Lampman- Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

 The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching

    After reading the article From Borders to Bridges: Making Cross Cultural Connections through Multicultural Literature, by Ruth McKoy Lowery and Donna Sabis-Burns, it made me think about my own experiences from my educational years, as well as my experience as a teacher.  Growing up, I don't remember much from the primary years, however, thinking about the secondary years, I question if our district had multicultural literature.  I question if we dug into what our culture is and what some of our customs were.  I do remember doing a family tree project in one of our history classes in high school where we had to dig into our family and if we could figure out where our families came from.  Other than that, I don't really remember learning about many different cultures.  I feel like my experience was a lot like Donna's in the article where we read texts that depicted happiness, when in reality it was quite the opposite happening for many people.  

One of the important pieces of information that I pulled from this article is how integrating multicultural literature early on in education could be the first exposure for many people to look at who they truly are and learning about how people can be different.  On page 50 Lowery and Sabis-Burns state, "Through literature, readers explore lands and cultural mores that they would otherwise not experience."  This is true when it comes to my experience growing up in a predominately white community with little to no diversity.  I teach in a district similar to the one I grew up in, and I am so happy that our district uses a curriculum with so much diversity.  I have had conversations with coworkers who have made comments about how the books in this curriculum don't apply to the students we serve.  I always ask, "do you think that is a bad thing?"  Which then sparks the conversations in why I think it is important that we do expose our kids to different cultures and parts of the world.  I think it's important that we teach our community that not everywhere is predominately one culture or race.  It's important to teach different customs and learn about how people live all over the world.  

While we know it's important to integrate multicultural literature, I think this article also did an excellent job talking about how we as teachers need to be prepared and some specifics when it comes to teaching.  I love how they mentioned that we need to make sure it's not just one unit, or separated, but instead it is integrated throughout all genres and units.  Also, I loved the quote on page 51 that says, "Bishop (1997) champions this notion, suggesting that "if our society is to meet the challenges of demographic pluralism, all students need to recognize the diversity that defines this society, learn to respect it, and see it in a positive light," (p.3)."  I think this also falls onto the teacher and the planning portion because students lead by example and we need to be ready to integrate any literature with some prior knowledge and excitement so that students find our energy infectious.  

I feel like the connection of this article with The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, is that this book is an example of multicultural literature where the author is digging into his culture and who he is, and where he came from.  He uses a way of storytelling that talks about his personal stories, as well as past history, and myths he has learned/heard about from the Kiowa culture.  This not only is an example of multicultural literature, but it also shows how this author is digging in to understand his culture and that was something that Lowery and Sabis-Burns talked about in their article as well.  

Resources:

Lowery, R. M. & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: Making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature.  Multicultural Education, 14(4), 50-54.  https://moodle.morningside.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1149965.

Momaday, N. S. (1969). The way to rainy mountain. University of New Mexico Press.

Lansink - Perspectives (Week 2)

     First and foremost, the article written by Sabis-Burns and Lowery made me think about how not every piece of literature has the same meaning for every person. For example, some people may read something and think very happy and positive thoughts and other people may read something and think very sad, or negative, thoughts. This play on perspectives is noted in the article as “problematic” (Lowery & Sabis-Burns, 2007, 50). I would have to agree with Lowery and Sabis-Burns because if we do not understand the historical impact on various happenings and how they affect others, we cannot openly hear and seek to understand other cultures. Therefore, when reading multicultural literature, I may pause and ask questions like, “How do you think this event/idea impacted other cultures and what cultures do you think were specifically affected?”.
    A very impactful statement in the article reads as follows, “For many of these students, their first exposure to others who are different takes place in the reading materials found in their classrooms.” (Lowery & Sabis-Burns, 2007, 51). This gave me the idea to look for and make available multicultural literature in my own classroom library, especially because the district, and therefore classroom, I teach is not very diverse at all. I could even use multicultural literature during our read aloud time to spark discussions and allow students the opportunity to ask questions and make connections. It would be important for me to state that we all have different experiences, qualities, etc. which is why differing cultures is no different; a simple difference in one’s lives. This statement can promote positivity reflecting the statement, “Individual students’ success or failure weighs heavily on the teacher’s beliefs, intentions, and personalities rather than the curriculum, materials, and class size” ((Lowery & Sabis-Burns, 2007, 53).

