CCBC-Net Archives
Re: Panel with Lois Lowry, Kathy Lasky, Jackie Davies and Bill Thomson
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From: Sugoodman_at_aol.com
Date: Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:56:24 -0400 (EDT)
As a devoted lurker, I have seen other people list worthy events. I hope it's okay to mention one that is being sponsored by PEN, SCBWI, and the Foundation for Children's Books. If not, please strike it with my apologies. Meanwhile great discussion about Civil Rights. This year I have been an author-in-residence in a school right in the middle of Boston. It's a varied population, but most are kids are of color. It's true I've spent more time here than in schools where I drop in for a day or two. But what I have found nice to see is that kids often learn about famous African Americans in a different context than just bringing them up in February aka Black History Month or in the context of civil rights, per se. For example, the first graders were learning about timelines and each kid had a famous African American to write up and fit into the timeline. Some were civil rights giants from MLK to Medgar Evers, but with 20 kids in the classroom, Michael Jordan got into the timeline too.
Susan Goodman
So here's the info about the panel:
Overcoming Challenges: A Program for Writers, Illustrators, and Educators
Saturday, October 1, 2012, 10:00 – 3:30 Danforth Museum of Art 123 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA Cost: SCBWI, PEN NE, FCB, & Danforth members, $20.00; Non-members: $25.0 0 Registration fee includes admission to the museum. No food or beverages provided. Please bring your own lunch and eat at the
museum with other attendees. Schedule 10:00–10:30 Registration and Networking 10:30–12:00 “My Biggest Career Challenge and How I Solved It” Panelists: Jacqueline Davies, Kathryn Lasky, Lois Lowry, and Bill Thomson
Four children’s book creators discuss the most significant hurdle s they’ ve overcome in producing their work, selling it to publishers, and promoting
it to educators, booksellers, and the general public. 12:00-1:00 Bring a bag lunch and eat with other workshop attendees 1:00-2:30 “My Biggest Writing/Illustrating Challenge and How I Solved It” Panelists: Jacqueline Davies, Kathryn Lasky, Lois Lowry, and Bill Thomson
Four children’s book creators discuss the struggles they’ ve faced while producing the children’s books we know and love. Their stories wi ll inform and inspire writers, illustrators, educators, and children’s book
enthusiasts. 2:30 – 3:30 Book Sale and Signing Meet Jacqueline Davies, Kathryn Lasky, Lois Lowry, and Bill Thomson and
have them sign the books they created Jacqueline Davies has written four middle-grade novels and three picture
books. Her newest title, The Lemonade Crime is a sequel to The Lemonade Wa r, which was a Massachusetts Book Award Honor winner. Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky is both prolific and versatile.
Her more than one hundreds books for children include nonfiction and picture books as well as historical fiction and fantasy novels. During her celebrated career, children’s book author Lois Lowry has explored such complex issues as _racism_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rac ism) , _terminal illness_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_illness) , and the _Holocaust_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust) . She won the Newbery
Medal in 1990 for Number the Stars and again in 1994 for The Giver. Billl Thomson has illustrated three picture books and is the creator of th e award-winning wordless picture book Chalk. For directions, please visit the Museum website: Please visit the Museum website: _http://www.danforthmuseum.org/directions.html_ (http://www.danforthmuseum .org/directions.html) For more information and Registration Form, go to _www.nescbwi.org_ (http://www.nescbwi.org/) , click on News & Events, and scroll down.
Susan Goodman 5 Oakview Ter. Jamaica Plain MA 02130 617-522-0158 www.susangoodmanbooks.com
In a message dated 8/1/2011 1:09:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu writes:
CCBC-NET Digest for Sunday, July 31, 2011.
