After reading Native Americans in Children’s Literature by Debbie Reese, I learned a lot about the insider and outsider debate. Reese argues that a Native person who has grown up and lived within a tribal society will not falsely portray Native Americans as mythical individuals or very heroic like non-Native authors who believe Native Americans are more honest and brave than anyone else. It is also important because “outsiders” cannot draw upon their past expierences, emotions and feelings to accurately portray the Native American culture. Additionally, Reese asserts that “outsiders” draw upon Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans for their past experiences.
I have mixed opinions on the insider/outsider debate. I definitely agree with Reese’s arguments about why the “insider” is the ideal author of a Native American book. I also believe that “outsiders” could be effective writers for Native American books because they have not had as intense of experiences as “insiders” have, so they are able to write simple, basic books for children that are accurate of a specific tribe. I think that if an “outsider” were to put in the effort to get to know the rituals and traditions of a tribe, they could write an authentic book. Reese mentioned that 98.5 percent of books are written by “outsiders” and I am sure that there are some great books that accurately represent the culture. Overall, I think that is should not matter whether an author is an “insider” or an “outsider”, but rather if they accurately and authentically portray a given population group.
Next week in class, I do not specifically have any questions. Rather, I would like to explore different books with the author unknown, and then decide whether they are authentic books to use in the classroom. Then I would like to look back and see if all of the authentic books were written by “insiders” or “outsiders.”
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Heart of a Chief
This week in class we read numerous articles regarding children's literature by and about Native Americans. These articles were an eye-opening experience for me because after reading these articles I realized how much that Native American's are unfairly represented in today's society.What is even more important is that this attitude of oppression toward Native American's is fostered in our society through the media and even in the classroom such as students only learning about Indians around Thanksgiving, playing cowboys and Indians, or dressing up as Indians as a Halloween Costume.
Another important topic we covered in class was watching a movie about Native American's as mascots such as Indians, Red Skins, Chippewas, and Chiefs. If you were to ask me my opinion before I watched the movie I would have said that as long as the team name was appropriate such as "Cleveland Indians," I would think that it was a nice honor to the history of Native Americans. My reasoning behind this is that other mascot names such as Norsemen, Spartans, and Yankees, all honors a population group, but is not considered offensive. However, after watching the movie in class, regarding the struggle at the University of Illinois and their "Chief," I realized and fully support the fact that these mascot names are very offensive to Native Americans. The mock their rituals, dress and image.
Another important topic we covered in class was watching a movie about Native American's as mascots such as Indians, Red Skins, Chippewas, and Chiefs. If you were to ask me my opinion before I watched the movie I would have said that as long as the team name was appropriate such as "Cleveland Indians," I would think that it was a nice honor to the history of Native Americans. My reasoning behind this is that other mascot names such as Norsemen, Spartans, and Yankees, all honors a population group, but is not considered offensive. However, after watching the movie in class, regarding the struggle at the University of Illinois and their "Chief," I realized and fully support the fact that these mascot names are very offensive to Native Americans. The mock their rituals, dress and image.
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! I am a Senior at MSU majoring in Education with a focus in social studies. I am currently in the course TE 448- Issues of Diversity in Children's and Adolescent Literature. During this course, we will explore and discuss literature that represents groups that are often underrepresented in children's literature.
I have a passion for teaching and am very excited to start in my own classroom in the next few years. While growing up, the teachers I had and the things I learned in their classrooms greatly affected the rest of my life and education. As a future teacher, I have a huge responsibility to my students to give them the best education that I can. To do this, I wanted to take TE 448 because I believe that is it is necessary to include diverse literature that represents different groups so students can learn about different groups or even to feel like they are represented in the books that are read. I also wanted to take this course to learn as much as I can about different groups that way I will be able to handle all issues, and controversies that this type of literature could bring in the classroom.
Please check back throughout this next semester as I blog about my experiences throughout this course exploring diversity in children's literature! Feel free to visit our class blog.
I have a passion for teaching and am very excited to start in my own classroom in the next few years. While growing up, the teachers I had and the things I learned in their classrooms greatly affected the rest of my life and education. As a future teacher, I have a huge responsibility to my students to give them the best education that I can. To do this, I wanted to take TE 448 because I believe that is it is necessary to include diverse literature that represents different groups so students can learn about different groups or even to feel like they are represented in the books that are read. I also wanted to take this course to learn as much as I can about different groups that way I will be able to handle all issues, and controversies that this type of literature could bring in the classroom.
Please check back throughout this next semester as I blog about my experiences throughout this course exploring diversity in children's literature! Feel free to visit our class blog.
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