Final Post: Reflecting on the Semester

This semester has been meaningful and educational to me as a future teacher. I have always been an avid reader and promoter of literacy, but I did not realize the importance of selecting diverse literature until this semester. I believe that this class will make me very vigilant when I select literature for my classroom.

I feel like I have become much more educated on many issues of diversity and gained competency in discussing many underrepresented groups in American literature. I feel that there were many more topics I wish we could have discussed, one of which is gender. Since I did my final project on gender roles, I am very interested in this topic and think that we could have had interesting and informative discussion.

One thing I really enjoyed this semester was the blog. I felt that blogging provided me with a medium for deeper reflection. I also found myself looking for examples of diversity in my everyday life, including on TV and on campus, which I think is an important skill.

This class also made me reflect upon my role as a teacher. We had several discussions about literature and classroom community, and I realize that there will be times when it will be difficult to be an open minded educator, one who is appreciative of diversity. There were several situations we discussed in class that would be difficult to deal with, such as the teaching of Habibi or the incident with the red "safe area" triangle. I learned that I will have to be an advocate for my students and be prepared to stand up for what I believe in, even if it is not respected or promoted in my community. However, I feel that as a teacher I am responsible to educate my students and to help foster open minded and accepting attitudes.

Reflection On Learning

When I selected the topic of gender roles, I was not sure what theme I wanted to focus on. The topic is very broad and can be taken in a variety of directions. After reading various examples of children’s literature whose purpose was to promote positivity for females, I came to some conclusions. I decided that portraying females positively can be done without portraying males negatively. I also decided that strong role models are essential for the successful and healthy development of a child. Therefore, I wanted to select books that portrayed strong role models for girls, whether they were male or female. I found that all of the role models for children in the books were strong, capable, confident, and caring, no matter what their gender. I looked for this common feature because I believe much of what children learn about gender roles stems directly from their home life. If girls are to grow up to become capable women and productive members of society, they must have role models that give them an idea of adult behavior. I also was impressed with the lack of animosity toward males, which can be common in children’s literature that seeks to promote females. It is my belief that the negative portrayal of men is not a productive step in educating young children about effective and positive gender roles. From my selection of literature, children can learn that strong role models can be male or female, and though support from the opposite gender is helpful, it is not always necessary, as evidenced in all three of my books. It is interesting to note that all of the authors of my books are female, which was much more common when I was reviewing literature to select for my project. I hope that through my text set, children will learn about respect, self-awareness and empowerment, and take an effective step in an education about gender roles along the path to becoming a productive, open minded member of our society.

Professional Resource Review

Hamilton, M., Anderson, D., Broaddus, M., & Young, K. (2006, December 1). Gender stereotyping and under-representation of female characters in 200 popular children's picture books: a twenty-first century update. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 55, 757-765.

“Who cares if girls are cast in passive roles, boys in active ones, or if male characters outnumber female characters? They're just books” (757).

The authors of this article reviewed previous studies concerning gender roles in children’s literature and conducted a study of their own. They review studies conducted and previous patterns that have been found when investigating gender portrayals or roles in children’s literature. They address the above statement by claiming that,

“First, common sense suggests that gender bias in books matters--that stereotyped portrayals of the sexes and under-representation of female characters contribute negatively to children's development, limit their career aspirations, frame their attitudes about their future roles as parents, and even influence their personality characteristics. Second, experimental research strongly suggests that gender bias in picture books is harmful to children” (757).

The authors designed and conducted an extensive study that tested five different hypotheses regarding gender stereotyping and the portrayal of women. They found that, “modern children's picture books continue to provide nightly reinforcement of the idea that boys and men are more interesting and important than are girls and women. Every hypothesis we tested concerning numbers of male versus female characters was confirmed, as were all hypotheses about occupational stereotyping” (765). Other interesting conclusions included the fact that “nurturant behaviors are even more likely now than in the 1980s and 1990s to be performed exclusively by girls and women” (763). This study was an interesting resource. Much research was done previously regarding gender roles, and it was useful to see what seems to be the present trend now that we have entered the 21st century. The authors of this study found that females are still suffering due to their representation in children’s literature. It is the authors’ hope that, “with attention to the persistent problems inherent in children's picture books, parents, teachers, and librarians can choose selectively for balanced portrayals of gender roles until the time when authors and publishers provide us with such balance” (765).

