Social Issues: Connecting Children to their World

Strehle, Elizabeth. “Social Issues: Connecting Children to their World.”
Children's Literature in Education 30.3 (1999): 213-220. 15 November 2008. .

In this article Elizabeth Strehle focuses on using children’s literature in the classroom to discuss complex social issues, to connect to students lives, and to supplement curriculum. In this article she focuses on teaching students about homelessness, especially in urban areas. Strehle first discusses how students are exposed to an enormous amount of information on complex issues through TV, media, and everyday life. She claims that you can use literature to bring these experiences into the classroom and discuss homelessness and other social issues. She discusses the ways that literature in general can help foster discussion in classrooms. She then analyzes two books about homelessness Way Home and Smoky Night and their benefits to the classroom. She concludes by explaining how books about social issues can break negative stereotypes and help expose misconceptions that students hold.

Strehle presents a compelling argument for discussing social issues in the classroom, through literature and I completely agree with her. Students have a wealth of knowledge about social issues and it is our job as teachers to unpack that knowledge, figure out what they know, what they have to add to conversations, and what stereotypes or misconceptions they hold. We can use literature to start these discussions as well as to break stereotypes. Strehle says, “The universal theme of developing as people and solving problems, regardless of the culture, is an appropriate starting point for discussing relevant community issues. In offering literature embedded with social issues to students during
thematic studies, teachers can offer opportunities for students to begin to see themselves as children among the world's children.” Children can relate to these social issues and they should be exposed to them.

Finally, in her final argument Strehle says, “In the discussion of homelessness the teacher's selection of literature models a set of values that reflects the status quo or questions the social norm.” Using books about homelessness in your class is a powerful tool for students to begin to understand the complexity of homelessness and to break negative stereotypes. Especially in the recent economic hardships, homelessness has become a more prevalent issue in the U.S. Strehle’s article perfectly illustrates the need for homeless literature in the classroom. Not only are stereotypes broken, but students can see the need for compassion and community. In addition, she inadvertently expresses the need for teachers to choose literature that breaks social norms, that challenges students to step out of their comfort zone and think deeper.