Final Post: Reflection on Diverse Literature

After taking this course, I have realized the importance of having diverse literature in the classroom. I have a stronger appreciation for reading diverse literature and I feel that each book we read in class gave me new insight into a different culture and experience. By doing the questioning the text papers, I have learned to think more critically when reading a book and reflect on the different possible meaning that a book may hold. I have found that everyone has their own unique perspective when reading books and people may interpret things differently. Each individual has had different experiences that reflect on the ways that they may perceive things. I appreciated being able to share our different ideas when reading each book and it was really interesting to hear other perspectives that I could learn from. The class was run in a way that made the environment comfortable and open to all ideas and perspectives.

I am more competent in finding books that truly represent the diverse experience that the book is trying to portray. Throughout the semester, we addressed different stereotypes that are often found in diverse literature and this has helped me to be more aware when critically looking at books to use in my own library. This class has also taught me how to create discussions in my own classroom when bringing in diverse literature to my students. I have also become more familiar about where to find these pieces of diverse literature that are often not easy to locate. Many of the books that the teacher brought into class intrigued me to expand my own library with books that address underrepresented populations. These books are so important for children and young adults to see so they can read about characters that they are able to identify with. It is also important for students to read about cultures and experiences that are different than their own so they do not think that everyone lives the way that their own family does.

I really enjoyed having the insider/outsider debate and I still have mixed opinions on this subject. It seems to me that books written by insiders appear to be the most credible. When sharing books with your own students, I have learned that it is important that these stories accurately depict the culture or experience that they are informing about. From talking about the insider/outsider debate, I have learned that when writing any diverse piece of literature, it is extremely important to do research in order to avoid stereotypes that may be even more harmful to the readers.

The blogs are something that I will continue to use and I found them really helpful when sharing my own ideas and interpretations of texts. I also enjoyed reading other people's blogs to expand my thinking on different topics discussed in class. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and I feel that I have a much stronger awareness and appreciation for the importance of diverse literature and its place in the classroom.