Blog # 15

“Is Children School Books Really Racism and Sexism?”

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While reading “10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism” by The Council On Interracial Books For Children. It made me think who is authorized to pick children’s school books. When I look back at my early childhood school years, I remember lots of books that could be misinterpret with racism and sexism, that’s now when I look back. But as a child back then, I looked at those books as funny and touching stories that made me laugh, smile, and sometimes feel sad. I don’t remember feeling racism or sexism. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know the meaning of those words “racism” or “sexism.” But, that was my generation, the children now is much smarter and much more curious then in my days! So I understand why we as teachers and parents need to analyze children school and home books.

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After reading this I’m glad that there are guidelines to follow. This will help teachers like me to look for racism and sexism in children books. Also this will help my students to detect racism and sexism in the books they are reading.

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As a teacher we had to create a mini lesson plan for “A Read Aloud Event” to my Kindergarteners while enrolled in a student service learning mentor program for UHWO back in fall of 2007. Here’s an example of my mini lesson plan for my students:

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A Read Aloud Event - Mini-Lesson Plan

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TITLE: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” A 28-page book By Eric Carle

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GRADE LEVEL: My audience will be twenty-two Kindergarteners.

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TIME FRAME & SETTING:
My read-aloud lesson will be held at a public Elementary School on the 21^{st of} November, 2007. My lesson will require 30 minutes of class time.

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CONCEPTUAL/PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE:

Within this lesson plan, my students will learn about the concepts of life cycle and changes. They will also learn to identify different colors and types of fruits, and practice participating in a group setting. They will learn to count from 1 to 7 using numeral/set correspondence.

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STANDARDS:

My lesson plans will incorporate standards from the Hawaii State Department of Education, which can be found at http://standardstoolkit.k12.hi.us.

Standard 2: Asking the students to comment on the story and illustration of the book.

Standard 4: To see the students’ level of comprehension.

Standard 9: Having an open group conversation to discuss about the book.

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OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

A) State the life cycle of a caterpillar.

B) Identify the different types of fruits in the story

C) Identify the different colors in the story.

D) Count from 1 to 7. (a numeral/set correspondence).

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MATERIALS:
1) The book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle

2) The storytelling apron

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TECHNOLOGY:

There will be no technology used in my read-aloud lesson.

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PROCEDURES:

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Engage and Motivate:

I will engage with the students by using the story-telling apron to calculate the numbers of fruits that are in the story and the different types of fruits. I’m going to motivate the students by encouraging their participation by putting the different types of fruits on the story-telling apron. I’m going to ask questions likes:

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What types of fruit do you like to eat?

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What do you like to eat when you are hungry?

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Explore and Explain:

I plan to let the students learn about the life cycle of a caterpillar. I’m also going to let the students learn about the different types of fruits that will appear in the book. During the story telling there will be language development, sequencing, comparing, and numeral/set correspondence. By helping the students count the different types of fruits.

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Accommodate and Modify:

I plan to read slowly, and to stop and answer any questions that the students might have. I will make it fun by disguising my voice while reading the book. If there are students who do not understand, I will stop and ask questions until they understand.

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Evaluate:

I will ask questions of the students to see how many of them will answer the questions correctly. I will ask the students to draw a picture of a caterpillar life-cycle. This will help me evaluate their knowledge.

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Elaborate & Extend:

I will give my students a homework assignment for the whole week. This homework assignment will ask them to keep track on what types for fruits did they eat during the week and turn it in by the following week.

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So as you can see, there’s a lot of Standards that we as teachers need to follow and with the “10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism” by The Council On Interracial Books For Children. This will help teachers like me to check these 10 quick ways and to share more time with my students.

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Here’s my question: “Who is authorized to pick children’s school books for the State of Hawaii?”

Blog # 14

“Why Should We Care?”

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While reading “Who Cares for Our Children?” by Valerie Polakow. It made me think about my personal life. My Sister and I was raised by a single parent (my mother). I realized how hard my mother worked in keeping our family together. She had a full-time job working for the government. But, still found the time to teach us the basic A-B-C’s and the 1-2-3. My sister and I didn’t have the opportunity to attend pre-school due to financial problems. So, this statement by Valerie Polakow really hit home:

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“Lack of child care is frequently the tipping point that catapults a low-income family into poverty, destitution, and homelessness. For single mother families in particular, child care is an urgent and vital need.”

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We came close to losing our home, there were times when our electricity was shut-off because we didn’t pay the bill. But we made it through with the belief of God (Our Heavenly Father), the help of family members and close family friends.

