Where Will I Go From Here?

This course in multicultural literature has changed the way I think about designing my future classroom. I think about ways to incorporate the diverse literature in any way I can. It's an important theme to teach students as early as kindergarten. Children begin to develop ideas about different groups of people very early, as I have described in a previous blog. They get these ideas from their parents or even older children, and take those ideas as truth, which can then become a misconception. It is our responsibility as teachers, to nip those preconceived misconceptions as early as possible. I feel that I have come quite far since the beginning of this semester about my thoughts on multicultural literature. Before, I felt that diversity was important to teach, but I never realized to what extent it could go. It is important to keep in mind that one piece of diverse literature cannot be representative of an entire group. Everyone brings something different to the table, and should have a voice. A classroom library should represent people from all different cultures, whether those cultures are represented in your students identities or not. I still have a fear that I will come across a situation with my students where I don't have the answers for them. I understand that some questions do not need to be answered, I just hope that I can handle those "gray" areas effectively. I also am nervous about handling stereotypes. I understand that a stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, but sometimes a person of a group lives up to that stereotype for many different reasons. So, I wonder how can you teach students that it is wrong to stereotype people, but sometimes it is okay to accept s "stereotype" about a person because it is a part of who they are. Regardless, I still have high hopes for my future classroom with the inclusion of multicultural and diverse literature!

Final Reflection of Text Set

Finding Arab-American and Middle Eastern children's literature was not so difficult if you know what you are looking for. The hardest part was making sure the author was an insider author. Many books with Middle Eastern content are not written by insiders. This is somewhat discouraging, because it can mean that there a lot of misperceptions about this underrepresented group. However, when I went to the library with a list of books I wanted written by insider authors, the books started to come. I did not find as many children's picture books as I did with young adult literature. It seems that the most popular form is chapter books, which go more in depth about the culture and experiences. Finding scholarly articles about the literature was also very difficult. Most of the reviews I found were not from reliable sources or were just completely absent. The review I did find, touched a little bit on the multiculturalism presented in Deborah Ellis' The Breadwinner but that was not the main focus, which was also a little disappointing. I know there are more books and articles out there, but I have learned through this experience that they are not so easily available. I believe this project has given me an important experience to take on my future teaching journey. I realize that a lot of background research on books is absolutely necessary when choosing multicultural books for my students. It is important to choose books that are from reliable sources, authentic in content, and avoid stereotypes. I am happy with my mini text set I have created for Arab Children's Literature, and I hope to continue to find more authentic multicultural books for my future classroom.

Review of Professional Resource

When researching for professional resources about one of my books, I found very little academic writing on Arab-American Children's literature. I found one article titled, Imagining Peace and Social Justice: The Jane Addams Children's Book Award, by Susan C. Griffith and Donna Barkman. The article mostly focuses on the Jane Addams Book Award, an award which recognizes children's books that, "invite(s) young readers to think deeply about peace, social justice, gender equity, and world community." Deborah Ellis' work with The Breadwinner is recognized in a side excerpt of the article with a "Special Commendation, only the fourth in the history of the Jane Addams Children's Book Awards." Ellis was awarded this honor for her book trilogy that, "are terrifying indictments of what war can bring to children and powerful testaments to the ingenuity and strength of young people in times of war." The article does not specifically mention its focus on multicultural literature, but it does list the different books, which have won the award, many of which are multicultural. Deborah Ellis' Breadwinner Trilogy is a multicultural book which was not recognized for its diverse content but for its stories of unbelievable obstacles overcome by the young characters. While it was disappointing that I did not find an article praising the multicultural dimension of The Breadwinner specifically, it was nice to find an article with another way to award great children's books.

