Final Post

I have really enjoyed my time in this class this semester. Thank you again Valerie for making this so enjoyable for me. It is very apparent when you are teaching that you really enjoy this class and the books and topics that we cover. As for the things that I have learned, I have learned a lot. When I go into a store now and look through books I feel like I will have a better understanding of which books to choose and why. For example, books about disability, I will look at how the disability is mentioned in the book and whether or not is seems like that is that main focus or if it is more about the person with the disability acting as if there was nothing wrong with him/her. My understandings of things have also changed. The articles that we read in class were very specific to each topic that we discussed in class. I like how in some of the articles it specifically said terms and names of things that should not be politically correct for people to say. Some of these words were things that I never thought of as being offensive but now that I have read about people and their feelings towards those names I know why they are not right. I will also look at the author of the book. I will look at whether or not the author is an “insider” and “outsider” to tell me how accurate the book may or may not be. If I am unsure of something about a certain topic I will take the time to research it to make sure that the book I am providing to children is accurate information.
This class has really opened my eyes to finding new and diverse literature. I have been able to ask questions that I was unsure of and find out how my classmates feel about something I am not sure of. It was nice to see that some people had the same kind of questions that I did and also some that I could give my opinion on. From here I will take what I have learned with me to my classroom and hopefully provide my students with diverse literature that they can learn from.

Habibi

After reading Habibi I had mixed feelings. I was happy for Liyana as she became accustomed to her new home. I was also a little unhappy with the fact that she had to move there. I remember from when I was a kid I had to do a lot of moving my self with my family. We never went from one country to another but we did go to different states. It is hard as a child to develop relationships with people when you are unsure of how long you will be staying in one place. This kind of thing can either help and hinder your social skills depending on how you look at things. Some children go into a new school and are shy about who they are going to meet and how they are going to be treated. Yet there are others that go into a new situation and make the best of it because no one knows who they were before. I felt bad for Liyana when they had to move but I was happy to see by the end of the book she had adjusted to her new life.

Writing the I Am Poem

I really enjoyed writing this poem. I also enjoyed hearing other people’s poems being read out loud during class. I think that people put a lot of thought into writing these poems and they are something that we can keep with us and even add to as we grow and live our lives. It was interesting to me how many people took this assignment and went different ways with it. Some people wrote about their childhood, some people wrote about their cultures, and yet others wrote about themselves as a whole. This to me was one of my favorite things to do in a class. Writing about yourself and sharing it to a class full of strangers is not an easy thing to do but it makes you proud of your accomplishments and love of life.

I Am...

I am…

I am from a house with a mother and a father
I am in the middle of two brothers
One just like me, the other the complete opposite

I am an athlete turned into a coach
Who still enjoys a good pick up game
I am a person that can run a couple miles but would rather not some days

I am a listener more than a talker
Friends enjoy complaining to me because I don’t complain back

I am tanned dark skin in the summer and love it
I am pasty white in the winter and hate it
I am addicted to the sun and if I had my choice I’d live in Hawaii

I am a lover not a hater
Can’t find myself to be mad at someone for long

I am a dreamer and believe in fate
Some how my life will fall into place when it is suppose to

Project Mulberry

When reading Project Mulberry I thought it was interesting how much Julia did not like being a part of her heritage. Everything her mother did that had to do with her culture would make her angry. She did not want to eat the food her mother cooked and she originally did not want to do the worm project with Patrick because she thought it had too much to do with her family back home raising the worms. I also thought it was interesting how the thought of racism was brought up. The mother seemed to have a problem with the fact the Mr. Dixon was a black man and Julia thought she had a problem with her old teacher that was also black. It bothered my though that this was never answered whether or not she was or was not racist. When I got to the end of the book I was a little disappointed that no answer was given and it remained a mystery. I did not like being left in the dark about that situation because I didn’t think there was any point in it.

Margaret Cho

When watching the comedian, Margaret Cho, I did not think much of it was funny. When she was making fun of her mother for being Asian I felt uncomfortable. I don’t think that just because she is Asian herself gives her the right to make fun of other people like that. The parts that I felt uncomfortable with made me look around the room to see other people’s reactions. I didn’t see or hear many people laughing throughout the clip. Some of the parts that I thought were funny I found myself waiting to see if other people laughed before I did because I wasn’t sure if it was offensive to some people.

Boy Meets Boy

While I was reading Boy Meets Boy there were times when I felt uncomfortable. I did not think that the setting of this book was very realistic and that bothered me. I have no problem with people’s sexuality. I think that that is something that a person is born with just like any other diversity. I do, however, think that this book stretched this high school setting too much. There is no high school that I have ever heard of where all of this stuff happens.