1. Re: ccbc-net digest: July 30, 2011 2. Clarification 3. Re: Clarification 4. Civil Rights 5. Re: Civil Rights 6. Re: Clarification 7. Teaching Civil Rights
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Subject: Re: ccbc-net digest: July 30, 2011 From: Linda Pavonetti Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:05:52 -0400 X-Message-Number: 1
Hi, Monica, Usually I only monitor this list, but I have to respond to your last statement, "My suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." I hope you did not mean that the way it came off. Knowing your passion for kids and history, I doubt that you did. I stand in front of classrooms of teachers or preservice teachers each we ek and wonder some of the same things. Why do they seem so uninspired? Why are they going into teaching? What do they do in their own classrooms? I know that, according to the statistics, more than half of them will lea ve the profession within five years, but that doesn't mean that I don't try to plant the seed while I have them for four hours a week. I still hope that some of them will be afire with curiosity to learn more about tarantula spiders because I introduced them to Sy Montgomery's book. Or maybe they will learn more about Jim Crow because they view the marvelous video that Weston Woods made from Christine King Farris' book, *March
On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World*. About five years ago, the travelling exhibit of postcards sent from lynchings was in Detroit. While this is not an exhibit I would expose fir st graders to, I would certainly discuss the mental images that still remain with me in a discussion with older (5th grade up) students. That being said, what made this even more powerful to me was the conjunction of the exhibi t with the book I finished the day before--*Daniel Half-Human and the Good
Nazi*. The connection between lynchings, which the US ignored--and to a certain extent still ignores—even when attendees sent postcards to their northern family and friends, and the Holocaust shook me to my core. I don 't think we teachers make these kinds of connections concrete for our students. What are the similarities between Rwanda and Jim Crow and Hitler? I still believe that a topic that the *teacher* is passionate about will engage the students to learn and remember--not necessarily the facts, but more importantly, the concepts and problems behind the lesson. If the teacher and students engage in discussion and exploration, the ideas will remain. Even if only one child remembers, that is important. Linda
Linda M. Pavonetti, Ed.D., Associate Professor Vice President, International Board on Books for Young People—www .ibby.org Oakland University, Department of Reading Office: 460 C Pawley Hall 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309-4401 248-370-4683 248-370-4367 fax
_____________________________
Check it out! Authors & Illustrators 2011 web site is active! http://rla.oakland.edu/~childlit/RDG570/ –––––––– –––––––– –––––––– –––––––– –––––– Interested in promoting international understanding and good will through books for children and teens? Join United States Board on Books for Young People—www.usbby.org
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Subject: Clarification From: Monica Edinger Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:01:19 -0400 X-Message-Number: 2
I had someone write me privately concerned about my final statement, " "M y suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." And so just let me clarify that this was meant to encourage
an openness to children, to get away from blaming teachers for what their charges learned or didn't learn, know or don't know. Kids know tons, but
my feeling is Tony and any author coming into a wide variety of schools cann ot be certain of the specifics and be prepared to provide the background the y need if necessary. If I were Tony I might begin by asking, "What can you tell me about Martin Luther King Jr?", "Rosa Parks?" (Just because thes e are the most likely familiar names to them as a starting point.) Their answers would help me to know where to go next. That is, maybe they'd giv e a sense they did know something of Jim Crow and then I might ask them about that. Or if they knew little, I'd fill in the necessary information to th en go on to talk more specifically about *Lunch-Box Dream*.
Monica
Monica Edinger 600 West 111th Street Apt 2A New York NY 10025 educating alice _at_medinger on twitter My Huffington Post Blog
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Subject: Re: Clarification From: Sheila Welch Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:06:34 -0500 X-Message-Number: 3
Monica makes a good point. Expecting children -- or anyone -- to know something that they don't know (or remember being taught) and then acting shocked, bewildered, and even disapproving can be unproductive. How do I feel when someone says, "You never heard of _________?" Well, I feel
stupid, ignorant, embarrassed, and not exactly in the right frame of mind to learn anything. On the other hand, children do know a lot more than we adults might assume. I think many children are aware of the rules and laws that restricted Blacks in the south, but they don't know the term "Jim Crow." There are some truly wonderful books that can be used to help children of various ages understand that era in US history. Has there been a discussion on this list about fiction and nonfiction on this topic? I checked the archives and didn't see a topic such as "African Americans," "Civil Rights Era," or "Jim Crow" listed. I realize other discussions include these books, but it would be interesting to focus on them in particular.