Source: Imagining Peace and Social Justice

Book Review: The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

The Breadwinnner, by Deborah Ellis is an inspirational story about a young girl named Parvana who helps support her family in Afghanistan when her father gets captured by the Taliban. Her mother is forbidden by the Taliban to work and her father was a teacher at a high school that was bombed. After the bombing, Parvana and her father go to the market to sell letters. When Parvana's father gets captured and taken to jail it was up to Parvana to earn money for the family. She has to disguise herself as a boy because women and girls are forbidden in the town. When Parvana's father is finally released the family's security is still up in the air because the Taliban has captured a nearby town. This book is an excellent source of multicultural literature regarding the Arabic culture. The setting and events are very real and authentic to the Middle East situations. Deborah Ellis is an informed insider of the Arabic culture. Deborah Ellis has lived with Afghan refugees in Pakistan and was able to hear many different accounts from women and their experiences from over 20 years of war. Deborah got her inspiration for The Breadwinner from a true story of a girl she met in Pakistan. BookReporter.com quotes about Deborah and her books, "She felt it was important to put names and faces to the people that we see on television."

Source: BookReporter.com 1996-2000.
http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-ellis-deborah.asp

Book Info: Ellis, Deborah. The Breadwinner, Groundwood Books, 2000.

Book Review: Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam by Elsa Marston

Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam, written by Elsa Marston is a historical fiction piece which attempts to be as unbiased as possible. The first chapter is an introduction, which really serves as an author's note to the reader to explain the complexities of writing a historical fiction book. Marston begins this first chapter by introducing the Islamic faith, the God Allah, and the prophet Muhammad. The very first line of the text reads, "La ilaha illa Allah... Muhammad rasul Allah." Marston explains that this statement, " is the basic creed of every follower of the religion known as Islam." Marston also explains in this introductory chapter that the past biographies written about Muhammad are biased due to religion and personal views, but she wants to write a narrative that can be as objective and authentic as possible. So, the story begins with Muhammad's life and how he became the prophet to Allah, and establish the holy book, the Koran. The story is based on historical facts and extensive research. The book also contains a timeline and glossary of Arabic terms. The timeline gives information about Muhammad's life, including all of his cultural and spiritual impacts. I believe this book to be a good source of multicultural literature in the area of Middle Eastern culture, because it provides tons of historical information about the origin of the Islamic faith, which impacts today's modern Muslims. Elsa Marston is an author with an invested interest in the Middle East. Her late husband, Iliyah Harik, was born in Lebanon, which gave Marston many opportunities to reside in and visit Arab nations and learn first-hand about the culture. Marston has published many books, which are diverse in their content containing information and characters from the Middle East.

Book Info: Marston, Elsa. Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam, Grolier Publishing, Library of Congress, 2001.

Book Review: Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi

Ramadan written by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi is a non-fiction children's book, which presents factual information about Muslims and their Islamic religion, particularly the holiday month of Ramadan. The book uses some authentic Arabic language, and explains it's meaning in English. The book is meant to inform others about the many special customs of Ramadan and the Arabic culture. Although the book is mostly factual, presenting information, it follows a young boy, Hakeem, an Arab-American, and his family through their traditions. The book begins with an explanation of what Islam is, and introduces the God, Allah. Then it explains to the reader that the Muslims follow a lunar calendar, and during the lunar month of Ramadan, all Muslims must fast every day for the entire month. Before a day of fasting the Muslims wake up early, before dawn, to have their meal called Suhur, which will provide them with energy to make it through the rest of the day. The only part of this book that I questioned the authenticity, was in the description of foods eaten at the Suhur. The foods eaten were everything from pastries, scrambled eggs, and toast to pancakes, maple syrup, and oatmeal. I guess I was expecting the Suhur meal to be authentic Arabic foods eaten at this special time. But then I had an after thought, Muslims in the United States or even in the Middle East could very well enjoy these types of foods for their Suhur, especially if it is readily available. The book focuses on all the positive aspects of Ramadan, from getting in touch spiritually, and forgiving others for all past arguments. The author, Suhaib Hamid Ghazi, was born in the United States, but later moved to Saudi Arabia, where he resided for six years. The illustrator, Omar Rayyan, worked with Ghazi to portray the book as an Arab-American family celebrating their Islamic faith. The book jacket quotes, "Mr. Rayyan included borders and panels in a more traditional Islamic style to remind us of the rich and exotic past of Islam and to create a visual contrast with the contemporary American Muslim life depicted in the story." I believe this book to be a good piece of multicultural literature because it provides many details to the religion and culture of Muslims, gives the reader some Arabic vocabulary, and takes place in the United States so it gives readers a chance to relate to the text and learn something about a culture that exists so close. Thinking back on my thoughts about the food in the Suhur, I think the author included that to provide contextual information about the time and setting and also help non-Arab readers relate to the story.

