Final Course Post

With the semester coming to an end, I have taken some time to look over my notes and the papers I have written for this class. I realized that I have a much better understanding in diverse children's literature across many different cultures. It was great to read so many different books about different cultures and ethnic groups. By doing the Questioning the Text papers, it really made me look critically into the novels we read and see what stereotypes or generalizations were present, as well as trying to understand what the author may have been saying throughout the book.

I loved having the insider/outsider debate and really questioning my own beliefs as to who should write diverse literature. Although I still have mixed feelings about, it made me realize how underrepresented some groups are by having an 'insider' write about that group, such as Native Americans. I also learned that although a book may be given a specific award, it doesn't necessarily mean that that book is the best to be represented in a classroom. I always had the judgment before that a book must be good if it was given an award, yet one must read through the book critically and get an accurate review or research as to how that culture was represented. As a future teacher, I'm definitely going to read through books beforehand and make sure that it's being used in the appropriate ways.

Not only have I learned about books in this class, I also have learned how to use blogs:) I'm not very tech savvy and get frustrated at times, yet this class has definitely helped me to understand the use of blogs and has given me an opportunity to share my ideas and hear from other people. It's a great way to get more information on important topics, as well as seeing other's perspectives on certain books. I loved that this class had a very safe and open environment where we all could express our thoughts on the books we read. I'm definitely going to continue using blogs and hopefully communicate with authors of books I come across when I have my own classroom one day.

Thanks for a great semester!