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When caring for our children, is it fair to ask for private or public assistant? My answer is “YES!” the way the economy is now we need to help low-income family especially, single parent mothers from New York to Hawaii. It is our responsibility to make sure that every child in this country has the opportunity for a free education with a safe, affordable, quality childcare.

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When there's a budget crisis going on in the United States of America, the first thing they would cut is education. So, here’s my question: “WHY!?”

Blog # 13

“Mommy Got Married To Mommy.”

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In 2004, same sex marriage became legal in Goodridge vs. Mass. Department of Public Health, it was a landmark lawsuit in the state of Massachusetts. While reading “Heather’s Moms Got Married?” by Mary Cowhey. There’s a different between I have two mothers. Which is my real mother and my step mother (my father’s wife) to my mother and her lifelong partner (another female) who got married to each other. Now, will children really know the different? If so, is it fair to let them know, at such a young age, about this issue “Same Sex Marriage?”

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When one of the parents in this story was wearing a T-shirt saying: “We’re here. We’re gay. And We’re on the PTA.” How does that help me? As a Christian teacher there will be a lot of challenges ahead of me. “Don’t get me wrong,” I will not teach my personal belief onto my students. So how can a parent who is gay expect a teacher like me to teach other students their belief? I have an uncle who became an auntie and a cousin who is a lesbian, both of them have such a big heart and so much love for their family and friends. So it’s hard for me to pick sides. Until “Same Sex Marriage” becomes a curriculum in the educational system, I will not teach this subject.

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I have three questions: 1) How can we incorporate gay and lesbian themes and subject matters into our school curriculum? 2) How do we teach it? 3) How can we teach our students same sex marriage when they are just learning their ABC’s and 1-2-3?

Blog # 12

“Is White Better Than Black?”

While reading “What Color Is Beautiful?” by Alejandro Segura-Mora, it breaks my heart to hear a student telling another student that he doesn’t want to be black (dark skin) and his mother is giving him a pill to make him white. “WOW!” Why is this student thinking this way? Who do we blame? Do we blame the parents? Do we blame the media companies? We need to remember at a certain age, a child that hears a negative comments of themselves or of their ethnicity can have a BIG impact to that child and change the way he or she think about themselves.

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As teachers, we need to challenge our students to think differently from what the media shows are telling them. American culture needs to change its ways of thinking, were white is better than black.

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Also, in “Raising Issues of Race with young Children” by Rita Tenorio. It talks about Racism issues, is it possible for children in kindergarten and 1^st grade to understand Racism issues? Rita Tenorio said: “Centuries-old legacies of bias and racism in our country have made an impact on our lives.” It is sad to say that it still has an impact in our lives today. Even living in Hawaii there’s an issue of racism, but it’s the other way around, were dark is good and white is bad!

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Here’s my question: “How can we teach our students, that it doesn’t matter what color you are outside, it’s the inner beauty that really count?” and “ How can we as teacher’s change this way of thinking, when media corporation says it’s the other way around?”

Blog # 11

“Scripted Prescription or A Personal Touch?”

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The Scripted Prescription - (A Cure for Childhood by Peter Campbell)

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While reading this article one of the parents said: “Traditionally, or so I’ve been told, the first meeting has been a time for the new student and the teacher to get to know each other. But there was no conversation about what Vivian liked to read, what she liked to do, or anything else that might have given the teacher some insight into Vivian. Her teacher appeared to believe all that she needed to know about Vivian could be discovered from this test. It saddened me to think that my daughter’s first impression of school is based on taking a test and failing it.” I can see both sides of the arguments. As a teacher the school system teaching us in order to save time to get to know a student level of academic, testing is best path to take. But as a parent a child needs to learn the basic lesson first before taking a test, like asking a child if he or she likes to read or what he or she liked to do. So, a little conversation with a child and their teacher would be the best path to take. As a parent this could be the best way to get to know their child.

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Confession – (My Students Play in the Classroom-and It’s Good for Them by Seth Shteir)

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I like how Seth took a field trip experience to a butterfly garden and made it to a lesson plan. He said: “Block building, with proper guidance, has a great deal of educational value. It can help children acquire literacy, develop social skills, gain experience problem-solving, and enhance spatial sense.” But it’s sad when regimentation of school agenda makes it harder for teacher like Seth to have that kind of support to different ways of teaching and learning.