Book Info: Ghazi, Suhaib Hamid. Ramadan, Library of Congress, 1996.

Book Review: The Illustrator's Notebook by Mohieddin Ellabbad

The Illustrator's Notebook, written and illustrated by Moheiddin Ellabad is a composite of many short writings accompanied by elaborate photographs and illustrations. The brief essays on each page describe the many thoughts and experiences of the author. Each page reveals a part of the author that is personal and cultural. I believe this book to be one of the most authentic pieces of Middle Eastern literature I have come across. The book opens and reads from right to left, traditional to Middle Eastern culture. There are also peek holes through the writing that give the reader an idea of what it is like to live in the Middle East. Ellabbad was born in Cairo, Egypt, and speaks of his experiences there and other places such as the Perfume Coast and the United Arab Emirates. This book provides information about the past and present, Arabic script, food, animals, personal experience, government, henna, and many other aspects of the Middle Eastern culture. Ellabbad also attempts to compare Arab culture to European culture when he addresses the differences in skin color and reading and writing styles. The book could also be considered somewhat biographical, because it explains the different thoughts, ideas, and steps Ellabbad took towards becoming a successful illustrator and author. The last page is a brief autobiography of Ellabbad accompanied with a photo of him drawn by his son. While I was reading this book, I imagined it was somewhat representative of our modern blogs. Each page containing a new "blog post" about the author's ideas for the day. The book was very enjoyable to read and relate to, while also teaching some interesting cultural values, places, ideas, and activities native to the Arabic culture.

Book Info: Ellabbad, Mohieddin. The Illustrator's Notebook, Groundwood Books, 2006. Originally published in Arabic in 1999 by Editions Mango Jeunesse.

What Do You Do?

I have never been more conscious of racist, ignorant, and discriminating jokes and remarks that occur in my everyday life from people all around me. I believe that it is important to take a stand in some form of protest to let these people know that those types of comments are simply not okay. Even if this protest is as small as not laughing at the person's joke. I remember talking about this subject in class and our instructor suggested asking the joke teller, "Why do you think that joke is funny?" Then the joke teller will really have to run around in circles to not feel like the ignorant person they are posting themselves as. I know this can cause for some really difficult situations, especially when you encounter this with your friends or family. But, at the same time, you are given the opportunity to open someones eyes a little bit wider and see the other side to their joke. Sometimes this is the best time to address an issue because the person might learn something from you when they were least expecting it. I know life throws you some situations where you have to choose your battles. I try to look at it this way, if I can stop on person at a time from telling those jokes or making those comments, then I am making a small difference that could eventually turn into a big difference. So let's all be a little more aware of the comments made by those around us who have not been fortunate enough as us to learn about all the other great groups of people this world has to offer, and take a minute to educate them.

Describing White-Americans as European American

I have repeatedly come across the term "European-American," as a way to group all whites in the United States into one category. While I understand the origin of the term, I have a hard time accepting it when it comes to discussing multicultural literature. We constantly attempt to identify groups for their unique culture and distinct identity. For example, just in our class alone we have studied Native-American, Asian and Pacific-American, Arab-American, Jewish, and so on. While we have touched upon the fact that it would be impossible to address every group in a semester long course, I think it would be important to recognize the diversity just within the European-American group instead of constantly clumping them together. We have been comparing these other groups against what our society labels as the "norm," in other words "European-Americans." I would just like to address that within that clumped group is another vast range of cultures and identities including but not limited to, Greek, German, Polish, Irish, Italian, French, and I could go on and on. My main point is that I hope that when we discuss the term "European-American," we keep these additional identities in mind, and consider them when discussing the different areas of multicultural literature.

