My Thought as I Journey Through this Class (Part 2) Age Diversity

Age Diversity


I keep going back to the windows and mirror analogy because it is such a good one.  We suppose to act the way in which the culture does around us.  We are expected to live out culture norms.  When we don't do that we stick out, sometimes even ridiculed.  Deciding on who to be and how to act is our sovereign choice.  The way others ostracize us can be dealt with using literature.  Using literature to start dialogues between people who are different, but have many similarities.  Literature is a good “door opener” to start a new conversation between people who might not otherwise try to understand each other.

A challenge when writing literature and knowing what to write is to understand that our culture is fluid and every changing.  Authors have to create something unique when writing new literature.  Realizing the methodology of teaching literature has to be done in a way that challenges the mind.  Multicultural books need to be taught in a way that is not a reminder of reading strategies past.  We also need to be cognizant of student attitudes.  The desire is to promote appreciations among different people by allowing groups to identify with one another through a dialogue of literature.  Sometimes this can go wrong.  I, myself, a white man can remember not enjoying reading about other cultures.  I wanted to identify with my own.  Being forced to read something was not fun, and I didn't learn as much.  Teachers today must not force the issue, but make it fun and exciting.  When I did read books with people from other cultures, I didn't always accept them.  I often finished reading, glad I was not in that group, and I even ran wild with my prejudices after such reads.  When teaching students why multicultural literature is important, we need to make sure are not talking to students in a way that suggest we want them to learn about aliens.  I over dramatize this point.  We are all we, not us & them. (Lerer, S. 2015)

I had a friend once that came from India.  He was the second generation, so he really was a patriot of America.  He wanted nothing to do with India, and he often had spats with his dad about cultural issues.  I have not met 3rd generations yet, so I have no evidence to speak about.

I like the idea of teaching literature.  Using the correct strategies can open students up to pride in one's self, country of origin, and even nationalism here.  We can all learn about prejudices, biases and how fear and anger has lead to these negative qualities.  As a teacher, I don't want students to be anxious about learning about other cultures, beliefs, and people.  I want to teach acceptance, equality, and empathy.  (Shiffman, 2010)

Lerer, S. (2015). For Grown-Ups Too: The Surprising Depth and Complexity of Children's Literature. American Educator, 38(4), 37-41.

Shiffman, D. (2010). Mapping Intergenerational Tension in Multicultural Coming-of-Age Literature. Multicultural Perspectives, 12(1), 29. doi:10.1080/15210961003641369