Sheila Author/Illustrator
On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:01:19 -0400 Monica Edinger writes: I had someone write me privately concerned about my final statement, " "My suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." And so just let me clarify that this was meant to encourage an openness to children, to get away from blaming teachers for what their charges learned or didn't learn, know or don't know. Kids know tons, but my feeling is Tony and any author coming into a wide variety of schools cannot be certain of the specifics and be prepared to provide the background they need if necessary. If I were Tony I might begin by asking, "What can you tell me about Martin Luther King Jr?", "Rosa Parks?" (Just because these are the most likely familiar names to them as a starting point.) Their answers would help me to know where to go next. That is, maybe they'd give a sense they did know something of Jim Crow and then I might ask them about that. Or if they knew little, I'd fill in the necessary information to th en go on to talk more specifically about Lunch-Box Dream.
Monica
____________________________________________________________
2550% Penny Stock Gains? Our last pick exploded 2550% - Join our newsletter for free picks!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Civil Rights From: grand Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:29:51 -0700 X-Message-Number: 4
Thank you, Celeste, for posting this: My youngest daughter had such a teacher during her freshman year. She told me he wanted the kids to know about unfair working conditions in Mexican factories as opposed to those in the United States. He divided the kids into two groups, one for U.S. workers and one for Mexican.
The Mexican workers had to stand and didn't receive perks, such as breaks
or snacks. The U.S. workers were able to sit while they worked. He gave the U.S. workers snacks while the others had to watch standing. She won't forget that as she was part of the Mexican group.
CГ©sar ChГЎvez was born in Yuma, Arizona. He was an American who took part of the civil rights movement as the leader of farm workers. Like Jim Crow,
many schools don't teach about him.
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand Author of CГ©sar: ВЎSГ, se puede! Yes, You can!
Portland, Oregon www.carmenberniergrand.com
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Subject: Re: Civil Rights From: Christine Taylor-Butler Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:10:02 -0500 (GMT-05:00) X-Message-Number: 5
I love the Mexican example. Here's another interesting twist on an approach to civil rights: I was on the hiring committee to replace a vic e principal at our college prep middle school/high school. One of the cand idates that impressed me was a young white male who - in his previous position as a teacher - taught civil rights classes from the perspective of the oppressor. Yep. It's a road less taken. He talked about how settlers escaped oppression in Europe, only to turn around and create similar conditions for the Native Americans and Africans.
We hired him.
So that begs the question: What is our purpose in teaching Civil Rights
across the country? And why through such limited lenses?
The discussion of how and where to teach Civil Rights is gut wrenching to
some of us who have to deal with those children when they come home. As I read the other posts about children not knowing or retaining information
some thoughts occurred to me (as an author, a mom, and as an MIT college
interviewer of 30+ years) having a difficult time finding urban students
qualified for college entrance) - perhaps many of them DO know the inform ation and our choosing not to retain it. Why carry that pain around and what are they supposed to do with the information absent alternatives and strategi es.
Schools tend not to approach this as more of a global issue. That the sam e oppressive situation occurred with Native Americans. Or Aborigines in Australia. Or the inhabitants of Easter Island. Or Irish immigrants cros sing into the US through Ellis Island. Or the Sherpas who dragged the British up Mount Everest but were treated inhumanely. Instead - we make African Americans "own" the problem as the primary victims of a horrendous period of time and as a result, it has a deleterious affect on children going forwa rd. That even in 2011, minority children are forced to negotiate the world from a position of weakness instead of a position of strength. And white
children are made to feel guilty for acts they didn't cause.
It's almost as if adults are still coming to terms with that limited segment of our past and keep pushing it at children without opening the lens. And as a result of that "steady diet" we limit their exploration of the
broader perspective.
