Throughout the semester TE 448 has been the highlight of my week. I really enjoyed the intimacy of the class discussions as well as the comfort level in the room. I think that what I really learned by taking the class is that literacy can be used in many ways in dealing with diversity. First, text can provide comfort for the insiders of a particular group of diverse people. Further, the text can provide information about those groups to those who may be outsiders or unknowledgable about the group. Even more, the text can be used to reflect on one's own views, misconceptions, and assumptions that may be dwelling in a classroom setting. I think that the class made me understand the importance of the author's background and whether or not he or she is part of the group, has done valid research, or had long term experience with the particular group they are writing about. I also really enjoyed using the blogs and thought it was a great space to share afterthoughts and fun ideas about topics or different pieces of literature.
I now understand that when a class reads a book discussion is necessary, but specific prompts may force students to not share their own unique interpretations. I really think that I got the most out of this class during those discussions where all group members were prepared, focused, and enthusiastic about the topic. I would have liked to learn more about how to guide but not lead discussions as well as how to engage the students in the topic in order to make them excited and inspired to really gain something from each book. I thought the organization of the course was great and that there is a real need for more children's literacy courses for education majors because it really gives you an understanding about what specific qualities to look for in a valuable piece of literature.

Between Mom and Jo

Peters, Julie Anne. Between Mom and Jo. New York.Megan Tingley Books. 2006



This was my favorite book to read, I finished it in two days! I really enjoyed it's realism and the uniqueness of the situations, it really made it a page turner. Further, the book really made me think about how Nick and his family are similar to any family that goes through divorce, but because his mom's are gay it adds a lot of extra stress and drama to endure. I am really interested in how often this sort of situation occurs in the United States and how the families are usually split in terms of custody issues. The story of Nick and his mom's Jo and his biological mom, Erin begins as many stories do with memories of a great childhood and how well they all got along. The novel's plot turns from a functional family to a family that deals the alcoholism of one parent while the other battles cancer. I enjoy Julie Anne Peters' use of a common reason for the divorce rather than a situation that only two lesbians could go through. I think that there are some really great connections between the two lifestyles that made me realize how similar they really are. This realistically flawed family captured my attention the entire time. However, i found it a little unbelievable that Erin, the biological mom, would not let her son see Jo after the seperation because it seems like a very drastic twist of character. Overall, I think the book adds a great deal to my text set as a whole because it tells a story of divorce through the eyes of people who were in fact never married. I think the book sheds light on the fact that divorce is not always as easy as many children's books portray. Further, the book accentuates the idea that often the child is helpless in custody battles. At the same time, Peters really details the idea that family, no matter what combination of genders, is fragile and when it breaks it can shatter.

I really think that including the diversity of family structure in this course would be a great topic because it would be something that all people can apply to their own life. I remember before my parents got a divorce, I was quick to assume that many steroetypes about both the parents and the children who come from this background. Surprisingly, I do not fit into any of the stereotypes that I was so quick to palce on my friends who had parents who were divorced. I chose to focus my final project on this because I think that the divorced population is under represented in literature and when it is talked about it is almost always talked about in a way that calls for some sort of recovery or self help becasue of the situation. I think that if we had a discussion about families in an open and comfortable setting there would be a great opening for the semester where we learn about each other, discuss our misconceptions, explore the diversity, and make connections between our differences.

comfort level in the classroom during discussions on diversity

I really enjoyed how well the discussions went during class and thought that it was effective to begin by talking aobut what makes the topic of sexuality or sexual preference uncomfortable for students. i found it interesting to think aobut the correlation between religion and this topic in that it seems like this will be the biggest obstacle when creating an unbiased classroom that celebrates diversity. I would like to know more about what a teachers responsibility when introducing this subject. Do we have to inform parents and how do you respect thsoe religions which disagree with certain types of lifestyles? I think that this is an area of education that could potentially cuase a riff in the home and school relationship. I would like to learn about how to include those students in these discussions but, at the same time do not want to force beliefs on those students who come from families who do not want to discuss this topic. I hope that when I have children they will have educators who take the time to inform them about the realities of different types of relationships while clearing up the many misconceptions about what it means to be gay, lesbian, transgender, transexual, or queer.