Seven Brave Women

Hearne, B. (2006). Seven Brave Women. New York: HarperTrophy.

Betsy Hearne has her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Graduate Library School and was a book editor for Booklist and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. She has written and edited books for children as well as adults, and her book Seven Brave Women is a winner of multiple awards, including the Jane Addams Book Award, which focuses on books that promote peace, social justice, and community. The author speaks about the creation of the story on the website for the University of Chicago (http://people.lis.uiuc.edu/~ehearne//longbio.html): “Seven Brave Women didn't take very long to write, but it took my whole life to hear. And the best thing about it is the way those women wanted to share, not star, and the way readers have shared their own family stories in return. Listening is still the best thing I ever learned.” Hearne has a passion for storytelling and listening that comes out in her book.

An excerpt from the introduction to Seven Brave Women reads: “My mother does not believe that wars should be fought at all. She says history should be her story, too, and she tells stories about all the women in our family who made history by not fighting in wars” (1). The book is broken into chapters, and chapters 1-7 chronicle the lives of seven women throughout history and their roles of bravery. The roles are as simple as remembering stories, and as complex as opening hospitals. The last chapter of the book is written in first person, and reveals a young girl’s plans for herself for the future.

There are no pictures of men in the book, and there is not much mention of them. When they are mentioned, they are supporting characters; it is clear that this story is about women. However, it is clear that the women in the book do not hate men. Many of them were married with children, and they are portrayed as caring for their families deeply. The illustrations in the book show women as capable, powerful, and strong, while still being caring and polite. The women are inventive, assertive, and all can be considered positive role models, no matter what their contribution to history. This book was so powerful because it gives a variety of important messages to young readers, no matter what their gender. Women are powerful, capable people who can solve problems and be brave and heroic. The story also promotes creativity, determination, and peace.

I Live With Daddy

Vigna, J. (1997). I Live With Daddy. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Company.

Judith Vigna is a hugely popular children’s author. She writes about difficult issues for children including death, alcoholism, divorce, and loss. Many educators have utilized her books as resources and there are many extension activities available on the internet incorporating Vigna’s books. Her books received positive reviews from people looking to teach children about sensitive and difficult subjects.

The story is told by Olivia, a young girl whose parents are divorced. In contrast to popular portrayals of divorced families, Olivia lives with her father. She reveals that she misses her mother and mostly sees her on TV since she is a reporter. Her father is kind and patient, and he and Olivia share some responsibilities, like cleaning the house. Vigna writes that Olivia goes on some adventures with her mom, and it is obvious that she looks up to her as she chooses to write a story about her mother’s life for Writer’s Day at school. Her mother promises to attend and Olivia is very excited. However, her mother does not show up on time, and Olivia is very angry and hurt. She realizes that “Daddy never missed anything, even if he had to leave work early” (21). She does not want her dad to feel left out because she wrote her story about her mother’s life. Olivia decides to dedicate her book to her father, and they are seen reading her story together on the last page.

In the book’s illustrations, we see Olivia’s father vacuuming, cooking dinner, reading to her, and being a very supportive parent in both traditional “mother” and “father” roles. He even helps her write and edit her story which is written about her mother’s new life. This book was powerful because Olivia’s father is such a positive, strong, supportive presence in her life. It is also notable that he always tells Olivia how much both of her parents love her. There is not any animosity portrayed, even though the parents are divorced and the father spends almost all of the time with Olivia. One problem with the book is the portrayal of the mother. She is consistently late or too busy to spend time with Olivia. However, Olivia does not seem to mind most of the time, and reveals that her father does an excellent job caring for her. This book was so powerful because it reverses a traditional image of children of divorce. Even though the book features a negative portrayal of a woman, the positive portrayal of the father outweighs this problem in this context. Also, fathers are frequently absent or disengaged in children’s literature, so the positive portrayal of Olivia’s father in both parental roles is a positive image for children. This book also addresses the issue of divorce, obviously. Further, Olivia is a strong female main character. She is able to think critically and solve her problems when she thinks back to the author’s visit to class, and decides to dedicate her book to her father.