Developing a Personal Philosophy of Multicultural and Diverse Literature

I have really enjoyed my experience in this class because it has completely opened my eyes to another dimension of education. I think about the issues raised in this course now in my everyday life. Whenever I encounter a situation where I hear a racist remark or joke I feel responsible as an educator not just for students, but for society as well, to speak up and fight for acceptance which embraces our world of diversity. Diversity plays such an intricate role in education that the possibilities are endless. Whether your classroom has a diverse population or not, diversity is an important concept to teach. When a classroom does have students from a variety of different backgrounds, those students should feel as if they are being represented in the curriculum. Then, even if the students in your classroom are more of a homogeneous group, it is beneficial for those students to learn about people outside of their community, and realize there is more to our world than the "bubble." I grew up in a white suburban neighborhood and went to a school that comprised of 99% white students. I had one African American friend, two Asian-American friends, and one Native American friend in all 12 years of public school. I was naive to the rest of the world around me, until I came to Michigan State and began to meet new people and learn about many different cultures. I believe that literacy is the best avenue to take when introducing topics of diversity. Books can help students relate to the characters and apply the events in the book to their own lives. This is a great method to give your students an experience of empathy for other cultures and ways of life. My own personal philosophy of multiculturalism and diversity in the classroom, is to incorporate it into all areas of the classroom. Although it would require more planning, this method would be more effective because it just becomes a part of the classroom, versus a month long unit on diversity. I also think that the ideas need to be introduced gradually starting at the beginning of the year and continue to add in more bit by bit. Some of the issues can get very personal for some students, so it is most important to establish a comfortable community of learners in your classroom so everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and experiences. My biggest concerns about bringing multiculturalism into my teaching is that I will arrive at a difficult situation and not know how to handle it. Being the teacher in the classroom, the students rely on you for the answers and management of the discussion/activity. I realize that there are some of those difficult questions that don't have solid answers and I just hope that I will be able to manage those "gray" areas with my students. Regardless of my fears, I have higher hopes and am so thankful to have this diverse children's literature course as a background in my education.

Child's Idea About A Different Group of People

When I was in my field placement last week, I overheard a very interesting conversation between a few of my first graders. Many of the students live in the same apartment building and talk about their experiences together about being at home. One student was talking about the building she lives in. She started describing to me that all of the doors in the apartment were green. This really bugged her and she said that she wished they could all be a different color. The other girl agreed and said she wished she could change it too. I suggested to the girls that maybe they could make some artwork and hang it outside the door to decorate a little more. The girls thought this was a good a idea but then started complaining about the smell in the hallway. The first girl said, "Those dang Russians are always stinking up the hallway." I was really taken off guard by this comment. She went on, "Those Russians stink up the hallway because of all the food they make. Their food smells sooooo bad. And they cook a lot. But sometimes though they can cook up some really good meals." Well, I asked her how she knew they were Russian, and she tried to avoid my question. The best answer I got was that she had heard it from an older girl who also lives in the building. Then from the rest of the conversation I got the impression that she had been invited to dinner to eat sometime before, but I wasn't entirely sure because her comments were not consistent. This made me think that this girl had these preconceived notions about the "Russians," based on what she had been told by different people. It seemed to me however, that she very strongly believed that only the Russians in her building would cook strong smelling food. I just found this conversation very interesting and found it worth mentioning. This was the result of a young impressionable girl taking on ideas that may or may not be true of a group of people. I fear that these notions will stick with her, and begin a cycle of stereotypes or worse. It is important that as teachers, we realize how impressionable these kids really are, and that they are influenced by many outside sources. This is why in teaching it is so important to get at the students misconceptions and previous knowledge, ideas, and understandings, in order to start breaking those walls down.

