CI: 5410 Reading Response #5

I think both the Encisco and Beach articles were extremely interesting and insightful. Encisco brings up an interesting point that I hadn’t considered before when she discusses the authority presented by her choice of text in the classroom. In choosing Maniac Magee, she is asserting her authority in the classroom. As she notes, “We did not engage in an open discussion about my choice of book, nor…my role in their classroom. Thus the representations of race relations in the literature could be seen by the children to represent my perspectives” (16). She adds in the presence of a Newbery medal on the cover of the book as one more example of an adult authority advocating for a text which might also be connected to the messages within that text. As teachers I think we need to be careful of our own text selections, especially in the realm of multicultural literature. It might be beneficial to have conversations with our classrooms about why a specific text was chosen and how to best use it in a school environment.

I also thought Encisco’s exploration of the dehumanizing metaphor and dehistoricizing allegory was helpful as ways in which to select texts and examine them with students. I think teachers should look for texts which are able to break free from these common structures in literature dealing with diverse cultures (or even in reference to other cultures than the Euro-American/white culture). On the other hand, recognizing the presence of these structures will also provide a way of looking at institutionalized racism in valuable ways. Segue to the Beach article…

What really stood out to me from the Beach article was the astounding lack of awareness among students to issues of institutional racism. I mean, Oprah! Even someone like Oprah Winfrey did a show in 1992 which explored the individual racism rather than addressing the power structures of our society in creating racism? (I do realize that since then she might have done—I would be very surprised if she hasn’t—a show focusing on institutional racism.) Then again, as Beach notes, “those students who benefit from institutional power are rarely aware of the advantages of privilege (insert “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” piece here).

I thought it was helpful to read through the different student responses and results of Beach’s study when looking at multicultural literature as a way to see how students might respond in both resistant and engaged manners. Knowing this ahead of time can help us try and structure discussion or reading-related activities in ways that might evoke empathy from our students and connect their lives to the texts (when possible) as they take on or look through someone else’s perspective.

Beach is right in asserting that students take stances on issues and topics that are shaped by their experiences and understandings of the world they live in. Going back to what you said in one of your previous responses, Matt, a girl in the text notices claims that “part of your education is not the classes you take but that you’re learning to deal with all kinds of different people” (Beach 87). She thinks the lack of diversity among the students in her class is a disservice to her and her peers. We can’t expect to change the system overnight, but we can try to bring in some of the missing voices and experiences through literature in one of the few placed available—school.