Last week in class we were asked to look at both a picture book and a chapter book that represented the Latino/Latina culture in one way or another. My partner and I chose to look at Chato's Kitchen by Gary Soto. After reading this book I was completely speechless. I could not even believe what I had just seen. The pictures in that book seemed very stereotypical to the culture. The cats were wearing bandannas and wife beaters under flannel shirts, while some also had gold teeth and crosses on long chains. Even to me these images were offensive so I wonder how people from the Latino culture responded to this book. The fact that it got an award for the illustrations just boggles my mind and makes me question whether the pictures are actually a valid representation that the culture wants people to have of them.
The positive aspects to this book is that is contains Spanish words that don't seem to be too out of place within the text. The story also talks about specific foods that are eaten within the culture. But, I am still unsure of whether I would even put this book in my classroom library. I don't even think I would want to use it as a learning tool because I see it as being very offensive to the culture as a whole.
Monday, March 24, 2008
My Teaching Philosophy
I decided to take this course because I thought it would help me understand how to critically look at literature. I was first introduced to this idea in TE 348. But, after that course was done I didn’t feel as though I learned enough to be able to go out on my own and pick out literature that was accurate. Since one portion of my major is Language Arts, I thought it was necessary for me to take this course and continue learning about the techniques of noticing literature that accurately portrays the culture/group being written about. This class is definitely helping me reach some of my professional goals as well. I want to have a room that is rich with literature and practicing the use of my “critical eye” weekly has been beneficial to my learning about what to look for. I have found that not only can the writing be inaccurate but the pictures can also display negative images towards the reader.
Issues of diversity are extremely important when both teaching and learning literacy. I know that before this class, I just thought every book would be a fine piece of literature to share with children. I kind of overlooked the fact that books could portray groups in a negative light. If these ideas are not addressed by the teacher then students will most likely just pass over it as well. Because of this, it is essential that teachers bring up issues within books and use them as a teaching tool. Hopefully the students will then begin to look at literature with a more critical stance so they can prevent any stereotypes effecting their outlook on a culture.
My personal philosophy about multicultural education is that it is vital in schools these days. With all the events such as wars between countries and religions, students need to be presented with many different sources regarding what is happening. If students only ever hear one side of the story, then they are most likely going to agree with that. But, if they get information from many areas then they will be able to make their own decision on where they stand based on what they know and have learned. Children’s literature is a unique way to present cultures to students. Reading a story can be much more engaging than reading a text book and can still relay all the same information to students. I just hope that I will be able to do this for my future students. I am still concerned that I will not be able to choose literature that is completely accurate, but I feel like I will become more confident with it when I experience it on my own more. Bringing my philosophy into my future classroom will help me do just this. I will be able see how children react to certain pieces of literature and I’m sure they will be able to point out new aspects to me as well. I am excited to take what I have learned out into the field and I feel as though I have a good starting point for doing so.
Issues of diversity are extremely important when both teaching and learning literacy. I know that before this class, I just thought every book would be a fine piece of literature to share with children. I kind of overlooked the fact that books could portray groups in a negative light. If these ideas are not addressed by the teacher then students will most likely just pass over it as well. Because of this, it is essential that teachers bring up issues within books and use them as a teaching tool. Hopefully the students will then begin to look at literature with a more critical stance so they can prevent any stereotypes effecting their outlook on a culture.
My personal philosophy about multicultural education is that it is vital in schools these days. With all the events such as wars between countries and religions, students need to be presented with many different sources regarding what is happening. If students only ever hear one side of the story, then they are most likely going to agree with that. But, if they get information from many areas then they will be able to make their own decision on where they stand based on what they know and have learned. Children’s literature is a unique way to present cultures to students. Reading a story can be much more engaging than reading a text book and can still relay all the same information to students. I just hope that I will be able to do this for my future students. I am still concerned that I will not be able to choose literature that is completely accurate, but I feel like I will become more confident with it when I experience it on my own more. Bringing my philosophy into my future classroom will help me do just this. I will be able see how children react to certain pieces of literature and I’m sure they will be able to point out new aspects to me as well. I am excited to take what I have learned out into the field and I feel as though I have a good starting point for doing so.
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