Inspiration For Everyone

“Every one of us has to make a commitment to social justice. You have to have the courage to get out there and fight for it.” Dolores Huerta

Wow! I absolutely loved our trip to the museum. First, I feel like I learned about a lot of very influential people who I have never heard of and I learned about the numerous countries that Latinos/Latinas/Hispanics/Chicanos/Chicanas are from. I also loved it because I thought the exhibit was inspirational. I felt like they had such a broad variety of people represented that everyone could connect with a least one person and everyone could aspire to have successes like some of these people. I know personally seeing so many activists, educators,and public service workers I feel like I can make my dreams come true and that I can one day make a difference too.

That being said I do agree that it "romanticized" the American dream, but I also believe that if the American dream was never romanticized not one of these people would be where they are today. Thousands of immigrants and Americans work hard everyday because they believe that one day they too could live the American Dream. Although it is hard, almost (key being almost) for some to overcome their life obstacles, a few will overcome those odds and if no one let them hope or believe not even those few would make their dreams come true.

I also wanted to mention the 2nd exhibit which I really liked as well. I thought it was fantastic that they had students take the pictures. I also wanted to discuss the age/grade dilemma that was brought up. From my experience in research and study abroad in Africa, many students start school late or drop out and come back to school. Their is no age limits on school so 6th grade classrooms could have 12 yr olds to 20 yr olds.

Multicultural Curriculum

I was reading through a lesson in Lansing's Science Curriculum for my TE 401 class today and it had excerpts from the student workbook. The lesson on electricity had an illustration of students making a circuit. One of the children in the picture was in a wheel chair. This gives me hope that although slowly, people are becoming increasingly aware of the need for representation of multiculturalism not only in literature but in our curriculum, our media, and our daily lives.

It's about time for a CHANGE...

Change. It seems to be quite the buzz word these days. Both the presidential candidates are promising and insisting it is necessary. It was also what struck me most about the Kuhlman article. He writes, "that leads all to wonder about injustices and about ways to participate in actions that involve us as citizens who recognize our own limitations, as well as our own ability to make changes in ourselves and in our community. Wink (2000) calls this "knowing what we know" and then having the courage to question ourselves and our roles challenging practices we do not believe valid and supporting those that we find important fro positive community."

Wow. I felt that this paragraph is an incredibly powerful one. This is an example of how I would like to lead my classroom. I feel that the most important thing we can teach students is to think critically about ideas and opinions. If my students can think critically about social issues, their beliefs, and portrayals in literature, they will be able to successfully think critically in all aspects of school and life. I truly believe that this is a skill that all students should have. It in fact is so important to challenge your own thinking because that is the only way you can continually learn.

Al Capone Spot treated and Ironed My Shirt...

When I first started reading Al Capone Does My Shirts I was a little bit worried that I wasn't going to like the novel.On the very first page the Gennifer Choldenko writes, "I'm not the only kid that lives here. There is my sister, Natalie, except she doesn't count." I immediately jumped to the conclusion that this book was going to portray negative stereotypes of people with disabilities. I was also confused for a little bit at the beginning of the novel as to what disease Natalie had. My opinion of the book changed quickly, but I wanted to discuss a few things that I question or found interesting.

One thing that I questioned, but was also interesting, is the choice of the author to never explicitly say that Natalie has autism. I'm not sure why Choldenko would do this? The only possible solution I could create is that it helps to keep her disability universal. By not saying autism can children with disabilities other than autism relate to her? Can children without disabilities relate to her? It would be interesting to find out the author's reasoning for this decision.

The second thing that I found interesting and questionable was the role of prisoner 105. It was implied that he was attempting to rape Natalie, creating an unsafe environment. Will children understand what is being implied? Is it okay for children to understand or not understand? Is it crucial to the novel? How will children who have been affected by rape feel when reading this section? I also felt like knowing 105s age might have made the connection/relationship more believable.

Despite these questions, Al Capone Does My Shirt, is a realistic depiction of autism in a positive uplifting story.

The Middle East Book Award

The Middle East Book Award was created in 1999 to "recognize books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to the understanding of the Middle East." Awards are given in three categories; picture books for children 3-8, literature for children and young adults, and reference books for children and young adults. Books may be nominated by educators, librarians, or the general public. Books must be published between January 1st of the previous year and August 31st of the current year. The winners are announced in November at the MEOC annual meeting which is during the Middle East Studies Association conference.

The Middle Eastern Outreach Council, MEOC, was established in 1981 and sponsors this award. They are a group of non-profit "educators dedicated to disseminating apolitical and nonpartisan information, resources and activities furthering understanding about the Middle East." The MEOC hopes to reach K-12 and college level audiences in order to increase their knowledge about people, places, and culture in Middle East specifically, Israel, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan.

Books chosen based on the authenticity of their portrayal of Middle Eastern subject as well as on their characterization, plot, and appearance for the intended audience. Some titles include Counting Your Way Through Iran, The Librarian of Basra, and Habibi. Unlike Newberry and Caldecot winners, the Middle East Book Award is not recognized publicly on or in the books. The book winners are only available online. The Award itself does not have its own website, but rather can be found through the MEOC website. Websites listed below reference the award and previous recipients.

The committee for the Middle East Book Award consists of 7 volunteer nationally recognized educators chosen by the MEOC.

Below is a list of websites/sources:

http://socialscience.tyler.cc.tx.us/mkho/MEOC/
http://www.outreachworld.org/article.asp?articleid=45
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/outreach/news/meoc_200
http://socialscience.tyler.cc.tx.us/mkho/MEOC/middle_east_book_award.htm
https://listserv.byu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0711&L=arabic-l&T=0&H=1&P=6302
http://www.danahall.org/news_and_notes/september-october.html

Disney Stereotypes

I have always heard about the hidden stereotypes and negative aspects of Disney movies, but I never really payed attention to them. This past week many of these stereotypes were brought to my attention. After watching Peter Pan all day Saturday I was disturbed at the portrayal of Native Americans. The children are dressed with feathers, the Native Americans are painted red, and the song they sing is about "injuns". This is a classic movie that children and families have watched for centuries and it is portraying some of the worst stereotypes I have seen.
In addition I work at the writing center where a student brought in her paper comparing the Disney movie to the original Peter Pan book. She brought up an interesting stereotype. She presented the idea that in the Disney movie Hook's clothes and attitudes portrayed gay stereotypes. I had never thought of it this way, but it is similar to other gay portrayals and again is ridiculous to have such stereotypes in movies.
Finally, I was having a discussion surrounding stereotypes in Disney movies after watching Peter Pan and was told in Aladain, there is a song about "dirty Arabs". I would be interested to watch more Disney movies and find more stereotypes.