David Levithan

I was so intrigued by Boy Meets Boy and all the different elements it contained that I wanted to learn more about the author. I explored through David Levithan's website http://www.davidlevithan.com/ to learn about who he was and the reason(s) for him creating this piece of diverse literature. He created Boy Meets Boy as a way to get out a different message about gays, not just the common gay teen norms that all other books go for (i.e. it has to be about a gay uncle, or a teen who gets beaten up for being gay, or about outcasts who come out and find they're still outcasts, etc.). He wrote this piece as a way to give a new outlook through a gay teens life and what it could be like. He is often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and he believe it is a little of both. As David Levithan states, "it's about where we're going, and where we should be". The book is about love, friendship tolerance, and taking a stand for what you believe in (thus making it a relatable text for all, not just the gay community). As a straight female I was able to relate to the underlying themes of relationships between friends and families and the issue of having a significant other and the elements that go along with that. David Levithan created this piece as a way to show the direction our society should be going in the notion of acceptance for one another and the way we choose to live our lives. On his webpage he also had reviews of all of his books and I believe this review fits Boy Meets Boy perfectly; "Levithan's prophecy of a hate-free world in which everyone loves without persecution makes this a provocative and important read for all young adults, gay and straight." School Library Journal, starred review. Through exploring his webpage I was able to gain the sense of what kind of world David is trying to create, regardless of it being real or fantasy, he is trying to inform everyone of the world that we might one day have :)

Idealistic versus Realistic

After reading Boy Meets Boy, and through discussion in class I couldn't stil help but ponder on the idea of this created community in the book. When reading the book it was so refreshing to read about a community that accepted each individual for who they were, not for who or what their sexual orientation was. This community accepted gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, cross-dressers, and what seemed to be everything and anything under the sun. It was such a refreshing take compared to the world/society we live in today, but in class the discussion turned to being too idealistic and not even close to being realistic. When reading the book, I never once thought about the community being unrealistic because for me it was just reading. That is why these Question the Text papers have been really difficult for me because I have been trained to read for setting, characters, plot, problem, and solution. I have never had to "question" what the author's intent was or what problems I see with the how the story is being portrayed. After the discussion in class about how unrealistic this community is in today's world I could only think about it isn't just about being "realistic", the author could be doing this as a way to be hopeful to all those that wished a place like this existed. When reading a book it shouldn't always be about being finding whats wrong it in, we should be discussing all of the right concepts in it. The concepts of being a gay being accepted in not only his/her school but in the community as well. The concept of the star football players being a cross-dresser and the concept of a boy finally finding the strength to lead the life he had been longing for. For me, this is what I found throughout the book; even though this community was jampacked with all of these different scenarios that arent usually accepted throughout society as a way to show hope. Hope that one day a community is accepting of even just being gay/lesbian; or a society that understands the world isn't just about black and white, there are a lot of gray areas in between.

Where I am from...

In my TE 402 class, we have been working on the topic of Poetry and how to incorporate it into our classrooms. As an introduction to this topic we had to write a poem about where we are from and who we are. This brought me back to the very first assignment in this class and how I wanted to focus my new piece of poetry. The main difference that I wanted to focus on was making it very specific to my life; whereas my first poem was a very broad part of me, without specific details. I wanted to write a post about this because by writing these two different pieces I was able to gain a sense of who am I in a multitude of ways. Here are my two pieces:

TE 448
I am just a small town girl without much of the stereotypes.
I am surrounded by farmland without the overall jeans.
I am very sheltered without living in an extreme bubble.
I am a sister to more people than just my 2 brothers.
I am someone who has been born and raised in the same town without getting caught up in the "norms".
I am a mother without bearing a child.
I am educated with certain limitations.
I am naive while realizing there is much more out there.
I am a hypocrite without being a discriminator.
I am a leader without being too demanding.
I am a follower without having to exactly follow.
I am a teacher without having a classroom.
I am a survivor who has dealt with my own sense of pain.
I am not excessively happy, I am really just that happy.
I am not overly nice, I really care that much.
I am not spontaneous, I just live up to my own expectations.
I am a daughter, girlfriend, and most importantly a friend.
I am what I am, and all I can be is me.