First Grade Religion Debate

In my field placement full of first graders, we were discussing a social studies lesson on leadership. The students were generating a list of leaders on the white board, when one child raised her hand and said, "God." Another child raised his hand and said his leader was Jesus. This sparked a debate between five or six children. They were debating whether God and Jesus were the same person or not. One child said, "God is Jesus so he doesn't count as two different leaders." Another child said, "No God is Jesus' dad so they are two different leaders." My teacher proceeded to write both names on the board and allowed the children to talk it out with each other. Some children did not even know who "Jesus" was. This conversation among six year olds, made me come to a very important realization. Children are bringing their backgrounds, culture, religion, and diverse beliefs to the classroom even this early in their education. It is important to keep this in mind as teachers, even in the younger grades because it does have an effect on the students and how they accept your teaching.

Discussing The Text: Al Capone Does My Shirts

I really loved reading this book. I had never read a fiction piece dealing with autism, let alone any type of learning disability. I thought this piece of literature did a great job of exploring the relationships between those with and without a disability. I liked that the perspective was not of the person who had the disability, but as close as you can get to that, with the character of Moose and his insight. I think it is important to note the changing development of the relationships between the character's in the book as the result of autistic Natalie's character.

Moose's anxiety about Natalie being around other "normal" people really seems to come at ease by the end of the book, as he better realizes his place with her. Moose really struggles between being a brother to Natalie, and a more parental figure to her. He really fills some big shoes and is rewarded greatly.

Piper, the rowdy trouble-maker of the group makes a positive transition from making fun of Natalie, asking if she is "retarded," or "stupid", to becoming compassionate and sensitive to Natalie's needs, wants, likes, and dislikes. She even asks Natalie for help in counting her money and comes to tell Natalie "Happy Birthday."

Moose's mother also makes a great transition throughout the book. At first, she is super stressed out all the time about Natalie and constantly making decisions that may or may not be in the best interest of Natalie. However, she comes to realize that her young son Moose is right about a lot of things and comes to appreciate him even more for it.

I really want to explore these relationships in class, and the cause for their dynamics to shift so much in a short period of time. I believe that when the character's come to a better understanding of Natalie, they accept her and become compassionate toward her. This is a major theme across all multi-cultural diverse relationships. When the "unknown" and "different" becomes more familiar it is easier to understand and get along. A major purpose of this course and our future teachings in elementary classrooms!

Multicultural Literature Awards

There seems to be a little bit of a debate in the children's literature community about book awards for multicultural literature. In class this last week we were assigned to groups for researching a different book award. My group was assigned the Sydney Taylor Award, an award given to outstanding examples of Jewish children's literature. In the rationale for the award, the Association of Jewish Libraries, stated that the purpose of the award was to "inspire authors, encourage publishers, inform parents and teachers, and intrigue young readers." The AJL also stated that the Sydney Taylor award is meant to, "engender pride in Jewish readers while building bridges to readers of other backgrounds." Some would argue that multicultural awards actually draw clearer lines among groups, but in this statement from the AJL, the goal is actually quite the opposite. While I myself am not Jewish, I like that there are organizations such as the AJL who have these award systems to help educate others about our differences. It is important to recognize that there are different groups, races, ethnicities, cultures, etc. and these awards help to shed a positive light on each groups' unique qualities without stereotyping and without racism. The awards enable a sense of pride to know that you can pick up a good book about one of "your own," or if you are an outsider to the group you know that you will be reading without false judgements. This is the beauty of these awards and I am thankful they are here.

