Final Post!

Taking this TE course was very beneficial for me. Before this course I really did not enjoy reading because I thought of it as too easy. I enjoy things that are bit of a challenge for me but possible to obtain and reading to me was just read the words on the page and that's it. I didn't think too much about the text or hidden messages within the reading. This class helped me realize that the fun in reading is the hidden messages within the text. The questioning the text papers help in developing knowledge on how to do that.
Another area that I didn't think too much about was the author's credibility in the subject area that they're writing about. I just thought that if they were writing a book about it they had to be experts in the subject area. The article on the insider and outsider point of view was new information to me and really opened my eyes making me more aware and critical while reading particular texts. Even after learning all this information this semester about all the diverse cultures such as African American lit, Jewish lit, Religious lit, Disablitlies lit, LBGTQ lit. I still think I would need more practice in the subject matter to know how to effectively address the issue without offending anyone. The terminology is the area in which I struggle with in understanding which is appropriate and correct opposed to the offending terminology.
In my future classroom I plan on reading texts just like this. I feel that I was not given the full experience I could have had growing up with reading because I was not taught to read critically. I feel it is very important for children to see the importance of reading and the different aspects to pay close attention to. This past year I have taken a few teaching courses that have given me the opportunity to build my classroom library early. I plan on incorporating the readings from this class as well, because they all have beneficial value to them. Overall, this class was a good learning experience for me and I am really glad I took it.

Review of Professional Resource

Davis, Lennard J. “Deafness and the Riddle of Identity.” The Chronicle of Higher Education 53.19 (Jan 12, 2007): NA. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. East Lansing Public Library. 3 Dec. 2007 http://0-find.galegroup.com.opac.elpl.org:80/itx/start.do?prodld=EAIM.

Deafness and the Riddle of Identity discusses the importance of using American Sign Language while being deaf. This article is about a situation where Jane K. Fernandes, president of the event at Gallaudet University, was describing and informing society about deafness and the deaf community. Jane Fernandes was criticized for being the president because faculty members as well as deaf students classified her as “not deaf enough.”

One of my favorite quotes within the article is:

“But the ‘not deaf enough’ issues is alive and well among deaf scholars, students, and activists.”

“Many hearing people would deem any prejudice against someone because of his or her accent shocking and unethical. To understand the issue, you have to know that ASL has become the armature on which to figure of deaf identity has been built. Until relatively recently, deafness was seen as simply a physical impairment: the absence of hearing. In the past, much discrimination against deaf people was based on the assumption that they were in fact people without language – that is, dumb. And ‘dumb’ carried the sense of being not only mute but also stupid, as in a ‘dumb’ animal.”

This scholarly article captures an issue that the deaf community deals with on a daily basis. In thinking about this issue, does this strike you as a question about diverse literature? Would understanding about the deaf community help in understanding some diverse literature? Is the deaf community discriminating against deaf individuals by classifying individuals as “not deaf enough?” Is encouraging communication between the hearing and deaf citizens creating a gap between individuals of the deaf community and if so should the hearing individuals just not talk to the deaf individuals?

Children's Literature about the deaf - Text Set Reflection

My search for books about deaf indviduals was not difficult for me to find. I was shocked at how much children's literature offered information about the deaf community. I was able to find the three books Amelia Lends a Hand, Deaf Child Crossing, and I have a sister - my sister is deaf, which all cover different aspects of a deaf individual's life.

When I read at the library Amelia Lends a Hand and Deaf Child Crossing were both about a deaf individual and a hearing child's friendship I was a little disappointed that the story line was so similar. Although, now having read both of the texts I feel they both offer beneficial information in both and is presented differently. In Amelia Lends a Hand the attempt to develop communication between Amelia and her neighbor is the main focus of the story. The story is presented in a note taking format with real colorful pictures supporting the text nicely. Demonstrations are included within the text to teach the reader specifically some of the American Sign Language the deaf community uses. This is helpful to all readers to be able to visually see and understand what each sign looks like. In Deaf Child Crossing though, the concept for true friendships and maintaining them is covered while incorporating information about being deaf. The text is written in a novel format targeted toward an older audience. Marlee Matlin does a good job developing each and every character so you really feel like you relate to what they're going through in their lives. Marlee Matlin was deaf herself so readers feel a sense of comfort and credibility in her writing because she experienced it growing up.