Critique of Text Set, Summary of Thoughts

Summary:
Overall, looking at the four texts and the scholarly article on the effect of divorce on children has made me realize what a great job my own parents did when helping me, as an only child, get through their divorce. The text set I reviewed had one common theme: No matter what both parents will always love you. I think that this is important because it is something that a child needs to hear repetitively throughout their journey to recovery. Children often feel that they are to blame for their parent’s separation and divorce which is also a theme in the books I read and reviewed. The text set I reviewed seemed to be a great representation of books that can be used as tools in aiding children’s recovery after family changes. One of things that differed amongst the books was the fact that they were aimed for different ages.
The books, “When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends” and “Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce” are meant for young children. These books really emphasized the fact that although they may live with one parent at a time, they can still do everything they used to and they still have the love, support, and care of both parents. These books are an age appropriate, “sugar-coated” portrayal of divorce and all its effects. On the other hand, “Dinosaur’s Divorce” and “Mom and Dad Separate” are two books that are for the more fluent reader. These books work well with children around the ages of eight to twelve because they allow the child to ask questions about their own situations and feelings. They allow the older child to see a more realistic portrayal of what divorce entails, what can happen, and how it effects the people in the situation in a way the normalizes the events an outcomes of divorce.
My favorite book that I reviewed was “Mom and Dad Separate” because I think it proves to be the most useful by the fact that it not only provides an inspirational and normalizing look at divorce, but also allows the reader to illustrate the answers to the questions posed. This allows the reader to personalize their story which can be viewed by parents, teachers, and counselors, as a tool to open discussion about the child’s emotions about the divorce which they have been a part.

Critical Review

Critical Review:
Karuppaswamy, Nithyakala, Judith A. Myers-Walls, Ph.D., CFLE. The Effect of Divorce on Children: What Makes a Difference. Purdue University. 2006. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
The scholarly article, “The Effect of Divorce on Children: What Makes a Difference”, is a great tool for parents, teachers, counselors, and authors to review in that it explains how a each child who has gone through divorce will have a unique reaction to the change in lifestyle and family. The article discusses some of the factors that are intertwined to create each child’s feelings and response to a divorce. First, the article discusses the idea that the level of conflict will greatly impact a child’s ability to overcome the situation with a positive outlook on family because the more fighting and criticism between parents the more they will struggle to recover. The article goes on to discuss how a parent’s adjustment directly effects a child’s adjustment. In other words, if a parent is positive and consistent in their portrayal of their feelings the child will feel more secure in relaying their ideas and emotions in a healthy way. Further, the article discusses the idea that a child should know, only what is age appropriate, about the divorce. Younger children should be bombarded with the fact that both parents still love them and as they age, be introduced to the more intimate details of what happened and court orders. Following this section of the article, discusses the idea that research has shown that children ages 10-12 often have the most difficult time with divorce because they are old enough to know what is going on, but not old enough to have control over the outcomes of their situations. Further the article states that children, regardless of age, need support from a variety of people. Parents need to be open to their children in answering questions and staying positive about their recovery. Also, brothers and sisters are often great supports because they are going through the same process. Next, children or teens that have experienced divorce can often be a beacon toward the path of successful recovery. The article discusses the idea that girls often adjust to divorce better than boys because, as society deems, girls are allowed to portray emotion whereas boys are taught to hide their feelings and put on a strong and unaffected front. Regardless of age or gender, the article states that it is up to parents, teachers, and counselors to find healthy ways for children to express their feelings and work through the emotions such as reading books, painting, or drawing. This article really does a great job pointing out the key factors that cause differences in a child’s reaction to divorce and how a parent can influence healthy recovery and high self esteem.

Book Review: When Mom and Dad Seperate, Children Can Learn to cope With Grief From Divorce

Heegaard, Marge. Illustrations to be done by children. “When Mom and Dad Separate, Children Can Learn to Cope With Grief From Divorce”. Minneapolis MN: Woodland Press. 1991.