An example. My youngest attended a summer school at Phillips Exeter Academy a few years ago. The school typifies a global perspective given that students come for all over the world. She called home fuming because - dur ing "Diversity Day" students from all over the world showcased their cultures
(music, dance, technology). When the African Americans stood up they talked about . . .
one guess . . .
BINGO!
Civil rights and slavery. Not that our history started long before the
boats dragged Africans here, not the significant accomplishments of peopl e of color - just civil rights and slavery. They told the same rehashed stories of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Of Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, slave ships and freedom trails.
She was mortified that for many international students this was their first up-close and personal exposure to minorities and what they got was a rehash of information they probably hear in their own schools. Making minorities appear "less than. . . ."
And yet, even in those stories they didn't really understand that the facts weren't always complete. That Rosa Parks went to the bus knowing
beforehand she had back-up. Or that Booker T. Washington was secretly fu nding efforts towards equality even as he preached separate but equal. Or that
Thurgood Marshall helped write a constitution for an African nation to ins ure the rights of whites were protected in the formation of the new country? Or that not every person of color had slaves as relatives or swam across the
Rio Grande as an "undocumented" immigrant.
I told her that she had to set the example. Because her peers were only
regurgitating the information they'd been fed. How are they supposed to know about musicians, dancers, inventors, if we don't teach empowerment as par t of the process?
Fast forward two years - My daughter - now at a NE boarding school -- wrote on her Facebook page: "Do you know how awkward it is to be the only
African American in a class discussing slavery. It is ironic that one of her best friends here at home, a young white male, had written earlier that day "Do you know how awkward it is to be the only white person in a class discussing slavery?" Both are getting the same "ubiquitous" fare.
A vast majority of the CCBC list consists of educators, librarians, publishers, writers/illustrators - all tasked with informing and enlighte ning children. WHAT do we give those children to dissipate the anger when we'r e done helping them check the right boxes on a test?
So the Mexican approach suggested on this list is a good one because it
avoids a tired stereotype of African Americans as ubiquitous and homogeno us victims.
But in the end, what probably influences children more than the limited
time a teacher has in a lesson plan, is that those children go back out into the world where everywhere else they look, they aren't the heroes - not in nonfiction, not in fiction.
Why teach Civil Rights but ignore the fact that publishers provide few if
any books in which the "descendants of the oppressed" are depicted as something other than invisible? Or disposable? Where are the books in which the ability to be a hero isn't tied to some past struggle? Or where race is not the source of the problem the protagonist is attempting to solve?
Just finished seeing "Captain America" with my family. Where 99% of the
cast is white. When did my children begin cheering? When the Black capti ve was the only person who could translate the enemy's transmissions. He revealed that he'd studied German at Howard before switching to French. And then had a conversation in fluent French with another of the team. The
scenes were seamless - and perfect in tone and pitch.
More of that please, to balance out the rest of what we give to these kid s.
Off my soapbox now……â₠¬В¦Christine
Christine Taylor-Butler ChristineTB_at_alum.mit.edu George B. Morgan '20 Award for Sustained Excellence -- MIT's Educational
Council http://www.ChristineTaylorButler.com
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Subject: Re: Clarification From: Sheila Welch Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:06:58 -0500 X-Message-Number: 6
Hello,
Now I need to clarify my statement. I have been saving these posts because they concern a topic of interest to me, but, so far, I have skimmed only a few. In my comments, I was simply reacting to Monica's post about expectations. I was not implying that anyone on this list acts in the manner I described. But I've been guilty of at least feeling "shocked, bewildered, and even disapproving" when children are unfamiliar with events or issues that I believe should be common knowledge. Over many years as a teacher, parent, and grandparent, I've discovered that showing or expressing my inner feelings creates resentment, which doesn't help kids learn. Reminding myself of times when I've been the ignorant one has made me modify my reactions to children.
I just read Christine's comments and agree with her on so many points.
Our oldest son said, "How come when we finally get a Black Disney princess, she's a frog for most of the movie?"
I'm looking forward to reading all the posts on this topic.
