EDU 5385 Final Post by Diane Watt

Diversity in LGBTQ picturebooks (Alexandra Arrowsmith)

2024-04-01 14:54:50 UTC

As part of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance at my school, bringing in more LGBTQ literature to both the elementary and high-school sides has been a focus this year. Throughout this course, I wrote down the various books that appear to be interesting, and I am planning on creating a collection for our newly created Anti-Hate Alliance room.

This being said Young's (2019) exploration of diversity within LGBTQ pictures was very insightful. The lack of representation of race, gender identity, and LGBTQ vocabulary was not all that shocking. Speaking of LGBTQ+ topics and issues is still very much taboo in the education system, in my experience. Even more in my school, where most students come from military families (which has its own culture), parents and staff often disagree on why they should or shouldn't use such texts. However, if we are to be more inclusive of BIPOC peoples, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, and so on, why should the LGBTQ+ community be excluded? By not including them, we are sending the message that LGBTQ people "are not worthy of the spotlight or that the experiences of LGBTQ people are not as important as people who are presented as more normal or central" (Young, 2019, pg. 66).

By using a wide variety of LGBTQ+ texts in classrooms, we are not only being inclusive and encouraging diversity but also teaching the future generation to be accepting and tolerant. This, in turn, will (hopefully) make the world a little kinder.

Young, C. (2019). Interrogating the lack of diversity in award-winning LGBTQ inclusive picturebooks. Theory into Practice, 58, 61-70.

Lack of diversity in LGBTQ-Inclusive Picture Books - Karen Racioppo

2024-04-05 22:40:42 UTC

Young (2019) made some excellent points in his article about representation, or the lack thereof, of LGBTQ characters in picture books. This year I have worked with a colleague to create a "Global Voices Reading Room". I am the equity representative for our school as well as the co-Mental health teacher rep and we decided this was a project we were going to go all in on.

Students need to see themselves in books. This year we have worked to purchase books written by and featuring characters who are minorities (or in the case at our school, the majority). Our shelves are lined with books about refugees, race, Indigenous culture and LGBTQ content. I think Young said it best when he said "when LGBTQ identities are omitted from classrooms, then it erases my community and greatly affects learning environments" (p.62). I would argue that many of the groups we try to represent in our reading room would have felt the same way at one point.

The information gathered about schools that implement a LGBTQ inclusive curriculum is more than reason enough to have these books in our classrooms (more positive aspects of learning, fewer slurs, less homophobic remarks, the feeling of safety, greater attendance and greater aspirations for future education).

Overall, this week's reading continues to support the idea that ALL students should have access to books which support, rather than minimize or omit their lives.

My gay agenda: Embodying intersectionality in children’s literature scholarship. - Katy Paton

2024-04-07 23:04:47 UTC

There were two sections in the article by Jiménez, L. (2017) that stood out. First, it says “For Piaget, learning takes place when a person experiences disequilibrium, attempts to assimilate the new information into their existing schema, and finally must change that schema to accommodate the new knowledge. But for this to happen, the learner must first recognize what is unknown, must be aware of the disequilibrium and want to change it.” (p. 110). When I read books to students that are different to what is familiar or what they choose, I notice their apprehension and it can sometimes make me want to avoid these subjects and return to what I know they like. However; recognizing the importance of windows, mirrors, and sliding doors, I understand the benefits of exposing students to all types of literature, including those that are unknown and can make them “experience disequilibrium” as stated above.

The second part that resonated provided a nice conclusion to the course. It stated “The relationship teachers have with children’s literature is a powerful one. They, like librarians, have the power to provide children with diverse voices and authentic representations. That is, if teacher education provides opportunities for them to learn to recognize the stories they are not a part of, are not native to, are not privileged by and to hear the voices that are unfamiliar, and believe the narratives that run counter to their lived experiences.” (p. 110). As teachers, we can share the love of reading with students, expose them to different cultures, thoughts and identities, teach them to question the current systems, and identify ways that together we can help make the world a more inclusive place for everyone.