Marge Heegaard, author of “When Mom and Dad Separate, Children Can Learn to Cope With Grief From Divorce”, has created a book that can be used by children in order to reflect on their own situation and illustrate on each page as a way to write a personal story about how divorce affected them and what they still have despite the separation of their parents. Heegard was a step mother and wrote this book for her step son because he was so tentative to discuss his feeling with her. She thought that he would benefit from this unique format because he loved to draw and being able to illustrate your own feelings took the focus off the intimate and personal questions. As the book begins the reader is introduced to the idea that change is part of life such as a caterpillar turning into a butterfly and the sun sets and the moon rises. The students are asked to draw how they have changed from being a baby, to now, to when they grow up. Heegaard goes on to list ideas about what can go wrong in a marriage and what a divorce entails. This book is full of question for children to think about and offers room for them to illustrate their answers. This allows the child to work though their own feelings and, when talking is often hard to do, they have space to draw their emotions and ideas. Although, the book appears to be just white pages with black writing, it is the only opportunity a child may have to personally question their feelings and ideas about a divorce and reflect on the affects that have come about from the separation between parents. Due to the fact that the book depends on the reader’s personal experience it can not be used by students who have not been personally affected by divorce. However, for those who have dealt with divorce this is not just a book; rather, this is a tool that can be used in the process of healing and adjusting to the new life that a child will live in a single-parent home.

Brown, Laurene Krasny, and Marc Brown. Dinosaurs Divorce, A Guide For Changing Families.
New York, NY:Little Brown and Company, 1986.

Dinosaurs Divorce extremely unique, not only in its content, but also it’s form. The author and illustrator worked together to create a very real depiction of what can occur when parents divorce. They wrote the book together for their children who had come together as step siblings to create a new and unique family unit. As the book opens there is a table of contents which lists the topics covered in the book such as: words that revolve around divorce and their definitions, why divorce can occur, feelings a child may have, what happens after, living with one parent, visiting parents, dealing with two homes, holidays and special occasions, telling friends about divorce, meeting parents new friends, and dealing with stepparents and stepsiblings. The book covers many reasons for why divorce could happen, feelings children may have, different situations that may result and different options for how to cope. I really enjoyed the comic book format because of it allowed versatility in the author’s representations of situations. For example, when talking about how a child may deal with feelings they explain that emotions may not be plain and simple to explain. Rather, they offer different emotions through distinct facial expressions to show that it is okay to feel not only sad, but also angry, afraid, confused, ashamed, relieved, guilty, and worried about who might take care of them. This is unique form other books because it allows the reader to take a second and think about how they feel and what situations apply to them. Further, the book offers many reasons divorce can occur, how to cope, and what may happen after the divorce which makes this book extremely beneficial to a variety of readers who come from diverse and unique family situations. I think this book is also of great value because it can be used for children who have not been affected by divorce personally. The authors did an excellent job specifically describing all the different outcomes divorce can bring to a child while intertwining emotion with each possible pathway. This book, although could be read and explained to a very young audience, seems to be geared toward elementary age and middle school students because it covers a lot of information. There is one part of the book where the authors are writing about how parents may be upset with each other and behave in ways that hurt themselves and their family. This is depicted by a mom finishing a martini with bottles and pills behind her which, although often realistic, too mature for young readers to understand. As always, the book ends with the message that no matter how divorce affects a family or what happens after parents will always love their children.

Book Review: "Mama and Daddy Bear's Divorce"

Spelman, Cornelia Maude. Illustrated by Parkinson, Kathy. Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce.
Morton Groves, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company, 1998.

The story of Mama, Daddy, Ruth, and Dinah, a family of bears, is a story that discusses, in an oversimplified way, the idea that although they may not have both parents in the same household they will not loose the things they had before the separation. The author wrote the book with the memories she had as a child during her parents divorce and the process of recovery that her and her sister, Ruth, worked through together. The story is told through the eyes of the youngest sister, Dinah, who learns that although she may not be able to do all the things she loves in one home she will not loose the things that are important to her. This book is for a very young child and can be used to relay the idea that everything in the child’s life, except where their parents live, will remain the same. In a comforting tone, Cornelia Maude Spelman does an excellent job to portray a family that made it through trying times that no matter what may happen with the family composition the love shared between a parent and child will never falter. The illustrations, by Kathy Parkinson, are great for young children because she relays the emotion of the characters through detailed facial expressions which will help emphasize the flow of the plot for a young child. I really enjoyed the use of bears as the main characters was an effective choice in that the characters are more relatable and effective for children of all races.

Book Review: "When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends"

Moore, Jennifer. Illustrated by Fabrega, Marta."When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends". Hauppauge New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2005.