References

Lowery, R. M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: making cross-cultural connections    through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 50-54. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.morningside.edu/apps/doc/A168587716/AONE?u=anon~7bf73067&sid=googleScholar&xid=b44165d1

Dibert: Week 2 Post

While reading, From Borders to Bridges, I found I had a lot in common with those teachers. The one teacher that I felt the most connected to was the returning student in the masters program. In the article, she talked about how during the holidays she tried to discuss different holidays such as Kwanzaa and Hanukkah (pg 52). This is something that I do as well. During the month of December, we watch a video on a holiday and have discussions about it. I also introduced them to the different games that some kids play during those holidays. Like the masters student, I also talk about figures during Black History Month. As I reflect on myself, I thought I was doing a good job. I thought that I was introducing my students to different cultures while still talking about our own culture. I am now realizing the lack of multiculturalism that I am actually doing. One of the biggest differences between me and this master student is I do not have much diversity in my classroom. I tried to cater the holidays that I talk about to those students that I currently have in my room. However, as I am continuing to read these articles, I am realizing the importance of not just focusing on certain cultures, but trying to introduce them to many different cultural aspects.

There are a couple ways I am thinking I could introduce different cultures into my classroom. The first thing I think I could do is look up some of the major holidays for different cultures. During the month in which those are happening, I could talk to my class about that culture and why they are celebrating that holiday. This would not only expand the students minds, but mine as well. Since I will not know much about some of these holidays or cultures, I will have to do research myself and widen my horizon to cultures other than the ones I am already familiar with. Another thing I could do to bring more culture into the classroom is bring in more text that deals with astronomy. There is one story in particular that we read that introduces a Chinese folktale that teaches about how we got the sun and stars. This story is called Ten Suns. I could research other cultures' beliefs on that topic and present them as well. In the book we read this week, The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, on page 6 it talks about how the Kiowas believe we got the Big Dipper. It states, “ the bear, came to kill them, but they were just beyond its reach. It reared against the tree and scored the bark all around with its clause. The seven sisters were borne into the sky and they became the stars of the big dipper (Momaday, 1969, pg. 6). There are a lot of Native American stories that talk about astronomy, so this could be a fun way to bridge together different cultures.

Question: Are there any stories that you currently read that could help bridge a gap between different cultures? 

Resources:

Lowery, R. M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: Making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 50–54. https://moodle.morningside.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1149965.

Momaday, N. S. (1969). The way to rainy mountain. University of New Mexico Press.

Gill - Week2

 From 2021-2023, I worked as an ELL teacher.   I also worked with a curriculum from National Geographic for ELL and it is filled with multicultural stories in it.  Stories the students would understand while learning English.  In one particular story that had a lot of Spanish words in it.  The students giggled as I missed pronouncing the Spanish words.  They helped me pronounce the Spanish correctly.  I helped them pronounce the English correctly.   That story helped my student learn more, because they saw me make mistakes and learned that it was okay to make mistakes and ask for help.  

My attitude and belief during that lesson shaped how my students responded and tried so hard. Lowery and Sabis-Burns says,"Individual students' success or failure weighs heavily on the teacher's beliefs, intentions, and personalities rather than the curriculum, material, and class size." (pg. 53).  I think we need both.  I think our students need stories they can connect to and understand as well as a teacher whose, "identity is constantly evolving, shifting and modified by external context and diverse culture." (pg. 53).

I liked “The Way to Rainy Mountain”, because of the italicized explanations with the stories.  The stories connected me to the Kiowa Indians, the explanations connected me to Scott Momaday.  I think I could use this story and several others to talk about families and lifestyles.  In the 6th grade curriculum there was a book about Vishnu.  “The Way to Rainy Mountain” could go along with that story of Vishnu and Aesop Fables to explain lessons taught in stories.  

Lowery, R. M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4),50–54.

Momaday, N. S. (1969). The way to rainy mountain. University of New Mexico Press.

Campbell - Week 2 Post

 Kirsten Campbell

ENGL 478G

Week 2 Post 

While reading From Boarders to Bridges, I connected with many things. I found it interesting that there was controversy around Christopher Columbus in 2007. Still, it also makes sense because the character Robert California in The Office remarks that Columbus committed genocide on Native Americans, and that aired around 2011. I also remember writing an argumentative essay in 2019, during my sophomore year of high school, about how we should cancel Columbus Day. "Multicultural literature can serve as a viable tool for addressing diverse issues in the classroom" (McKoy et al., 2007, p.51). My first encounter with multicultural literature was in 5th grade, and the book was Number the Stars by Lowis Lowry. Before this experience, we mainly read books where the characters were predominantly white with white side characters or fantasy with talking animals. From then on, in middle school, I read many books about different cultures and diverse issues. Some of the books we read were Tangerine, Bud, Not Buddy, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and The Diary of Anne Frank. I like the quote, "Our goal is not to separate multicultural literature into a genre independent of the others but rather to create awareness in the preservice teachers, helping them see that multicultural literature should be integral to all genres and can be positively integrated" (McKoy et al., 2007, p.51) because it is vital for stories not to be segregate diverse stories for being eclectic. Still, students need to hear multiple perspectives during the same period. Despite being unable to connect much with the book The Way To Rainy Mountain, it broadened my understanding of the Kiowa's history. I was also reminded of Mythology in high school. The class mainly focused on Greek mythology, but in one week of class, we learned about similar myths and how things came to be in different cultures, and then we had to present them to the class orally. I loved how the book was his recollections of oral stories passed down from generation to generation.

