A little frustrated...

Well I just finished reading the four articles for this week and I must say that I am a little frustrated. Although I enjoyed reading them, (especially in that order) I just feel all heated up about them. Despite the fact that he certainly didn't receive the "popular vote" for his opinions on multicultural literature, I found myself agreeing with Patrick Shannon. This was surprising to me because I had initially posted comments that were in alignment with the other authors (as far as members of the in-group being the best, if not only, people to take on the task of writing on behalf of a group of people.) At the end of the day I was just really put off by some of the comments made by Harris, Sims Bishop, and Cai.

I am still trying to figure out which perspective of multicultural literature I find the most suitable, but I am leaning towards "Multiple + Culture = multiculturalism." I mean, I get it, it is impossible to address every single culture that exists in one school year, but I definitely agree that "not only the underrepresented cultures but also the mainstream cultures should be included" (Cai 75). I just found it to be really annoying when the authors (aside from Shannon) kept saying that they aren't trying to exclude other cultures, but the most important thing to address in multicultural literature was race/ ethnicity. What about all the other cultures? They are important to. What about the middle class, white, male students that many teachers are bound to have in class? Should we as teachers not include books reflective of their (the dominant)culture? No, wait, we are supposed to be including books that teach white students to feel bad about their whiteness as a means of being socially/ morally informed right?

This whole debate disgusts me. Yes, we need to make sure that students understand that we live in a racialized society, but that doesn't mean excluding books that include the "mainstream culture." I personally favor the all inclusive definition of multicultural literature rather than one that emphasizes a particular sect of the population.

Inside Out.

Alright, well I just posted something, but then I looked at my syllabus and have to post something about my position on the "insider" "outsider" debate. Although I will read the articles, I feel like I have an opinion to share without reading them first. Maybe I will post something later if my thoughts change after reading the coursepack.

I had actually thought a lot about this question during tonight's class. I mean, how could you not? We were talking about making generalizations and stereotyping. In my "Questioning the text" paper I actually addressed the question. It is my current opinion that stereotyping is never okay, I don't see how generalizations are "helpful" and, at the end of the day I don't think I could ever write a book or make claims confidently (no matter how accurately) about a group of people to which I do not identify. I know that it had been mentioned in class that it would be perfectly valid to thoroughly research a group to which one does not belong, and then author a book on the topic, but I just cannot agree. Reading about the trials, tribulations, joy, pain, sorrow, and triumph of a group of people via an author who is not a member of that group is not the same as reading about those same things from someone who actually lived them.

I don't know. Maybe my opinion will change, I am open to hearing the other side.

I eat cake for breakfast....

I found tonight's class to be pretty thought provoking. Although I am still unclear as to how I should distinguish between the terms "generalization" and "stereotype" I have walked away with some more things to mull over. I know that my teacher had mentioned taking the article out of the coursepack that sparked our discussion on this topic, but I personally feel that the article is a powerful one, no matter how frustrating. The way I see it is that many things in life are not cut and dry. Life is messy and confusing and although articles like the one we discussed in class may perpetuate the confusion, they provide some food for thought at the very least. Maybe there isn't supposed to be a right answer. I mean, in an ideal world we wouldn't even need to define terms for the negative, potentially negative, borderline offensive, etc.. labels and traits that we assign to people. Maybe the "correct" answer isn't making sure to say the right thing all the time, or refrain from saying things at all, maybe the key is to be conscious of the problem and do the best you can every day to live in peaceful, respectful, coexistence with everyone.

Also, I read my poem today and didn't die. Incredible.

Here's to eating cake for breakfast :)

My Poem

So I was reading through some of my classmates' blogs and I saw that some of them had posted their autobiographical poems from last week's class. As I mentioned in my first post I was disappointed that I had not read my own during class so I am going to post mine as well!

In addition I realized that I never explained why I even have this blog or who I am.....My name is Lyndsay and I am a senior (!) at Michigan State University. I am an elementary special education major with concentrations in language arts and learning disabilities. Eventually I would like to get endorsements in autism and possibly emotional impairments. I have created this blog for a multicultural children's literature course that I am taking this semester and I hope you all enjoy!

Here's my poem:

"A Sense of Life"

I was

Seeing new cities
and making new houses
homes

Hearing crickets at night
as the summer air
foams

Feeling blades of grass
between my
toes

Smelling lilacs in the yard
deep within my
nose

Tasting the season
with stains on pressed white
clothes

Childhood passes
with both
highs
and
lows

And that’s the way life goes.

I am

Seeing this city
for how long?
God only
knows.

Hearing these lines rhyme
wishing they were
prose

Feeling the pressure and yet
rolling with the
blows

Smelling sweet satisfaction
more pungent than a
rose

Tasting this season
as the cold air
froze

This time passes
with both
highs
and
lows

And that’s the way life goes.

I will

See my bags packed once I
pay off these
loans

Hear voices of loved
ones over the
phone

Feel free and independent,
but strangely
alone

Smell home cooked meals
doing it all on my
own

Taste this season
bitter, sweet, and sour,
and know that I’ve
grown

Time passes
with both
highs
and
lows

And that’s the way life goes.

First Class

Before this year I had never really blogged at all, but I am strangely excited about the prospect of managing one of these even after class is over! Although I am writing a few blogs a week for classes and it all feels a bit overwhelming I think it might actually be fun once the stress of school is over. Anyway, I just wanted to say a couple things about class tonight....

First, I am still feeling really torn about my thoughts on the book my group reviewed in class, Black is Brown is Tan. Although I did enjoy the poetic structure and language of the book, I am unsure of how it would function in a classroom. Would it benefit students who come from multiracial families? Would it benefit those who do not? How do I really feel about addressing stereotypes? All of these questions and others are still circling through my mind. I actually ended up feeling kind of awkward during class when I mentioned that I thought stereotypes should be avoided when selecting multicultural pieces of literature because someone spoke up in total opposition to me. Initially I felt wrong in my thoughts, and embarrassed for having made the comment, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that I agreed with the person and hadn't spoken as clearly as I wanted when making my own comment. I do in fact believe that stereotypes should be addressed because I think that to ignore them may actually perpetuate them. If students are going to be hearing such information why not combat and dissect it? I think the point I was trying to make was that in the particular piece of literature my group was critiquing the stereotypes were presented discreetly and in a manner that might signify that making such statements is okay. I did not feel that the book was filled with a plethora of overt stereotypes for the purposes of dispelling them or having discussions about them- they were just stuck in there as unnecessary details in the story. I felt like the book had the potential to send some kind of positive message and after reading it, I just don't even know what kind of message was being sent at all.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that I am disappointed in myself for not having read my poem in class tonight. I was beyond nervous and initially just wanted to get it over with, but as soon as I left class I regretted not sharing it. I actually enjoy writing poetry when I have time and there is a part of me that was proud of what I had written and I just let me nerves get in the way. Oh well, maybe I'll read it to my roommates....