This is a great book that can be used as a tool to use with children who are dealing with parental separation or divorce. The author, Jennifer Moore- Mallinos does an excellent job acknowledging some of the concerns and anxieties she had as a child in order to help families adjust to changes within family composition. I really enjoy the progression of the characters emotions, beginning with how things were once good in the characters, which remains nameless, home. As her father moves out, the author addresses the idea that children often feel guilty for the separation that occurs between parents in a way that is honest and to the point. She is quick to write about the parent’s efforts to comfort the girl and remind her that despite the change, both her mother and father still love and care for her very much. In the end, the character is comfortable with the situation and enjoys spending time with both parents. The illustrations by Marta Fabrega add to the sensitive but positive tone to the book in that they are done with watercolors outlined in charcoal pencil. She used warm colors that grab the eye as well as a pattern of two cut-out people one each page to make the book more inviting and focus the young readers. I really enjoyed this book and thought that there was a sense of simplicity that captured the thoughts of a child as they deal with divorce in their home and adjust to their new family units.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

i really enjoyed this book because it made me remeber the things I like about the Catholic Religion. I have never heard of a story like this and found it hard to put down! I remember someone asking me about why I always followed rules, never drank in highschool or tried drugs and my response was becuse I feel guilty if I break the rules that my Catholic school taught. I felt like I needed to follow the school rules or I would be disobeying God. I often miss the consistency of Catholicism, traditional and clear. However, I think this book points out exactly what I felt when I graduated... it is important to evaluate yourself without the religion you were raised on because it helps you find your own beliefs and thoughts. I am interested to see what others post and look at the texts about religious differences in multicurltural literature.

Becoming Naomi Leon

I really liked the fact that in , Becoming Naomi Leon, the mother was the character that had left her family. Too often we see father figures portrayed as the characters who have have the affair, or have a drug problem, or get sick of being tied down to the family. this was a refreshing twist to the story line. further, I really enjoyed the fact that author, Pam Munoz Ryan, really incorporated the idea that Latina families were strongly connected to not only their immediate familiy but also their extened family adn their close friends. She did a great job of putting a good light on the "kinship" of the Latina families...I really enjoyed it adn will look out for other books she has written!

Blindness and Hybrids...?

There was an news "blip" on CNN about an issue that blind people are having today, in the midst of all the new technology. The article discussed the face that the new hybrid cars are so quiet that people who can not see, and depend solely on their hearing to guide them, believe that the extreme quietness that comes with the new environmentally friendly cars could cause a grave problem. I just thought this was interesting to think about while reading the book for this week... I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in Charlie's situation!

The Lambda Literacy Foundation Award’s website can be found at: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/index.html. The purpose of this award is to celebrate GLBTQ literature. This award does not take the orientation of the author into consideration; it is secondary to the quality of the writing and the LBGTQ content of the work. There are twenty one categories in which books can be nominated by their author or publisher. The books are judged by various members of the literary community, but judges are not announced until the winners are made public.
In 2004, there was a book (The Man Who Would Be Queen) which was nominated, announced as a finalist, and then removed from the list due to an outcry of the LGBTQ population. More information about this at http://www.tsroadmap.com/info/lambda-literary.html.
We found it quite interesting that we could not find a “seal” to acknowledge books which won this award. Our group questioned whether this is due to the political climate of our country and the connotations that this award might have toward these books. Does not having an award allow for this book to be read by children and young adults without being "flagged"?
In searching for books which have won this award, we could only find two of the books in the young adult/children’s lit categories: Luna (which was found at the library) and Boy Meets Boy (which is actually a book we’re reading in class).

I believe that it is possible for a person of one race to write effectivley about another. However, I believe that it can only be doen whent he author has done a great deal of research, observation, and personal experience with the subject matter they plan to write about. Further, I believe, as a reader, it is easier to trust a book if the author is actually the race that the book is based on. Nevertheless, it is important that we as readers and critics of literary work research the authors of the books we read before we read them as an informational and accurate text. I believe that it is possible for a writer to wirte about whatever they choose whether that subject matter is within their personal heritage, culture, race, or religion.

about me

I am a senior in special education, LD focusing on Language Arts. I am interested in studying diverse literature because I did not have experience in diverse literature in my own schooling. I am really interested in students with severe disabilities and think that literature is a great way to learn about the variety of students I will encounter in that area. I am also interested in writing children's literature in the future. I am really looking forward to this class!