Mama Zooms

Cowen-Fletcher, J. (1993). Mama Zooms. New York: Scholastic Book Services.

Jane Cowen-Fletcher is the author of Mama Zooms. She has written at least ten other books besides this story. It was difficult to find her personal website or information about her, but there were a wide variety of sources for book reviews. She received positive reviews from every source I examined. Her books have also been published in Spanish. Her books seem to be focused toward younger readers and she often writes about families, relationships, and development.

Mama Zooms is a book for young readers. It chronicles the adventures of a small boy and his mother. The story, told from the child’s perspective, features a wide variety of make-believe escapades that he and his mother go on in her “zooming machine”. We find out that the zooming machine is actually a wheelchair. Throughout the book, the mother is depicted as adventurous and fun-loving, with “very strong arms from all our zooming” (21). This book portrays the child’s mother as capable and confident. She is not hindered by the fact that she is a woman or the fact that she has a disability. In the illustrations, the mother and son are pictured smiling and have a close bond. The father is present in the book. He is seen briefly at the beginning. At the end of the story, we can see that the family has a strong support system as the father and son help push the mother’s wheelchair up a steep hill. The last illustration shows the family together with the little boy sitting on his mother’s lap, holding his father’s hand.

This book is an excellent choice for young readers for a variety of reasons. The mother-son relationship is portrayed as loving and healthy. Although the father is not seen throughout most of the story, he is shown as supportive and the family functions well together. The mother is a positive female role model. This book can also be used to educate children about loved ones with disabilities. The only issue of concern was the fact that the father was absent throughout most of the book, which is common in children’s literature. However, the strength and positivity of the mother as a role model, despite her disability, outweighs this concern, especially since the family seems to function well as a supportive unit when the father is present.

The Breaking Point

Last night, November 20, I attended an event called “The Breaking Point”. It was put on by RHA and discussed stress, depression, and anxiety on college campuses. There was a panel of students, as well as representatives from MSU’s Counseling Center. A video was also played, where students on campus were interviewed about what stresses them out the most about being in college. There was a heavy focus on diversity and fitting in, and the struggles people can go through when they come to college. Some students on the panel talked about feeling alienated because they felt that there was not a place for their culture or lifestyle here at MSU. The representative from the counseling center also talked about how many LGBTQ students are often struggling. Even though the event was focused at students in college, I could definitely relate many of the concepts to the elementary classroom. Elementary students may have many of the same problems that college students have, but they may not be able to vocalize and articulate them as well. I feel like children can be just as stressed as adults, but people often do not recognize their mature feelings and can downplay their issues.

I thought this was a beneficial event for me for a few reasons. I learned that there are counseling services here at MSU, and that there are so many groups of people struggling to find their identity here on this huge campus. Many of the students on the panel talked about having someone to talk to about their difficulties fitting in. I think that part of my role as a teacher in the future is to be a listening ear to students who are having problems, no matter the nature. I got some useful ideas about how to make all diverse students feel welcome and comfort students who feel that there is not a place for them in their community. Again, attending this event reminded me that as a teacher I must challenge myself to include all students in my lessons and classroom community, and value differences and diversity.