The third book I chose concentrated on living with a person of the deaf community. I have a sister - my sister is deaf really teaches the reader some the strengths and weaknesses of a deaf individual. Although, the author not only points of strengths and weaknesses of the little sister being deaf but also the narrators strengths and weaknesses. Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson writes toward a young reader age level. There are a few sentences on each page with big detailed pictures along side. Through her writing a sense of equality is described in characteristics of both characters in the book.

Deafnesses is something society experiences everyday. If communication is developed among different communities then we as citizens can grow into a more knowledgeable and respecting individuals. There is a lot we both can learn from each other. I believe it's important to present information about deafness so that stereotypes and discrimination is eventually gone. The use of children's literature addressing these topics can be very beneficial.

Deaf Child Crossing

Matlin, Marlee. Deaf Child Crossing. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Divison, 2002.

This book is about two young girls who couldn’t be any more opposite. Cindy just moved into the neighborhood and becomes friends with Megan. When she moves in Megan introduces herself to Cindy and shortly after Cindy realizes that Megan is actually deaf. These two people are complete opposites in respect to personality, emotions, and characteristics. Despite their differences they cherish each other’s friendship and consider themselves best of friends. They go to camp and go through a hard time in their friendship when they seem to drift a part when there is another deaf girl paired to punk with them.

This book focuses on the struggle to maintain relationships with friends while growing up. In order to spicen things up throughout the book Marlee Matlin incorporates a deaf person into the equation. Deaf Child Crossing is written in a way that makes the reader feel that they are sitting right there in front of the scene witnessing what is exactly going on and being able sympathize with the characters. This book is easily relatable to younger readers who are figuring our friendships, themselves, and learning about ways of coping with being deaf.

I have a sister – my sister is deaf

Peterson, Jeanne Whitehouse. I have as sister – my sister is deaf. Illus. Ray Deborah. New York: Harper Collins, 1977.

This book is written in a light hearted perspective of a girl who has a deaf little sister. The main character discusses her life experiences with a deaf sister and some of the things her sister goes through on a daily basis. The main character really describes her deaf sister in a positive portrayal. She emphasizes that being deaf isn’t a bad thing and doesn’t physically hurt a person; it’s just a different way of living. One thing she emphasizes is that even though her sister is unable to speak she does a better job then anyone revealing her thoughts and emotions through actions and expressions.

This book really tackles the fact that being deaf should not be looked at as a disadvantage in life or being less fortunate. Being deaf is just different and there are many things the deaf individuals excel at even though they are unable to hear. For example; in this book the deaf little sister is able to notice quick small movements within the grass because of her sharp vision. The book really explains to the reader what a deaf individual experiences on a daily basis to better develop their knowledge on the issue. I think it’s important for readers to understand the lifestyle of deaf individuals so they won’t look at their hearing loss but the characteristics that they have and develop. Overall, I felt the book really gave the reader a sense of what life was like for a deaf individual and also what it is like to be surrounded my a deaf person and the means of communication that needs to be present.

Amelia Lends a Hand

Moss, Marissa. Amelia Lends a Hand. Middleton, Wisconsin: Pleasant Company Publications, 2002.

This book is about a young girl, Amelia’s, attempt to befriend her neighbor. She struggles to start hanging out with him because he ignores her request to come over and play with him. She soon finds out that he was in fact not ignoring her but couldn’t hear her because he is deaf. Throughout the entire book the reader goes through the process of how Amelia tries to better their communication by her wanting to learn sign language as well as teaching him through what things meant comparison of sound and taste. This book was written in a very interesting way that many young readers can relate to. Marissa Moss writes the book in the format of note taking and uses colorful and detailed illustrations to support the text.

