FINAL POST

After completing this class, my thoughts on the importance of diverse literature remain the same. At the same time, I have also learned a lot of new information about diverse literature that will help me to bring in a variety of different books into my classroom. In order for children to understand and accept the diversity of others, the books need to be authentic and accurate. There will be no success in the students’ learning if they continue to read the same stereotypes and misconceptions about other cultures. It is also embarrassing for children to read about their own culture when the content in books are not true or make them look like the “others” and no similarities are given. With this being said, books need to chosen wisely.
Before this class, I never really thought about the importance of how books are written or portrayed, I believed it was just important to have books that were for diverse groups of people. Now I realized that it is just as bad to have no diverse literature, as it is to have diverse literature that is portrayed negatively. Diverse literature to me now is therefore way more complex and significant. In this class, we were able to read books that dealt with controversial topics, and I thought more critically about certain issues. This includes sexuality, religion, violence, etc. However, sometimes these issues were difficult to discuss when so many different view points came into play.
I learned different critiques in order for books to become a piece of quality literature. I think it is important for the author to be an insider because they are the most knowledgeable about their culture, and are able to correct any misconceptions. I also learned that when insiders write about their own backgrounds, there are times when they can also bring in other issues that do not deal with their own experiences. I still think that books have more quality about them when they bring in multiple issues, and do not focus on just one. I feel that when books are portrayed positively about diverse issues, readers are not only learning about people other than themselves, but they can also see similarities as well.
After this class, I also learned that the controversial topics mentioned in different books need to be addressed to appropriate age groups. I still am concerned about books dealing with sexuality because this seems to be the one that is most rejected in the literature of diversity. However, I think that children need to learn about this issue because society today continues to become more open with different sexualities. I also think that it is difficult to judge if books are the "best" quality, because I feel like no matter what type of book it is, there is still something that could be changed- either for the negativity, stereotypes, storyline, how precise it is, and the list continues.
I hope that I continue to look at different pieces of literature by getting help from different resources and professionals. This will allow me to become more knowledgeable about all aspects of multicultural perspectives. I want to be very open minded when I become a teacher, and I want to teach about other cultures in a positive and accurate away. I would encourahe anyone to suggest any books for me to place in my classroom that are age appropriate for children in K-5. Thank you!