TE 402:
I am from the small town “where everybody knows your name”
Where Friday nights are reserved to going to high school events
The boardwalk is known for the place to meet
And a coffeehouse is a new, exciting establishment in town.

I am from the house that always has that “home” feeling.
I went from being raised in “jungle town” to moving into River Ridge subdivision.
No matter where we are my mom always knows how to add those warming touches,
While filling the house with pictures and memories that take us through our lives.

I am from a family that has a mom, dad, two boys, a girl, and always a dog.
I am 18 months younger and about 18 years older then my brothers.
I am the middle child that reaped all the benefits of being the youngest.
We are a family that loves to watch home-videos and play sports indoors.

I am from the “as long as you do your best”
And “your family will always support you”
To the “you can’t leave the table until everything is gone from your plate”
And the “loves ya” not love you from my dad.

I am from traditions that surround food.
Thursdays are always spaghetti night,
Thanksgiving is always the time where we make homemade perogies,
And our birthdays are when we get our favorite dinner and dessert made just for us.

I am from the trying to vacation type family.
From our annual trips to Silver Lake when we were little,
To the Las Vegas, love to gamble type tradition.
A vacation is the time we spend together, regardless if we leave our town or not.

I am from the memories that will never die.
From being a tom-boy and private school attendee
To being the busy body with sporting events and practices galore
But have been lucky enough to have supporting family and friends the entire way.

I am very honored to say this is where I am from
And where I am from has shaped me to be who I am.


With these very different pieces of poetry I still found that they hit who I am to a tee but in very different ways. I wanted to share these as a way to show that no matter how different poetry is, you still are able to gain different perspectives of who a person is through their descriptions, both being vague or very specific. Through these two different assignments it really showed me how important poetry is and how easily it can be overlooked throughout curriculum but by including it you can bring out many apsects of a child that you never knew existed.

Extra Credit

When walking into the room for the Native American author reading, it seemed like a very formal setting. Some people were formally dressed with suits and the chairs were set up in nice even rows, all facing the stage with a podium and microphone. From the atmosphere, it felt like the readings were going to be somewhat formal and ceremonial, but once it started it was everything but that. They had us all get away from the whole “row seating” and move ourselves closer to the readers so we could feel like a group rather then individuals. As being an outsider to this culture and not knowing what to expect, getting out of what I thought “formal setting” completely changed my assumptions of how the readings were going to be because they wanted us all to be comfortable and close to the readers. The seminar began with a prayer; even though I didn’t understand the language it was very inspiring to be a part of a culture that I am not familiar with. Before coming to this seminar, I had certain predictions and assumptions as to what the readings were going to be about and how the seminar would be; but frankly I was completely wrong. Each author chose what pieces they wanted to share with the audience and some of them went with a certain theme. This may sound stereotypical but I went into this seminar thinking it was going to be based discrimination and how they are not respected within society, not just in the past but in today’s world as well. Even though these issues came up, but the readers were able to make it so they could connect to you rather then preach about it. It was very inspiring to sit there and listen to them, even though I can not directly connect to what they have been through, I was able to connect to their feelings and how they were affected based on their readings.
The first reader Eric Gansworth was an author of six books. His books featured painting and visual works while writing about art and art criticism. He has been to a lot of readings, but said it is about listening to those that inspire you. His inspiration to become a writer was from listening to Leon Howell during a reading. All of the pieces he chose to share with us were poems; poems about his body being a huge force or speaking about the modern changes and changing Native American culture. One reading that really hit me was the reading called “a half life and heart function”. It was about his life of being poor compared to the rich whites. He talked about how whites viewed throwing out cigarettes as spare changes where his people viewed that as a lot of money. Even though he talks about being envious of the whites and the money, he found things like cologne that made him forget all about being poor. Listening to this reading made me think about the life I lead and how it isn’t about the clothes I wear or where they come from it is about how those things make me, personally, feel. The little things like “cologne” make you forget about how much money you do or don’t have because you feel like a million bucks regardless of it.
The next reader Qwo-Li Driskill was a very passionate reader. His poems were about injustices of Native American history. He is the author or “Walking with Ghosts”, and has a PhD in rhetoric writing. His theme throughout his readings was going through different Presidents and their relationship with Native Americans. I did not seem to understand some of his poems, but I am not very educated with earlier presidents in history and their impact on the past.
The last two readers were my favorite two presentations. Jim Northrup was a very dynamic individual who spoke about his experiences not only as a Native American but as a soldier going through Vietnam. A strategy that was very effective was him choosing to memorize his readings. I believe if he would have read them just out of a book, it would have been less effective to the audience. I was very into his readings in wanting him to continue reading more; he was a very inspiring reader and I felt very moved and stimulated listening to what it was like to be a soldier during the times of Vietnam. His readings were very personal, especially the one about his struggles with post-traumatic stress when returning from the war. I believe it was a very strong approach to speak about personal issues because I believe I often connect better to a reader when they speak about their own life rather than trying to talk about someone else’s. The final reading by Richard Van Camp was the most shocking reading of them all. His reading was about a woman’s life experiences of being a victim and the ways she wanted to overcome it by accomplishing certain tasks; getting a G-spot orgasm, finding a handsome man, etc. This reader did an amazing job of keeping the audience entertained as I and many others couldn’t stop laughing throughout his story.
Going to this seminar was a completing eye-opening experience and exceeded all or any of my expectations. I went into the seminar thinking it was going to be about how Native Americans have been treated and effected throughout history and even today, but it was even more then that. These readings proved how Native Americans are just normal people. They experience the same things and live similar lives to those of others. I was completely taken away by this seminar and it leaves me with an open mind to attend more in the future.

