my very very PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY

I have always wanted to be a teacher. When I was little I used to say I wanted to save the world and when asked how, I would shake my head and say I will be a teacher. However, I come from a family that does not believe in higher education and my dream where constantly bashed and torn apart. My overall mission is to do what I have set out to do and become a teacher. As for this class, purpose is learn more about different literature and figure out which books are good choices and which are not. For those who have read my essays and blog post...you must know by now that my grammar and spelling are nothing to brag about. However, I am working towards a Language Art focus to go along with my minor. Since I hope to be a Language Art teacher one day, knowing how to choice a good text is important. Thus, my reasoning behind taking a children's lit class.

So far I have learned more about literature I do like for crazy reasons but one thing I know I will never forget is look for how a culture is shown in the text. After read many books about different cultures and children in usual situations, I have created a mental list of what I look for in a book that I will keep in my classroom or teach. Since no one is alike, diversity is very important. Just today, the class read a book that I thought was completely out of this world...serious. But after thinking about the book and trying to understand how this book that didn't seem to have anything important in it could be so special? But now I see the whole point of the book is because it is not different it is something students can use for a role model. It is something students can look to for guidance.

diversity and multicultural literature does not stop with books. I believe it is done with teaching and how it is use throughout the classroom. Literature is not just only meant for story time or english hour. Using literature in other subject areas is one of the best ways to both make good use of time and incorrperate diversity throughout the school day. I feel literature needs to be part of everything. A math quote before math or a poem about science to get the students involve is one of the best way to get their attention and keep it. It is not too much work to find a piece of literature from another culture to use in other subject areas. My whole education has involved this thoery in every aspect. I believe it not because it is what I have been taught but because it is what I believe. I have so many stereotype that I grew up with that have hurt my education and made me feel dumb for believing. For example I USED TO believe that all Native Americans fill the story book tale of how they act and dress. However that is far from the truth. And to have been taught that is scary. I would never want to teach that stereotype, although I am afraid that I might teach a stereotype without knowing it. But I still have time to learn and out grow that mind frame.

I am always afraid I will fail. I worry that with everything I have learned I will not be a good teach and potentially destroy a child. Not in a physical way, but in a break down of all beliefs kind of way. My little sister had a teacher who broke her spirit and I can honestly say she has yet to recover. For my little sister, she always felt never good enough for this teach and always felt like the world was against her when she step foot in the classroom. I never want my students to feel this way. This is my biggest challenge. I do not want to intimate any children but I do want them to learn from the stereotypes around them. Another thing I fear is the parents of the child. Parents play the biggest role in what a child learns. If the parents what the child to know and believe something then they have a greater influence then me. And no book or unit can change that.

books books and more books

Last week in TE, my lit group was assigned an award to research and bring in a few books about it. We got the Pura Beplre Award. I did my research and I looked up my books. However, being the poor college student that I am, I decided to go to the library to get the books. I had two books that the class was reading or had read but I wanted a picture book and a new book. I got to the library around noon and it was packed. I live in a town. We are talking small! So to see so many people in one place was a little scary. After waiting in line to get help to find the books, it was finally my turn. As I explained the project to the librarian, she looked at me with a smile and said, "We dont carry Hispanic books. There isnt a great need in the population for the books." I was dumbfounded. Just because there is a lower hispanic population in my area doesnt mean that people would not want to read them. The library should have more of these book just because there isnt a great population. This is how students learn. Without the books to teach them, children now have to depend on the information for other areas...other bias areas. An insider book about hispanic culture would have a better impact then a cartoon TV show.

Eye Opening

After reading Heart of a Cheif, I found that I was not effected by the book. In all honesty I hated the book. I found it confusing and it jumped around way too much. I wanted the book to have one problem and have the one and only problem solved at the end. However, with everything that was going on it the book, I had to work at keep focused on reading the book.

On the other hand, after attenting class on Wed. the new book Habbi was much better at keeping my attention and focus. But I missed the message completly. I did not realize that the love interest of the main character was Jewish. For a Middle Eastern woman to be interested in someone completely different was a major break through. I was in culture shock from this new concept. I live in an area that is open to most differences, so to see two different cultures coming together was no big deal for me. However, for a young student who has not see this it is a good learning experiance.

are you In or are you Out?

The difference between an insider and an oustider is like mixing oil and water. No matter how hard you shake them, sooner or later they seperate again. Over the past few weeks, I have been stuggling with the concept of what an insider and what is an outsider. I have not come to a complete conclusion. What I have figured out is that they are hard to explain. Something completely different, yet related at times. From my point of view, an insider is a person who has insider knowledge on a topic. For example, I have insider knowledge of what it would be a girl or a college student. An outsider is the complete oppsite of an insider. An ousider has little to no knowledge of a topic. These terms come in handy when writing and researching book topics. Researching a topic is where the lines of an insider and an outsider blur. The novel The Heart of a Chief gave the reader a good understanding of what it would be like to be Native American in this generation. However, what could be debated is how realistic and closly connected the topic is to what it really is like. While the author maybe Native American and know about the topic he is writing about, some authors choose to write freely on topics they know nothing about or do not research completely. This makes the material harder to believe and learn from because the facts might not be completely correct. For students, the books they read will be windows in to ideas and places I will not be able to teach them. If they do not know if what they are reading is true or not, then does that help their learning? To learn broken pieces of information is worse then learning nothing at all. Children build off of what they learn each year. Building off of incorrect information leads to major misconceptions later in life. Learning what information is factual and what is not, is the most important part in chosing a book. A book may have the most beautiful cover and words, but if it is filled with lies then what good is it?

Thus, the search for an insider and an outsider defination continues....

a little more me

Hey fellow bloggers...

It is time for a little more me on this blog. I am a college student at a big ten university. I am studying to be a teacher with a focus in English. I may be the only English teacher out there with the worst spelling and grammar...but I could be wrong.

This blog was set for my last English course as a way of exploring new technologies. Mostly I would use this as a way to responded to discussions and readings. I am a random person and sometimes I might not make sense at first...but give it time and it will all come together.

One of the important aspects of the class is to understand diverse literature. I have taken the first part of the class two years ago. In the beginning, I thought the underlining meanings of childhood books I adored was more then I could understand. I never looked at any of the books the same way again. This time around I am interested in looking for books that have the WOW effect on me. I understand how to look at books with another view point, but I want books that make the students think. I want to be able to give a students a book that is about another culture and have them understand what it is like for others students. I am interested in this type of material and understand because I never had it as a student. I read about children who were just like me and going through the same things. It was not until high school that I learn about another culture. I do not want my students to have to do this too. I want to start them young with their questioning.

A few questions I would have would be:

• How do I know what a good book would be for my classroom?
• Should I take a risk and bring in a book I know will cause trouble but is still good?
• What do I do if none of the students want to read about other cultures?
• How do I get them involved?

Well that's it for now....Thanks for visiting my blog!

*b.

ONE of many

YAY! I made my first real blog. Other social sites have blogging on it. But this, my friends, is my first REAL blog. The hardest thing...picking a backgroud. Well now that creating my blog is done...I guess I should move on to the rest of my very long list of homework...two weeks down...13 more to go until graduation