Sheila
On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:06:34 -0500 Sheila Welch writes: Monica makes a good point. Expecting children -- or anyone -- to know something that they don't know (or remember being taught) and then acting shocked, bewildered, and even disapproving can be unproductive. How do I feel when someone says, "You never heard of _________?" Well, I feel
stupid, ignorant, embarrassed, and not exactly in the right frame of mind to learn anything. On the other hand, children do know a lot more than we adults might assume. I think many children are aware of the rules and laws that restricted Blacks in the south, but they don't know the term "Jim Crow." There are some truly wonderful books that can be used to help children of various ages understand that era in US history. Has there been a discussion on this list about fiction and nonfiction on this topic? I checked the archives and didn't see a topic such as "African Americans," "Civil Rights Era," or "Jim Crow" listed. I realize other discussions include these books, but it would be interesting to focus on them in particular.
Sheila Author/Illustrator
On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:01:19 -0400 Monica Edinger writes: I had someone write me privately concerned about my final statement, " "My suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." And so just let me clarify that this was meant to encourage an openness to children, to get away from blaming teachers for what their charges learned or didn't learn, know or don't know. Kids know tons, but my feeling is Tony and any author coming into a wide variety of schools cannot be certain of the specifics and be prepared to provide the background they need if necessary. If I were Tony I might begin by asking, "What can you tell me about Martin Luther King Jr?", "Rosa Parks?" (Just because these are the most likely familiar names to them as a starting point.) Their answers would help me to know where to go next. That is, maybe they'd give a sense they did know something of Jim Crow and then I might ask them about that. Or if they knew little, I'd fill in the necessary information to th en go on to talk more specifically about Lunch-Box Dream.
Monica
Date: Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:56:24 -0400 (EDT)
As a devoted lurker, I have seen other people list worthy events. I hope it's okay to mention one that is being sponsored by PEN, SCBWI, and the Foundation for Children's Books. If not, please strike it with my apologies. Meanwhile great discussion about Civil Rights. This year I have been an author-in-residence in a school right in the middle of Boston. It's a varied population, but most are kids are of color. It's true I've spent more time here than in schools where I drop in for a day or two. But what I have found nice to see is that kids often learn about famous African Americans in a different context than just bringing them up in February aka Black History Month or in the context of civil rights, per se. For example, the first graders were learning about timelines and each kid had a famous African American to write up and fit into the timeline. Some were civil rights giants from MLK to Medgar Evers, but with 20 kids in the classroom, Michael Jordan got into the timeline too.
Susan Goodman
So here's the info about the panel:
Overcoming Challenges: A Program for Writers, Illustrators, and Educators
Saturday, October 1, 2012, 10:00 – 3:30 Danforth Museum of Art 123 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA Cost: SCBWI, PEN NE, FCB, & Danforth members, $20.00; Non-members: $25.0 0 Registration fee includes admission to the museum. No food or beverages provided. Please bring your own lunch and eat at the
museum with other attendees. Schedule 10:00–10:30 Registration and Networking 10:30–12:00 “My Biggest Career Challenge and How I Solved It” Panelists: Jacqueline Davies, Kathryn Lasky, Lois Lowry, and Bill Thomson
Four children’s book creators discuss the most significant hurdle s they’ ve overcome in producing their work, selling it to publishers, and promoting
it to educators, booksellers, and the general public. 12:00-1:00 Bring a bag lunch and eat with other workshop attendees 1:00-2:30 “My Biggest Writing/Illustrating Challenge and How I Solved It” Panelists: Jacqueline Davies, Kathryn Lasky, Lois Lowry, and Bill Thomson
Four children’s book creators discuss the struggles they’ ve faced while producing the children’s books we know and love. Their stories wi ll inform and inspire writers, illustrators, educators, and children’s book
enthusiasts. 2:30 – 3:30 Book Sale and Signing Meet Jacqueline Davies, Kathryn Lasky, Lois Lowry, and Bill Thomson and
have them sign the books they created Jacqueline Davies has written four middle-grade novels and three picture
books. Her newest title, The Lemonade Crime is a sequel to The Lemonade Wa r, which was a Massachusetts Book Award Honor winner. Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky is both prolific and versatile.