This book was very informative for both the deaf community as well as the hearing community. This is very important to be knowledgeable in because there are deaf individuals that people encounter in society everyday. If we don’t know how to communicate with those types of people then we wouldn’t be able to know when someone needs directions or to say something important etc. Being able to communicate with these different people will make them and society and better and safer place. The colorful illustrations are enough to keep a reader engaged in the story. Although the story is written veered toward a younger age level I feel the story was written in a way that was straight to the point and easy for young readers to relate to.

Thoughts about Final Project

For my final project I think I am going to focus on physical disabilities or learning disabilities. My reasoning for researching these types of literature is because I feel it is important for people to be aware of the difficulties of these disabled people. Also, my major is in special education - learning disabilities so I obviously have a passion for helping people with disabilities. There is nothing more satisfying then helping a child learn and making them feel loved for who they are and not always focusing on their physical or intellectual difference. After reading the requirements for the final project I was thinking it would be interesting to search different authors to read about their different views and perspectives on disabilities.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

The text “Confessions of a Closet Catholic” refers to a young girl striving to find herself and struggling to figure out what exactly she believes in religiously. In order for Jussy to find what exactly she believes in she researches and experiments with different religious than Judaism. She reads about Hinduism and Buddhism as well has practices Catholicism. Her eagerness to be Catholic goes as far as her pouring out her sins to “Father Ted,” her stuffed teddy bear. Jussy does this while wearing her mother’s white napkin on her head to resemble a nun, and taking grape juice and matzo for communion.

My question toward the text was “Do you think the author used “chocolate” as a metaphor to represent Jussy’s search for her religious or self-identify viewpoint throughout the text?” Throughout the novel Sarah Darer Littman made reference to chocolate. I wondered while I was reading if this had any significance toward her religious beliefs or search for self-identity. A passage that I concentrated on was on the first page, page 3, when Jussy is saying she would rather give up being Jewish then chocolate like Mac is doing. Do you think her inability to give up chocolate refers to her borderline feelings about her faith or denote her being uneducated on Judaism and doesn’t really know what she believes? Another example is on page 122-123, when Jussy is explaining how she hasn’t eaten chocolate since Bubbe died and is willing to give it up for the rest of her life. Does this symbolize her growth as a person? Was Bubbe the person that helped her find her self-identity because she listened to her and loved her? Has Bubbe’s death made Jussy realize her true spiritual beliefs? And lastly, look on page 184 when she thinks about resorting back to eating brownies. Does her urge to want brownies symbolize that people always question their beliefs and there isn’t always one clear cut answer? Or does it stand for her not fully have found her self-identity completely and that she is accepting that?

Schneider Book Award

There is not an official website for the Schneider Family Book Award, but there are other resources that provide information about the award; such as www.ala.org/ala/awardsbuket/schneideraward/schneidercriteria.htm and www.ala.org/ala/awardsbuket/schneideraward/schneiderawardmanual.doc . The second link is a manual. It answers questions about the history of the award, discusses the responsibilities of the members of the committee, and provides insight to their ideas about what to look for in a good book. This is a newer award and has only been given out since 2004. It was started by Dr. Catherine Schneider, who has been blind since birth. She wanted to sponsor an award that would show that the disability is a part of the character’s life, not the focus of their life. The Schneider Family Book Award honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child or adolescent audiences. Three annual awards are given in birth through grade school (age 0-8), middle school (age 9-13), and teens (age 14-18). The disabilities can be physical, mental, or emotional. The most important piece of criteria of the award is that it is not aimed to have the audience sympathize with the characters. Instead, it is aimed to portray their perspectives and everyday life experiences. Some books that have received this award are: Dad, Jackie, and Me, written by Myron Uhlberg and illustrated by Colin Bootman and Looking Out for Sarah, by Glenna Lang. You can look up past award winners at www.ala.org/ala/awardsbuket/schneideraward/schneiderawardrecipients.htm

Response to "Muslims protest reprised role as terrorists in '24'"