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What About Play? by Sharna Oleman

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Today children consume 40 hours of media each week. “Wow!” Sharna Oleman said: “Economic and cultural constraints force parents to work longer days and weeks, and increasingly, parents rely on “electronic babysitters” to keep kids inside, or alternatively in structured afterschool programs.” This could be good if a child is watching educational programs like: Sesame Street, Barney & Friends, Curious George, The Electric Company, and Sid the Science Kid. As a teacher I let my nephew watch these programs when his at home, don’t get me wrong, every chance I have to take him outside to play any kinds of sports we are out there playing it ;-D!

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Now, if the parents are force to work longer hours and days, here’s my question: “How can they take their children out to play outdoors sport?”

Blog # 10

“Rethinking Old Favorite Children’s Tales”

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Rethinking Three Little Pigs - (Rethinking Early Childhood Education)

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In the beginning while reading this, I asked myself why are we looking for the hidden messages in the three little Pigs story? Just enjoy the story for what it is. When Ellen Wolpert said: “The fundamental messages of the three little pigs, is that it belittles straw homes and the lazy types who build them. On the other hand, the story extols the virtues of brick homes, suggesting that they are build serious, hardworking people and are strong enough to withstand adversity and that bricks homes tend to be built by people in western countries and often by people with more money.” Are you kidding me? I looked at this story as the big bad wolf trying to take advantage of the pigs so he can gobble them up for lunch. But in the end the pigs came together to fend off the big bad wolf.

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But after reading this, I realized that, this generation of children (students) are more curious and wiser. When Ellen Wolpert said: “Let’s not to put down such beloved tales and refuse to read them, but to use them to pose questions for children. Like in many tropical areas straws homes are build to take best advantage of cooling breezes. In some areas, straw homes are on stilts as protection from insects and animals or to withstand flooding. “I love her outlook!” This is an opportunity to educate our students in different ways by using old favorite children tales.

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Why We Banned Legos (Exploring Power, Ownership, and Equity in the Classroom)

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This reading was very interesting to me. This group of teachers decided to ban Legotown:

“After nearly two months of observing the children’s Legotown construction, we decided to ban the Legos. A group of about eight children conceived and launched Legotown. Other children were eager to join the project, but as the city grew – and space and raw material became more precious – the builders began to excluding other children. Which Legotown was seen as the turf of particular kids.” Out with the Lego – “Issues of power and inequity that had shaped Legotown would hold conflict and discomfort for us all.”

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This observation talk about what does power look like, exploring power, rules and ownership, and a new ethics for Legotown. It’s amazing how these toys (legos) can really help educate our students and our teachers (including myself). Just last night, I went to Ala Moana Shopping Center and to my surprise there’s a Lego store! I didn’t have the time to go in, but next time I will ;-D!

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Now here’s my question: “Can something like old children tales and toys like Legos bring new light to this generation of children (who is living in the technology age)?”

Blog # 9

“What kinds of benefits do our students get when playing different Gender role?”

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Playing with Gender (Rethinking Early Childhood Education)

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This story “Playing with Gender” from Ann Palo, it kind of bothered me a little, especially this part, When three 4-year old boys was playing a role: “Nicholas declared, it’s time to have our babies! One by one, each boys pulled their babies from their shirts and cradled them tenderly for a moment before they leaped into action, cutting the babies’ umbilical cords, wrapping them snugly in small cotton blankets, and holding their babies to their chest to nurse.”

Don’t get me wrong, I respect all females who went through and will go through giving birth to a baby. As a man there is no way I can imagine going through this kind of pain. So, my hat goes off to all you mothers and soon to be mothers ;-D! Now, back to this story, it still bothers me “Big Time!” call me old fashion, but as a teacher, I can’t teach this lesson to my students who are boys. Help me understand what kind of benefit would the boys gain by playing this role?

Through-out the reading, they talked about unexpected challenges, claiming our cultural perspectives, and our journey continues. It’s great if I had the time to do these kinds of children’s play, but I don’t.

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Miles of Aisles of Sexism (Helping Students Investigate Toy Stores)

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It’s interesting how toy stores are persistently opposed to change in sex-role stereotypes in toys. Big corporations like Toys ‘R’ Us is not in it for only providing products that brings smiles to children face, they are in it for the “MONEY” too. Our culture believes in this: “boys are into blasting, crushing, striking, and pulverizing and girls are into cleaning, diapering, and primping through theirs during playtime.”

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Now, if research shows that children playing these gender roles helps with their identity, then here’s my question: “How can we implement these kind of children play into our lesson plan with the limited time we have?”