. Krull’s depiction connects children to his struggles and enables them to picture what was so important to many Latinos in this country and many people throughout the world.

Professional/Critical Resource

Lempke, Susan Dove. Kathleen Krull Harvesting Hope: the Story of Cesar Chavez. The Horn Book Magazine. 01-JUL-03. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24011679_ITM

“The brief text creates a remarkably complex view of Chavez--his experiences and feelings. Krull's empathetic words are well paired with artist Yuyi Morales's mixed-media acrylic paintings, which are suffused with a variety of emotions, especially fear and sorrow.”
This quote sums up a lot of the emotion that one develops upon reading and studying this text and its illustration. Both convey the world Chavez was struggling to improve. With few words Krull is able to open readers to thought and opinion of racism and its effects.

When I've been thinking about Diverse Lit I've sort of been thinking about my own story. I could sit down and give a portrayal of the life I've lead and show the Italian side I inherited from my father, the Irish/German/Scottish side I inherited from my mother, the experiences I've had showing dogs, with friend, in school, etc. That would be an authentic portrayal, right? Because it would stem from my own personal experiences, so it would have to be, right?

I see two flaws in this thinking. First, yes, I could sit down and write a piece of literature focusing on the topics of my life but I personally believe it would not be a quality piece of literature, irregardless of whether or not my portrayal is accurate. So what's more important--the quality of the literature or the portrayal of the characters? You're not always going to have both aspects be quality...

The second flaw I see is what determines whether the portrayal is accurate? Who's to say that someone's experiences aren't accurate just because most people of the genre in question don't experience that? Wouldn't providing criteria to determine whether a portrayal is accurate or not ultimately lead to more stereotyping? So how do we prevent that? And what if a common stereotype of a particular group is the reality for the inspiration of some book? Do we not use that book because though the situation is true to the main character, it's a stereotype for those it does not include?

LeBron James' Vogue Cover

I knew when I heard about this cover there was going to be some controversy involved.
Someone interviewed on the Today Show (I wish I could remember who...) compared his posture and expressions to that of King Kong. They feared that it was going to fuel the debate about the status of African-Americans and how they are portrayed still as animals, especially when Gisele looks dainty and honest.

While I understand where people offended by the cover are coming from I just don't think that was the intended message vogue was trying to send. I don't look at LBJ and think "My God...what a monster he would be." I think more along the lines of "That's not someone I'd want to be matched up against on a basketball court..." To me his expression is just that of an in focus person trying to show the emotion he finds in playing his game. He's intense. He's bent on winning. It's an expression I've seen many times when he's pumped up on the court so I have a hard time making this image about his race.

How does this relate to literature? Well it directly relates to Race and Race Relations and Racism which all relate to the use of diverse literature in the classroom.

Becoming Naomi Leon

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought it gave a wonderful portrayal of Naomi's experiences and provided an imaginative world for readers to step into.

My only frustration was the portrayal of the parents. While I felt that their lack of a role in their children's lives was very realistic and authentic I worried that readers may perhaps then be left with the impression that that was a typical situation for Latino/a children. I would just want to be sure to include some supplemental examples of Latino/a life where parents did take an active role in their children's lives.

Personal Philosophy

Why did I decide to take TE 448? Well, the short answer is that I thought it would help to make me a better teacher. Why? Well it's giving me a greater awareness and appreciation for how I can incorporate multicultural literature into my classroom. I knew before taking the class that I would need to find diverse literature to use but taking this course, along with the topics covered in 348, is providing me with tools to help ensure that I choose quality works to include in my classroom.

Literature is one of the greatest ways to explore different cultures with students, but it will only be truly beneficial to them if the works used are quality pieces of fiction and help to steer them from forming stereotypes and opinions without justification.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

I really enjoyed reading Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko for class this week. It was one of the first times when I remember really being engaged in one of the assigned pieces of literature. I found myself wanting to read it and when I had to put it down I looked forward to when I could pick it up again. While I'm not sure I'll teach fourth grade--I'm looking more into kindergarten or first grade--if I do I definitely think this is a book I'd like to include in my lessons. I think it opens up the possibility for a lot of different conversations with students. The setting allows for a fun and definitely different historical perspective and a fun unit opportunity. It also presents a great opening for discussing Autism and Asperger Syndrome. The fact that Natalie was never diagnosed I think is a good thing--it provides a way to illustrate that not all cases of Autism are the same so that you can discuss how Natalie exhibits some indicators of Autism without suggesting that all people with Autism behave in the same manner. Overall I just enjoyed the pace of the book, the development of the characters, and situations throughout the novel and I look forward to some day including it in my classroom.

Insider/Outsider Debate

To be honest, the "Insider/Outsider" debate really isn't something I had ever thought about before this class and reading this week's articles. So when I had to develop a position on the topic I really had no idea what it would be. First, let me say that I think it is silly to say with 100% certainty that either an insider point of view or an outsider point of view determines the quality of children's literature. I think that each example has to viewed individually and carefully to determine it's quality and it should not be based entirely on the background of the author. That being said, there are certainly many instances where someone who is considered an insider can produce better work than an outsider, if by better you mean more ethnically or culturally realistic. At the same time however, I believe that an outsider could study a particular culture and produce quality literature worthy of the subject. I also don't believe that just because an author is from a particular background, he or she will produce quality literature. Just because I grew up the daughter of an Italian-American and an Irish-American and because my parents separated when I was very young and eventually divorced, can I write a great book for children? No, and I know that. I know that I would not create a quality piece of literature about my background--because I don't think I possess the skill needed. Does that mean I can't talk with someone about my particular experiences and that they can then create something using those experiences? I don't think so. I don't think I can take a position on either side of this debate. I think that each piece of literature has to be critiqued individually and its quality not determined by the background of the author.

Welcome!

Hi there!

My name is Laura and I'm in my 4th year studying Special Education at Michigan State University. This blog is for my Diverse Literature class. I am interested in diverse literature because I honestly have no idea how to go about finding quality examples of diverse lit to incorporate in my classroom. My hope is that at the end of the semester I will have new ideas about how to judge the literature I use with my future students.