Personal Philosophy

The reason why I chose to be apart of this class is because as a language arts major within the elementary education profession I wanted to be able to become more educated about not only children’s literature but diverse literature. When choosing my classes for to fulfill my language arts major, I was very pleased to have this as an option instead of the typical thesis papers that I have been writing all throughout my college career. When choosing language arts as my major, I thought I would be studying about how language arts goes on throughout the elementary education setting and different strategies you would use within your classroom to be a more effective literacy instructor but it was not even close to what I had expected. The main focus has been on writing thesis papers based on the literature and articles that we had been reading. Besides this struggle I have faced within finding classes that suited my future profession, I have found this class extremely beneficial to my future. This class has been teaching me to look at literature in a whole different light. It just isn’t about what is good literature and what is not, it is about how different cultures are portrayed and in what ways you need to make sure your book is an accurate portrayal when teaching in your classes as well. I have realized that diverse literature is just not incorporating it into your classroom, but to make sure you are educated on the books that you do choose to use within your classroom and the stereotypes that may come out of your books. It is about educating your students about what they are reading and the different cultures reading and learning about and to make sure they are getting the correct portrayals of that culture. My personal philosophy about multicultural education is that the more educated I become the better. Diverse classrooms are a huge part of a teacher’s job and the more I can learn about how I can accommodate to such settings, the better teacher I will become. Children’s literature is a vital element in a student’s education and academic success. I believe that reading does not just help children academically but it expands their knowledge on so many different levels. With reading, I believe the children are able to find who they are and what interests they may have through reading various types of books. I have been creating my classroom library ever since TE 348 and now by taking this class it has taken me on a whole different level. It now isn’t just about finding literature that fits your students and the classroom setting, but it is about finding books that hits upon different cultures and by doing so in a correct manner. It is no longer about creating a classroom library, it is about creating a diverse multicultural library to accommodate all of my students needs, wants, levels, and cultures. As being a future teacher comes near, some concerns that I have is that I am not fully prepared to be in a classroom or a diverse one at that. By taking this course I have learned that it is not just about being “politically correct”; it is about making sure you are completed educated especially when teaching about another’s culture. I have come to realize that I am going to make mistakes, but it is about fixing it and making sure my students become correctly educated especially when it comes to one’s culture.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Throughout the reading of this narrative, I kept questioning why they would not say what exact condition Natalie had. I obviously knew it was some kind of form of Autism, but I didn't understand why they werent establishing it until reading the Author's Note at the very end. This book takes place in 1935 and Autism was not identified until 1943; but then I question is this book depicting all of the stereotypes that Tal describes in his article for disabled people? Common stereotypes in books "include portraying the disabled character as weak or pathetic, a burden to others, or incapable of participating fully in everyday life". Even though Natalie was able to participate in everyday life, she still had some major struggles. Al Capone Does My Shirts was published in 2004, 3 years after Tal's article about criteria for evaluating children's literature about disabilities came out. Therefore, when producing this text the author obviously knew all about different stereotypes that existed with children's literature. I know that all of Natalie's characteristics depict the elements of Autism, but it goes right along with the stereotypes within literature as well. I understand that the books setting takes place in 1935 so these "stereotypes" were not classified thus far, but reading the articles after reading the text really makes me question some of the factors in the text. Another thing I questioned while reading the text is the way Piper's character is used towards Natalie in the beginning. She uses words such as "retard", "stupid", and "different" to describe her. Also in the Tal article it goes on to explain ways to avoid stereotypes within text; "Information about the disability needs to be accurate and up-to-date, and the language describing the disability chosen with sensitivity and an awareness of current usage". With this quote it helps explain how important and crucial it is to be sensitive when portraying characters with disabilities in the text, because as shown in the Williams, et al article they too are considered their own "group". I am not trying to put this book in a bad light because I really enjoyed it and would really consider using it in my classroom; but if someone is not there to explain these different aspects to children will they really understand that along with differences there are many similarities between them and children with disabilities? Or will this be a way of justifying their actions when they use those types of words towards other students? Not every book is perfect and I can understand the different reasons as to why an author may or may not include certain things, but just as the Williams, et al article describes that by reading books about children with disabilities and chronic illness it opens the door for discussion thus helping to build a foundatino for acceptance of people who may look or act differently. This type of discussion is the exact ways I, as a future educator, will help my students realize the various aspects of text and make it relatable to their life while hopefully concluding with an accurate portrayal of certain groups.