LGBT Event: The Gwen Araujo Story

On November 14th, I attended a LGBT event about the murder of Gwen Araujo. Gwen’s story is heartbreaking and terrifying, and the event was very powerful for me. Gwen was a transgender girl in California who was brutally beaten and murdered by four boys at a party. They strangled her for being a transgender and buried her body. The four boys were indicted on hate crime charges and spent time in prison. Gwen’s story was made into a Lifetime movie and her mother spoke about the pain that she went through. Gwen’s mother spoke about the pain and suffering Gwen endured in her community, at school and at church. I was very moved by her story and I can’t even imagine the suffering Gwen and her family went through.

I was very glad that I attended this event, both as a future teacher, and a citizen of a community. Gwen’s mother, Sylvia, spoke about people fearing and shying away from transgender people because they did not know a lot about them. I personally did not know very much about the transgender community so the event was informational to me. In addition, my goals to promote diversity, education, and understanding were reinforced by listening to this woman speak and by watching the videos. As a future elementary educator, I want to promote appreciation of diversity and open mindedness among my students as much as possible. Sylvia told us that people were horrible to Gwen at school, even her teachers. I want to be a teacher who is caring and allows children to be who they are without fear of persecution or embarrassment. Every time I attend an event, no matter what the topic, I feel that I am becoming more educated and a better future teacher. I realize that teachers can make a huge difference in students’ lives. I think that by being as educated as possible about a variety of diverse issues or concepts, I can reach out to more students. Events such as these help build my teaching philosophy and attitude about creating an open minded, safe classroom community.

Diversity in the Media?

In the past, the show "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC has been praised for integrating diversity into its storylines. An Asian doctor had a serious relationship with an African American doctor, an openly gay actor was defended by the network against anti-homosexual sentiments, and a lesbian relationship between two doctors had been developing. However, last week's episode and the rumors surrounding it have created concern. The actor who played the lesbian doctor Erica Hahn left the show abruptly, leaving questions both for the characters of the show and for its fans. The storyline did not have a resolution; it simply ended. As an avid Grey’s watcher, I was confused at the message of the network. Perhaps I was reading too much into it and Erica Hahn was simply not a good character for the show. I hope this is the case, especially due to ABC’s past record of defending and promoting acceptance among cast and plotlines.

Last night’s episode continued my questioning of the intent and effects of the writing of Grey’s Anatomy. Callie, the other person in the lesbian relationship, made comments to fellow characters that she would continue to be gay in the future. I’m not sure if that is the correct way to make that statement, but those were essentially her words. I don’t really know how I feel about Callie suddenly “becoming” a lesbian on the show. She was married to another male doctor and had sexual relationships with other male doctors on the show, even during her relationship with Erica Hahn. I feel like perhaps Grey’s is portraying homosexuality as something that can be “discovered” in one’s adult life, that someone can “turn gay” as a result of failed heterosexual relationships. If this is the message people are taking from the show, I think that it reflects poorly on the writers of the show.

Perhaps I am reading too much into this; after all, it is just a weekly drama, not an educational program. However, I know that many people are avid Grey’s fans, and this might be the only experience with homosexuality that they encounter. I hope that ABC is careful in the future as to their portrayal of any diverse group of people, whether it is a doctor or a patient on Grey’s Anatomy. I have not heard any negativity about the Callie/Erica lesbian storyline, and I hope there is not any in the future.

Safe Schools Seminar

I attended the Safe Schools Seminar and watched the video "for the Bible tells me so". I learned so much from attending the seminar. I really enjoyed the discussion, because I was able to hear different people's views and think about the issue in different ways. The video was also very eye opening. It was shocking to me to see the lengths that people would go to make their beliefs heard, even though it might have hurt others. Also, I was surprised at some of the reactions from parents with gay children. As someone in my discussion group said, "My parents would give up the bible before they gave me up." This view is shared by my parents, and it was shocking to see that obviously, some parents did not agree with that view. I was surprised at the strength of the people in the film, especially the man who became the first gay bishop of his church.

I did a lot of thinking about the video and how it could affect my future, or how it affects me or my beliefs now. I wonder, where have we gotten our ideas about what is normal? How would it feel if you felt a certain way that was condemned by society and by your friends and family? I can't even imagine the pain the families in the movie went through, whether they were the gay person trying to come out or the family members trying to support their loved ones while maintaining their beliefs.

