Thoughts on TE 348 from an Urban Educator

Overall, I really enjoyed all of the material covered in this class. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the books we covered for role responses and would love to try to include some of them in my future classroom. As a member of the Urban Ed Cohort, a majority of my education has been geared towards teaching diverse student populations, or teaching in under resourced communities, and while Bud, not Buddy was an excellent book containing a diverse range of characters, a majority of the other books did not include minority characters, and none of the books contained characters who had disabilities. I personally wish that there had been more books focusing on diverse characters rather than all white, non-disability characters, simply because of my major and specialized degree program, but I also think it would be valuable for future teachers who aren't going to be teaching in a diverse area to be introduced to books that will ensure their students have access to literature about different cultures or lifestyles. This might be something instructors might consider in the coming years. Many students going through the education program have a global or urban focus, and many others are devoting their teaching careers to students with special needs. It might be valuable to include more children's literature that focuses on these aspects to ensure students have been introduced to topics of diversity and social justice.

Commercializing Literature

After discussing Daniel Hade's article "Storyselling: Are Publishers Changing the Way Children Read?", during discussion section this past week, I was reminded of my Communications class on Mass Communication. The class, which focuses on mass media's effects on society, touched breifly on a similar topic a few weeks ago. While reading Hade's article, I was reminded of lecture material that stated, media created for the mass consumption is low quality, because it is intended for sale rather than how aids in the self actualization of the individual. I feel that according to Hade's article, the same is true for a majority of children's literature being published. Publishers should be concerned about the content of the book, but instead are publishing books that they know will be marketable, and while this strategy is a good money-maker, it benefits youth very little.
The market's effect on what books make it to the shelve was rather noticeable when I was searching for books for the application assignment. It became obvious that I was not going to be able to find the books I needed at any large bookstore, and instead had to search through private bookshops, websites, and libraries to find the books I needed. I think the marketability of books has much to do with content. Books which do not represent dominant culture may not be published because they are considered "unmarketable" to general audiences.

As a future teacher, I understand that corporate marketing will effect the types of books available to me and my students, but I am determined that this will not effect my selection of intellectual classroom material

According to Hade, when

Maus

Before TE 348, I had heard a lot about Art Spiegleman and Maus from many of my previous courses, and although I knew the story and the medium it was portrayed in, I was relatively unprepared for how much I would really enjoy it. Vladek's story is one that many people of my generation have heard, but Spiegleman's telling of the story through comics is really what sets the tale apart and made it such a success. I recall at one point in the story, Mala, Vladek's wife, expresses how important the story will be, saying "people who don’t usually read such stories will be interested, " in reference Spiegleman's comic book audience. Spiegleman's presentation of the story in a comic book format makes it relatable and enjoyable for younger readers or readers who may not be as inclined to read a novel written in prose. I feel that in order to express the depth and multifacted aspects of characters could not be told in a way other than comic format. By expressing Maus through a visual format, Spiegleman gives audience members an opportunity to connect with his father's story by presenting emotions visually to readers.

As a future special education teacher, many of my students may have reading difficulties or even a dislike for reading by the time they reach my classroom. The comic format of Maus may serve as a reading aid for many students who may be uninterested or may have difficulty reading a novel written in prose.
I feel that Maus would be a great addition to a literature or history lesson in middle school or highschool, and it is a book I plan on incorporating into my own classroom if it is applicable and appropriate for the age group.

Violence and The Hunger Games in the classroom

After our in-class discussion of Susan Collins' The Hunger Games, and our ongoing discussion about classroom censorship and banned content and books, I found myself considering reasons why books similar to The Hunger Games are often banned for classroom use. As a education major with a specialization in language arts, I am also taking a communications class on mass media this semester as an option for one of my language arts credits. In my communications class, we recently touched on the topic of child exposure to violent media content, and I found it very applicable to our conversations in TE348. According to my class, violence in the media can have interesting effects on children. Because children are believed to be more malleable than adults, they are shielded from various potential causes of harm or anxiety. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually some potential benefits to exposing children to violence in the media. Some exposure to violent media may help some children reduce their fears of violence. Although The Hunger Games contains some violence and dark content, I would argue that this type of literature can be used in upper elementary or middle school settings to talk about various subject matter ranging from literary elements to social or economic structure.