Pam Munoz Ryan

So I have been working on my Questioning the Text paper for this week and have done some research on the author. I remember that in my TE 348 course, I wrote the paper for relating Esperanza Rising (also my Munoz Ryan) to other works by the same author. I read a few of her picture books and remember really enjoying them, so I was excited to read Becoming Naomi Leon as well. I remember that the picture books I read dealt with famous women and their journeys to becoming famous. It displayed them as "ordinary" people and told the account of something extraordinary that they did in their lives. I read When Marian Sang and Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride. Ryan enjoys taking what appear to be small, average people and have them go through extraordinary adventures in their lives, which is just what she did here with Naomi and her family.

Back to putting the finishing touches on my questioning the text paper! :)

Diverse Coffee

I know I mentioned this quote in class, but I just wanted to say it again because I know Deb really enjoyed it. As she said in class, "Starbucks sponsors our class, eh?"

"People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others." -Youssou N'Dour Musician

I think this quote is really relevant to our class because it explains that diversity is not something we need to overcome in our lives, but rather it is something we should embrace and appreciate. We are so lucky to be able to experience so many different cultures in our country. We should all consider ourselves blessed to live in a world where so many people are able to live together in harmony.

Bronx Masquerade

I have read about half of Nikki Grimes' Bronx Masquerade and I am loving it! I read the first half of it in one sitting because I just could not put it down! I think it is so well written and easily relatable for young adults of any racial or ethnic group. I am not sure, since I am only half way through the book, if the characters' story lines get more developed or if each two or three page narrative and one poem is all you get from most of the characters. I also can't tell if I want to hear more about these characters than just the two or three pages we receive. I think I might enjoy developing my own endings for each of the characters. It would give the reader a sense of control over the story which may inspire them to take control of their own life. I like how in this book, the perspectives of many different characters are given instead of just one person. It gives the reader more of a well-rounded perspective of a racial group. I also really enjoy how Tyrone gives his own views on each student and their poem. It shows that one person's perceptions of people can, and usually do, change once they hear more about a person's life.

I also did some brief research on Nikki Grimes and I came across her website (as I am sure many of you did as well). Here is the link, incase you have yet to find this site. It provides a lot of information, including other books she has written, a brief biography and more. I also found a video of a class doing their own version of "Open Mike Fridays" based off of Grimes' book. This video was a great way for me to visualize the book and see what happens in Mr. Ward's classroom.

See you all on Wednesday!

Who has the right?

A hot topic in multicultural literature these days is who has the right to write fictional or non-fictional stories about minority groups. Many people believe that people who do not belong to a specific underrepresented group do not have the right to write a story about them. Some of the articles we read for last week's class touched on this subject. While one author argued that the only people who should write about the experiences of a specific group are the members of that group, another author argued that as long as someone is educated enough on the subject, they can write about the experiences of a group. I agree with the latter. I think that as long as someone educates themselves enough on the experiences, trials and tribulations of a specific group of people, they are at liberty to write a work of either fiction or non-fiction about that group. As someone said in class, just because someone is from a different background, does not mean that they can't or didn't go through some of the same things as someone from a different background. People from all different backgrounds need to come together and realize that just because someone is from a different cultural group or a different socio-economic status, does not mean that their growing up experience was extremely different from yours. In conclusion, I think that someone from one background has just as much right to write about another ethnic group, religion, SES, etc. as someone from that actual group as long as they have educated themself enough on the group's history.

First Time Blogger

I would like to start off with a cheerful "Hello!" to the blogging community. I have never had a blog before, unless the livejournal I had when I was thirteen falls into that category. The entire concept of being a blogger is very daunting to me. To think that I will post my thoughts and questions on here for not only my own benefit, but to help others in my class is beyond my imagination. I look forward to reading what my TE 448 classmates have to say about the different topics we will cover in this class related to issues of diversity in children's literature.

Now I guess I should let you know a little bit about myself. I am a junior at Michigan State University and am majoring in Special Education-Learning Disabilities with a focus on Language Arts. I have always enjoyed working with children and have always known I wanted to be a teacher. My entire life has been spent living in the beautiful state of Michigan and although I love it, I can not wait to move out west and start my own life as a teacher.

Well, I guess that's all until next time!

Maggie