The segment of the video where the popular parenting book author was talking was shocking to me. It is so damaging, as the American Psychiatric Association stated, to try to force people to bury their feelings or conform to something or someone that they aren't. I was so upset to hear that a gay teenager commits suicide every five hours. With statistics like these, I don't understand how people can be so closeminded. Don't we want happy, healthy children in our communities? How can we stifle their true personalities and drive them to feelings of dispair and hopelessness so that they end their lives? I hope that society's perception of gay people and gay rights becomes increasingly tolerant so that we see statistics and suicide rates drop. We are all people who have the right to life, and I think everyone should do their part to preserve that right for everyone, even if it means supporting them in something that they don't necessarily believe is right.

Something I would have liked to see, or that I think would be beneficial for future teachers, would be to hear about students that came out in a community. I would like to hear about how schools, parents, and other students reacted, whether the reactions were positive or negative. I would also like to think about appropriate teacher roles in these situations. I want to create a safe community for all of my students without affecting the beliefs of any of them, no matter how conservative or liberal they are. I also want to make sure that my classroom atmosphere doesn't affect student learning in a negative way.

The Merit of Awards

I learned so much from doing the jigsaw assignment for different literary awards, and the assignment provoked some serious thought for me. I researched the Lambda Literary Award. Upon visiting the website, I never found any rationale or history of the award. I think that this takes away from the award's value. I would have liked to learn more about what the committee is looking for when they select books to receive the different awards.

Our discussion in class was very interesting. I personally feel that different awards are important for separating "good" and "bad" literature. I know that some people think that having several different awards takes away from the merit of receiving an award, but I disagree. I think that it is important for committees who are very involved with certain groups select quality literature based on standards that are important to them. It gives people who want to create a diverse literature collection a starting point for selecting books about a particular group of people. If someone wanted to get a book about the GLBT community for example, they could pick from a list of Lambda Literary Award winners instead of selecting a random book that might portray information about the GLBT community in a way that is unfavorable or incorrect.

Overall, I think that awards are important for highlighting excellence in literature for many groups, and for selecting quality literature by and about several different groups of people.

Should We Teach Habibi?

I was very interested to hear about the West Bloomfield school district's decision to cut Habibi from the curriculum. I thought that this was an extremely poor decision. I did agree with some parents that Habibi wasn't used to its full potential. However, the book was not intended to teach about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; it was included in a unit about diversity. The book does portray many aspects of Arabic culture. If the book was supposed to teach about the conflict between the Jews and Arabs, more literature would definitely be needed to provide a fair and accurate portrayal of the situation in Isreal, and other cultures, particularly Jews. Furthermore, I think the teachers needed to provide more scaffolding for the students in order to use the book effectively. The conflict over the land in Isreal has a long and complicated history, and teachers should have explained it to students before reading the novel.

I was so upset about the removal of the novel from the curriculum because I believe it is a form of censorship. Parents didn't seem to understand that the students were not being encouraged to follow the author's ways of thinking about the subject. The parents, staff, and students needed to keep in mind that the novel is written by an Arab woman, so it makes sense that she would portray Arabs in a favorable light. Also, although there is definitely violence committed by both Jews and Arabs in Isreal, the Jews are in control of the country and the Arabs are currently being oppressed. This is not to say that either Jews or Arabs are the rightful people of Isreal; I just think that the current politics of the area need to be considered. I was bothered that the school board removed the book from the curriculum instead of adapting the curriculum to include the book in a way that made all parents comfortable. What kind of message are we sending to children if we say that certain books are not appropriate for the classroom? If I was in a position of leadership in this situation, I would encourage balanced literature and class discussion about the Jewish/Arabic conflict in Isreal, and about the many different cultures portrayed in the novel, whether or not the portrayals were favorable. I think it would have been an excellent opportunity to discuss misconceptions even in literature, and the school board hindered the students' learning and critical thinking by removing the book from the curriculum.