Her more than one hundreds books for children include nonfiction and picture books as well as historical fiction and fantasy novels. During her celebrated career, children’s book author Lois Lowry has explored such complex issues as _racism_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rac ism) , _terminal illness_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_illness) , and the _Holocaust_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust) . She won the Newbery
Medal in 1990 for Number the Stars and again in 1994 for The Giver. Billl Thomson has illustrated three picture books and is the creator of th e award-winning wordless picture book Chalk. For directions, please visit the Museum website: Please visit the Museum website: _http://www.danforthmuseum.org/directions.html_ (http://www.danforthmuseum .org/directions.html) For more information and Registration Form, go to _www.nescbwi.org_ (http://www.nescbwi.org/) , click on News & Events, and scroll down.
Susan Goodman 5 Oakview Ter. Jamaica Plain MA 02130 617-522-0158 www.susangoodmanbooks.com
In a message dated 8/1/2011 1:09:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu writes:
CCBC-NET Digest for Sunday, July 31, 2011.
1. Re: ccbc-net digest: July 30, 2011 2. Clarification 3. Re: Clarification 4. Civil Rights 5. Re: Civil Rights 6. Re: Clarification 7. Teaching Civil Rights
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Subject: Re: ccbc-net digest: July 30, 2011 From: Linda Pavonetti Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:05:52 -0400 X-Message-Number: 1
Hi, Monica, Usually I only monitor this list, but I have to respond to your last statement, "My suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." I hope you did not mean that the way it came off. Knowing your passion for kids and history, I doubt that you did. I stand in front of classrooms of teachers or preservice teachers each we ek and wonder some of the same things. Why do they seem so uninspired? Why are they going into teaching? What do they do in their own classrooms? I know that, according to the statistics, more than half of them will lea ve the profession within five years, but that doesn't mean that I don't try to plant the seed while I have them for four hours a week. I still hope that some of them will be afire with curiosity to learn more about tarantula spiders because I introduced them to Sy Montgomery's book. Or maybe they will learn more about Jim Crow because they view the marvelous video that Weston Woods made from Christine King Farris' book, *March
On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World*. About five years ago, the travelling exhibit of postcards sent from lynchings was in Detroit. While this is not an exhibit I would expose fir st graders to, I would certainly discuss the mental images that still remain with me in a discussion with older (5th grade up) students. That being said, what made this even more powerful to me was the conjunction of the exhibi t with the book I finished the day before--*Daniel Half-Human and the Good
Nazi*. The connection between lynchings, which the US ignored--and to a certain extent still ignores—even when attendees sent postcards to their northern family and friends, and the Holocaust shook me to my core. I don 't think we teachers make these kinds of connections concrete for our students. What are the similarities between Rwanda and Jim Crow and Hitler? I still believe that a topic that the *teacher* is passionate about will engage the students to learn and remember--not necessarily the facts, but more importantly, the concepts and problems behind the lesson. If the teacher and students engage in discussion and exploration, the ideas will remain. Even if only one child remembers, that is important. Linda
Linda M. Pavonetti, Ed.D., Associate Professor Vice President, International Board on Books for Young People—www .ibby.org Oakland University, Department of Reading Office: 460 C Pawley Hall 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309-4401 248-370-4683 248-370-4367 fax
_____________________________
Check it out! Authors & Illustrators 2011 web site is active! http://rla.oakland.edu/~childlit/RDG570/ –––––––– –––––––– –––––––– –––––––– –––––– Interested in promoting international understanding and good will through books for children and teens? Join United States Board on Books for Young People—www.usbby.org
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Subject: Clarification From: Monica Edinger Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:01:19 -0400 X-Message-Number: 2
I had someone write me privately concerned about my final statement, " "M y suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." And so just let me clarify that this was meant to encourage
an openness to children, to get away from blaming teachers for what their charges learned or didn't learn, know or don't know. Kids know tons, but
my feeling is Tony and any author coming into a wide variety of schools cann ot be certain of the specifics and be prepared to provide the background the y need if necessary. If I were Tony I might begin by asking, "What can you tell me about Martin Luther King Jr?", "Rosa Parks?" (Just because thes e are the most likely familiar names to them as a starting point.) Their answers would help me to know where to go next. That is, maybe they'd giv e a sense they did know something of Jim Crow and then I might ask them about that. Or if they knew little, I'd fill in the necessary information to th en go on to talk more specifically about *Lunch-Box Dream*.