Habibi as a Banned Book

While reading the book Habibi, I really enjoyed learning about a culture in the Middle East. I have not had the opportunity to read very much literature which takes place in a country such as Israel. I felt that the book gave me a good foundation to the political conflict of the Middle Eastern territory. I realize that a lot of details were left out, but it gave me a solid starting point to begin to understand it. Also, while reading I thought the narrator did a good job of keeping the feelings neutral between the Arab and Jewish conflict. Realizing though, that the point of view would always be slighty biased being that it was told from an Arab-American standpoint. The book was constantly referencing hopes for peace between the two peoples and recognized that they did not fully understand the Jewish point of view. Therefore, I was sort of embarassed with myself when I heard that this book had upset some members of the Jewish community. How could I have ignored these scenes in the book which made the Jewish seem "misrepresented"? I understand now the reasons for the school district in West Bloomfield seeing this book as being problematic. However, I do not agree with banning the book. I feel that this book could still be taught and the issues should be pointed out when the arise in the reading. It could be a good lesson on biased stories and the sterotypes that can be labeled on specific groups of people. I still believe, despite some of these issues that this book can be benefical to students and teachers.

The Great Debate: Insiders vs. Outsiders

I still feel conflicted about the insider vs. outsider debate. Some would argue that in multicultural children's literature, an insider should have the ultimate voice in producing an authentic and cultural piece of work. An insider would be defined as a person who lives within the chosen cultural group. They have an "inside" perspective. Others argue that outsiders can contribute to the multicultural works as well with extensive research and knowledge of the chosen group. To me, I guess it depends. An insider most obviously seems to have the most information ranging from experiences, emotions, and opinions. An outsider can only observe these experiences, emotions, and opinions. Therefore, it seems that an outsider would be telling the insider's story for them. Sort of like someone else writing your biography. I think both can be revealing. The only conflict I see, is if the outsider misinterprets or misconstrues something because they are telling someone else's story. So I guess in my opinion, the insider would be the most accurate... BUT if the outsider is going to make an attempt, they should make sure to be as accurate and authentic as possible, because I believe observations can also be very telling. An outsider can observe something that an insider doesn't even realize because they are an insider. This is still something to debate I think......

Beaner's to Biggby Coffee

For those of you who do not know, the coffee shop "Beaner's" has changed their name to "Biggby's" now as the result to much controversy over the original name. This topic has sparked a few conversations among myself with some friends and family. At first, I took an ignorant perspective and really did not understand why the change. I asked a barista working in the coffee shop one day why the store had changed its name. She told me that the word "beaner," was actually a derogatory slur against people of the Mexican ethnicity. This may be surprising for some people, but I had never heard this term before and I was really surprised. This is where my ignorance came in. I was talking with a friend trying to work out my misunderstanding. I thought, they didn't name the coffee shop to be offensive, they named it after the coffee BEAN in a fun way. If it's not meant to be offensive why would someone say it was. I want to make it clear that I completely recognize my own ignorance and I am thankful that I have learned since then. What I learned was that the name didn't have to INTEND to be offensive in order to BE offensive. I was not thinking about it from a different point of view, a point of view that would take it offensively. I relate this to the video we watched in class, "In Whose Honor," where a Native American woman protests against the University of Indiana's "Chief" mascot. The fans who were mostly not of Native American descent argued that the "Chief" was not intended to cause offense, only to honor the Native Americans. But the Native American woman felt strongly offended to the point of mockery. I have never personally experienced something like this but I can only imagine the feelings it must ignite. So, I am proud to say that my feelings on this topic have grown a little more and my awareness of others feelings, even if I cannot personally identify. Now I feel personally responsible for educating others in any way I can and help them to work out their misunderstandings the way I had to... even if it is just starting with this little blog.

Welcome

Welcome to my TE 448 Diversity in Children's Literature course blog. I will use this blog to engage in discussion topics with my classmates and also serve as a space to chart my own thoughts as I go through this class. This could be in the form of a book review, class reaction, personal reference to a related topic, or any other helpful use related to TE 448. I also plan on keeping this blog as a portfolio piece to show my competence in the area of diverse children's literature. I look forward to learning and experiencing this class and the subjects contained as a way to wrap up my undergrad career at Michigan State. Please do not hesitate to comment on my blog and provide your suggestions. I love to get feedback and I can't wait to hear from you!!