Racism in America

I just saw this article and thought it was interesting. There has been a lot of talk of race during this presidential campaign, and I thought the polls were particularly interesting with respect towards the attitudes of different races about discrimination and racism.

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-race-in-america

Terrorists and Fundamentalists

While I was reading the articles for class this week, I was really in awe of how much evidence there is in history, in the media; essentially, anywhere you look, about Arabs as second class citizens. The article "The Minority of Suspicion" states that anti-Arab sentiments have "served the interest of colonialism in the West for over a hundred years." This prompted me to think about colonialism and its effects on the world. When we read The Heart of A Chief, we talked about Europeans colonizing the United States, terrorizing and massacring Native Americans and attempting to destroy their culture by dragging their children off to boarding schools. I knew that there was anti-Arab sentiment in the United States after 9/11, that much is obvious. I was not aware that the negative treatment and feelings towards Arab people has been happening in this country for over a decade, as the article "The Minority of Suspicion" stated. I'm currently taking an IAH class about Arabs in America, so I was familiar with a lot of the historical and cultural information from the article.

I was also struck by another quote about the portrayal of Arabs by the media: "This consistent treatment of Arabs in films has become the trademark of the American film industry to such a degree that youngsters are likely to not even be aware that they are observing a dramatically lopsided pitting of good versus evil. Not since cowboys roamed the range killing bad Indians have such stereotyped images been a part of popular culture, and this idea seldom is raised in American classrooms." (34) This quote was particularly significant to me because of the suggestion that people do not even realize that they are looking at images that are likely to lead to negative stereotypes. I am really starting to realize just how much negative stereotyping children are exposed to without even thinking about it. I feel like I have a big responsibility to make my students, even if they are very young, aware of stereotypes and teach them that not all of them are true and some of them can be very harmful and hurtful. I always was aware of this responsibility, but after reading about the negative images of another group in this country, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. How will I have time to teach about dispelling stereotypes while teaching all of the other knowledge my students need? I am worried that I will be an "outsider" to too many groups and that I will present my students with inaccurate information without even meaning to do so. How do we monitor our behavior and our teaching methods so that our students are able to have a greater understanding of multiculturalism and diversity? It seems like a really significant challenge.

Insider/Outsider Debate

I wasn't really sure where I stood on the insider/outsider debate before I read the articles. I really identified strongly with Shannon in his article when he talked about being white, middle class, etc. I ask the same questions of myself that he does in the opening paragraph of his article. I wonder how I am going to be able to appreciate multiculturalism and diversity when I never struggled with anything in my life. On the one hand, I want to be able to have diverse literature in my classroom and encourage my students to share their experiences and be proud about their backgrounds and lives. On the other hand, won't I look hypocritical discussing some issues with my students that I know nothing about and can never fully understand?

After reading the other articles, I came to the conclusion that I think that only insiders should write about a particular culture. However, this posed some more questions for me. I wonder how one can truly be considered an insider. Surely there are different definitions of an insider and how can we be sure that one is correct or authentic? Secondly, what should happen if there are no insiders available to write about the culture? For example, who is qualified to write about ancient Mayan civilizations? How much exposure or research with a group is considered enough for the author to be considered an insider?

My main concern with outsiders writing about a culture is accuracy and room for interpretation or error. Bishop's article addressed the issue of gaps and accuracy when it stated that, "the father a writer's background, knowledge, and experiences are from the culture of the person or people about whom he or she is writing, the greater the necessity for the author to fill the cultural gaps, the greater the effort needed to do so, and the greater the risks of mistakes." (Bishop, 17) How can we ensure that there are little or no mistakes made while still trying to provide quality literature for our children and for ourselves? I think that the most appropriate approach is to say that insiders should write about the culture. As outsiders, we need to come to terms with the fact that we never will gain an insider's perspective on a particular culture, but we can have as much knowledge and information by reading literature written by someone who is an insider to the culture.