Since I am not a teacher yet, I have a few ideas to help students better understand the Kiowa tribe and avoid stereotypes. My first thought was to spark students' background knowledge with a story by the Kiowas. Since these are oral stories of the Kiowa tribe, we do not want our students to speculate that all Native tribes have the same story of how things came to be. For this, I thought students could research different stories of Native American tribes and then compare and contrast beliefs and events that occurred. Students could also compare and contrast Kiowa's beliefs and traditions with their own. Another strategy I had was for students to create oral tales and present them to the class. No matter our culture, we have family stories on how things came to be. 

I will provide a fun question: Since we read about Momaday's recollection of memories and stories about who he is and where he came from, what would be your creation story about who you are or how the world came to be? 

References

Lowery, R. M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 51. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.morningside.edu/apps/doc/A168587716/AONE?u=anon~7bf73067&sid=googleScholar&xid=b44165d1

Momaday, N. S. (1969). The way to rainy mountain. University of New Mexico Press.

Akkeramnn - Week 2 Blog

As a teacher, it is my job to help students value and understand varying cultures, societal roles, traditions, beliefs, and ideas (McKoy & Sabis-Burns, 2007).  For this to be true I must begin with myself.  “If teachers are expected to teach students about diversity using multicultural literature, they have to first be exposed to this literature themselves” (McKoy & Sabis-Burns, 2007, p.51).  The first step of exposure was taking this class.  Now that I’ve been exposed to what I lack and since I work with lower elementary students I need to read more multicultural children’s literature.  Using children’s literature in my classroom will “provide students with vicarious experiences they would not otherwise have” (McKoy & Sabis-Burns, 2007, p.51) because I work in a district where the percentage of diversity is small.

 

I would implement a similar idea as McKoy & Sabis-Burns (2007) did with the pre-service teachers having them “read literature that reflected their cultural, racial or ethnic backgrounds” (p.52).  I say similar because while we read the same books I would not have my students write a paper about “how they felt the books represented them” (McKoy & Sabis-Burns, 2007, p.52).  Instead, we would make a chart listing how these books made us feel.  Another direction I could take would be to read the books to the class and then have the students make a video about how the books made them feel.  This exercise allows them to understand themselves, their culture, their race, their ethnicity, and their environment more.

 

After reading books that reflect the student's culture I would then go into reading multicultural children’s books.  Since I work with lower elementary students “their first exposure to others who are different takes place in the reading materials found in their classrooms” (McKoy & Sabis-Burns, 2007, p.51).  As a class, we would discuss the book and we would fill out a Venn Diagram so that my students “see differences and similarities and learn to appreciate both theirs and others’ cultures” ( McKoy & Sabis-Burns, 2007, p.51).

 

References

McKoy Lowery, R., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: Making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 50–54. https://moodle.morningside.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1149965.

 I posted this as a response to Camryn's week 1 post (and Rachel's response to it), but because it also addresses Jeanann's post and Mandy's response to her post, I wanted to repost for everyone to read. I know that the Torres-Padilla article is dense, but it raises important issues about the function of literature and education in the context of a person's identity as an American. Let me know what you think about the "originary narrative" and Torres-Padilla's argument that it needs to be shifted to include previously silenced voices. 

Part of the challenge to education is to bring the literature in as way to offer other "originary narratives" or add to the one we have (or change it or challenge it, etc.). Nina Baym's term "originary narrative" is what Torres-Padilla is really talking about. Baym coined the term and explains that we have this historical narrative about the beginnings of our country. It comes with a whole host of features and embedded perceptions about who we are as Americans. Torres-Padilla claims that it leaves out a lot of voices. He argues that we might consider bringing in narratives written by authors from a variety of cultures so that we can use them to add to the originary narrative of our country and thereby add to the embedded ideology of what America is and means. So to go back to Jeanann's comment, I might say that I agree with your observation, Jeanann, that immigrant, first-generation, and so on students in our classes definitely have had experiences that are incredibly valuable to their ability to succeed, to their peers' learning experiences, and to our professional development. You're absolutely right that while it's important to acknowledge the challenges some of our students have, it's also important to turn those challenges into strengths. Getting back to your question, Camryn, and your response, Rachel, that's a way we as teachers can move out from sticking to the old ways and using literature from a variety of authors in new ways that will benefit our students. I also believe very strongly that reading a variety of texts--fiction, nonfiction, poetry, articles--from a variety of perspectives will inform us and positively impact how we work with all of our students.