Pura Belpre

The Pura Belpre Award was first established to recognize and honor Latino writers and illustrators whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of children's literature. This award was first presented in 1996 and is presented biennially to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator. It has been in the works of changing this award to an annual award because there are more and more authors and illustrators and will begin taking place in 2009. The terms and criteria are extremely complicated within the criteria for the text and the criteria for the illustrations but I will sum up the overall terms:
1. Two medals shall be awarded biennially, one to a Latino author and one to a Latino illustrator.
2. The award-winning books must be published in the United States or Puerto Rico.
3. Recipients of the Pura Belpre Medal must be residents or citizens of the United States or Puerto Rico.
4. Only eligible books within these terms may be considered.
5. Fiction and nonfiction books for children published in Spanish, English or bilingual.

Within each of the different medals (text and illustrations) there are their own terms and criteria as well. They differ but stay along the same type of theme:
1. Identifying an author/illustrator of an outstanding book while having an accurate and positive portrayal of the Latino culture.
2. Considering other aspect of the book that make the book whole (illustrations vs text).
3. Not only is this award based on the illustrations and text but it is on how it portrays and celebrates the Latino culture.
4. Particular attention will be paid to the "insider's voice" and cultural authenticity.
etc.

The award is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA).

The selection committee is those that are part of the co-sponsoring committees.

There is no official website for the award but there are different resources that provide information about this award. Many library websites have posted a description of the award as a link. Some websites included:
1)ALSC: Association for Library Service to Children
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprmdeal.cfm

2)http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/awards/purabelpre.htm

3)Book Spot: http://www.bookspot.com/awards/belpre.htm

This award was first created in 1996 to acknowledge Latino authors or illustrators who best depict and celebrate the Latin cultural experience in children's literature. Pura Belpre was the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. This award was named after her to recognize all of her hard work to address the misconceptions as well as to promote the Latino culture as a children's librarian, an author, and a storyteller.

Some books that we chose to display in class were:

-"Parrot in the Oven" by: Victor Martinez
-"The Tequila Worm" by: Viola Canales
-"Magic Windows" by: Ventanas Magicas
-"Chato and the Party Animals" by: Gary Soto and Susan Guevara
-"Snapshots from the Wedding" by: Gary Soto

Nikole, Allison, Sarah