After reading "Muslims protest reprised role as terrorists in '24'" by Wayne Parry in the Lansing State Journal I found myself having mixed feelings about the issue. I can understand the Muslims concern about the outlook it may have on them being represented as terrorists in the series 24, and how they may feel uncomfortable going out in public based on all that has occured here in the United States dealing with terrorist attacks. But my main issue with that is that it's pretty clear to the audience that this television show is fictional. Some people I feel do take some shows literally and to heart, but for the most part society knows reality from fiction. If these Muslims are afraid to go out in public I don't feel that it is because of the story line of 24 but in fact the incidents that has occurred in the United States. For example, Sireen Sawaf from the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council says that she is a big fan of 24 and she replies"It's a great show, and I do realize it's a multiimensional show that portrays extreme situations." She continues to support the fact that 24 has used other ethnicities besides Muslim when she states "They have gone out of their way to have non-Muslim terror cells." So in no way do I feel that 24 was trying to represent Muslims as evil and being very dangerous. Also, 24 has incorporated many different ethnicities and religions throughout their series such as Baltic Europeans, Germans, Russians, Islamic fundamentalists, and Anglo-American citizens. If their purpose was to portray this hidden messages to Americans about all these different kinds of ethnicities and religious groups as being dangerous then why has there not been more controversy about this television show. There are many movies and television shows that portray certain cultures in a negative way just for entertainment, most people don't take it seriously. If that were true then we wouldn't be able to have most of our movies or television shows out there because we would be generalizing every group out there. Some movies have black african american boys murdering people, and caucasian boys robbing banks. This isn't to say that all the boys from both ethnicities are going to follow in those footsteps and be criminals but it is a fact that crimes like that have occurred. Bad things happen in all areas of the world, no matter what the culture or ethnicity is and it's in the hands of the audience to be able to say that the way the people in particular movies or television shows are shown is not a clear depiction of all the people within that group. Overall, I believe that people are taking things shown on television way to seriously and aren't seeing it as entertainment anymore.

Information from "Muslims protest reprised role as terrorists in '24'" by Wayne Parry.

Insider vs. Outsider - Thoughts Before And After

Before reading the Insider vs. Outsider Debate I really believed that something written by an outsider wouldn't be very reliable information because they didn't experience it themselves. Some experts in certain areas even have some misconceptions about what truly happened in the situation/event or some unanswered questions. I think that it can be very difficult for people on the outside to write about specific topics that others have experienced because they could accidentally say things or address issues that are offensive to those it happened to. After reading the Insider vs. Outsider Debate I have changed my outlook on authors of diverse literature. Of course things presented by someone who actually experienced it is going to be the most accurate because they witnessed it themselves and would probably be the best answer to finding out true information. After reading I no longer believe information written by an outsider is invalid information. Even though some of the things written may be assumptions and not really the truth I think that it can be good that the concept or situation is being addressed as best as possible, taking into consideration that things aren't exaggerated too much. For example, the topic in class about Pocahontas was a good example of not really presenting the whole truth about a period of time but it's getting across the main points so that children are aware of particular history. People that didn't experience slavery, or grow up handicapped should also become aware of what life is like for those who have lived through it. It's important to know because it makes society as a whole more understanding and really shapes us to become better people with positive views and opinions about people different from ourselves in race, gender, ethnicity, or culture. So I've learned that it can be very beneficial to be presented with information from an insider and an outsider.

About Me

Hello! My name is Tricia Riesenbeck. I am a senior here at MSU majoring in education. My concentration is on learning disabilities hoping to eventually get an endorsement in cognitively impaired. I am graduating in the spring and hope to travel out of Michigan to pursue my career. I love traveling and seeing new things! I spend my spare time working and hanging out with friends. As I'm getting older I find that it's hard to stay in contact with people close to you due to lack of free time. And of course I love my family. Any chance I get to spend time with them I take advantage of it. They have always been there for me and supported me in all my decisions. All in all I'm a very caring person that cares about people's feelings. I've been told that my biggest downfall is caring too much and giving too many chances. I'm a friendly person and look forward to getting to know all of you a lot better throughout the semester.