Week 3: Reading about Diversity

I began this week’s assignments by reading The Incredible Magic of Being by Kathryn Erskine. Wow! The book follows the life of a 9-year-old boy, Julian, his 14-year-old sister, Pookie, and his mom and her wife. Not only was this book a powerful example of a book about a child with a disability (in this case a medical heart condition), but also pulled in other diverse groups. Julian’s mom is gay, and went to a sperm bank for both Julian and Pookie. This is the first children’s book I have read in which the LGBT community is addressed. What is the best way to address the topic of a sperm bank with students in the 3rd-7th grade (based on Scholastic’s levels)? This book is a fantastic example for students are may live in a household with parents who are part of the LGBT community. They can begin to see themselves in the book, as if looking in a mirror, a concept we learn about from Galda (1998) and Bishop (1994) in the article, “Using Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion with Middle School Readers” (Napoli & Ritholz, 2009). A book that I would love to read as part of this text set, if time permitted, is Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Wonder is about a boy with a facial deformity. He struggles with needing to be homeschooled, and the many surgeries at a young age like Julian. The theme of acceptance of diverse people is found in both books. On Wednesday, in class, we will be skyping with the author of The Incredible Magic of Being, Kathryn Erskine. I hope to found out more through the questions:

• What was your inspiration for this book?

• Have you been able to see this book being taught in schools? If so, what ages and what accompanying activities did you see done with it?

We also read Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson. This book is so inspiring. It tells the story of a child who lost both parents, and was placed in separate foster homes from his only sister. While it is hard to read at times due to the sad content, it is powerful that he finds a way to express himself through poetry. The article, “Using Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion with Middle School Readers” (Napoli & Ritholz, 2009) discusses students who are asked how they feel about poetry. Most of the students at the middle school age believe that poetry is boring and would not choose to read it on their own. What most students don’t know (because it is even new to me) is that there are novels written completely in free verse. This means that the amount of worlds on the page is minimized and it appears and is “easy” for the students to read. One student in the article talks about how she chose a book because it “looked easy,” so books such as Locomotion and Crossover (a book about twin teenage boys who play basketball like their ex-NBA playing father) which are both written in free verse, are a great alternative to long novels for students who struggle wit reading.

Lastly, we read the infamous The Last Stop on Market Street. This book is about a young boy who is beginning to notice that they have to ride the bus instead of have a car, ride to lower income neighborhoods that appear dirty and run down, and eat at soup kitchens. His nana is a positive role model for him, and is able to answer all of his questions with positive thoughts that help understand. The strong points made in this book, about how happiness not being based on money and fancy things, and finding the beauty in everything, are perfect lessons to teach your students. I see myself and my grandma so much when I read this book. While I great up middle class, I was negative about other things in my life (losing friends, bullies at school, etc.) and my grandma was always there with encouragement and advice. I, because of this relationship, have decided that my future daughter will bear my grandma’s name, Faye. If my daughter is anything like my grandma, she will be the best person alive. Every student deserves a “nana” in their life, so as teachers, it is our job to play that role in case they don’t have anyone at home to fill that role.

Resources:

Erskine, Kathryn. (2017). The incredible magic of being. Scholastic Press: New York, NY.

de la Peña, Matt. (2015). The last stop on market street. Penguin Group: New York, NY.

Napoli, Mary & Ritholz, Emily Rose. (2009, March). Using Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion with Middle School Readers. 16 (3): 31-39.

Woodson, Jacqueline. (2003). Locomotion. Puffin Books: New York, NY.