Final Course Post

I have always thought that I was fairly competent when it came to multicultural literature. However, I soon realized how shallow this knowledge was after entering the class. Now, here I am at the end of the semester, and I have learned much more. I understand how to critically look at texts relating with multicultural literature and that it takes more than whether you think a book is “good” or not to include it in the classroom. It takes reviews from a credible source, professional resources, knowing how well it conveys background information, learning the stereotypes associated with the topic and how well the book discourages these, and your instincts. I now know how to critically look at texts and analyze them, looking for how well the factual information is portrayed, stereotypes perpetuated, and if there are author biases. Because I have completed this class, I know I will never be able to look at a piece of multicultural literature the same without evaluating its correctness.

In addition to knowing how to discern “bad” literature, I now have deeper knowledge base regarding these different cultural groups and their thoughts about how they are included in literature as an insider. I feel that knowing these has given me multiple perspectives that I never would have if I had not taken this class. I know now that I will definitely be careful about what I put out in front of children to read because it may not be relaying the best message I would like them to understand. I think that I will always be concerned about how authors depict a certain cultural group in literature. It is up to me to remain sensitive to different cultures and instead of making generalizations, I should take the opportunity to learn instead.

From here, I know I will definitely use some of the text we looked at in TE448 in my classroom in the future. Most fulfilled exactly what I was looking for and, after our class discussions, I have a better understanding of what discussions could be generated from it.