Monica
Monica Edinger 600 West 111th Street Apt 2A New York NY 10025 educating alice _at_medinger on twitter My Huffington Post Blog
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Subject: Re: Clarification From: Sheila Welch Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:06:34 -0500 X-Message-Number: 3
Monica makes a good point. Expecting children -- or anyone -- to know something that they don't know (or remember being taught) and then acting shocked, bewildered, and even disapproving can be unproductive. How do I feel when someone says, "You never heard of _________?" Well, I feel
stupid, ignorant, embarrassed, and not exactly in the right frame of mind to learn anything. On the other hand, children do know a lot more than we adults might assume. I think many children are aware of the rules and laws that restricted Blacks in the south, but they don't know the term "Jim Crow." There are some truly wonderful books that can be used to help children of various ages understand that era in US history. Has there been a discussion on this list about fiction and nonfiction on this topic? I checked the archives and didn't see a topic such as "African Americans," "Civil Rights Era," or "Jim Crow" listed. I realize other discussions include these books, but it would be interesting to focus on them in particular.
Sheila Author/Illustrator
On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:01:19 -0400 Monica Edinger writes: I had someone write me privately concerned about my final statement, " "My suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." And so just let me clarify that this was meant to encourage an openness to children, to get away from blaming teachers for what their charges learned or didn't learn, know or don't know. Kids know tons, but my feeling is Tony and any author coming into a wide variety of schools cannot be certain of the specifics and be prepared to provide the background they need if necessary. If I were Tony I might begin by asking, "What can you tell me about Martin Luther King Jr?", "Rosa Parks?" (Just because these are the most likely familiar names to them as a starting point.) Their answers would help me to know where to go next. That is, maybe they'd give a sense they did know something of Jim Crow and then I might ask them about that. Or if they knew little, I'd fill in the necessary information to th en go on to talk more specifically about Lunch-Box Dream.
Monica
____________________________________________________________
2550% Penny Stock Gains? Our last pick exploded 2550% - Join our newsletter for free picks!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Civil Rights From: grand Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:29:51 -0700 X-Message-Number: 4
Thank you, Celeste, for posting this: My youngest daughter had such a teacher during her freshman year. She told me he wanted the kids to know about unfair working conditions in Mexican factories as opposed to those in the United States. He divided the kids into two groups, one for U.S. workers and one for Mexican.
The Mexican workers had to stand and didn't receive perks, such as breaks
or snacks. The U.S. workers were able to sit while they worked. He gave the U.S. workers snacks while the others had to watch standing. She won't forget that as she was part of the Mexican group.
CГ©sar ChГЎvez was born in Yuma, Arizona. He was an American who took part of the civil rights movement as the leader of farm workers. Like Jim Crow,
many schools don't teach about him.
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand Author of CГ©sar: ВЎSГ, se puede! Yes, You can!
Portland, Oregon www.carmenberniergrand.com
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Subject: Re: Civil Rights From: Christine Taylor-Butler Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:10:02 -0500 (GMT-05:00) X-Message-Number: 5
I love the Mexican example. Here's another interesting twist on an approach to civil rights: I was on the hiring committee to replace a vic e principal at our college prep middle school/high school. One of the cand idates that impressed me was a young white male who - in his previous position as a teacher - taught civil rights classes from the perspective of the oppressor. Yep. It's a road less taken. He talked about how settlers escaped oppression in Europe, only to turn around and create similar conditions for the Native Americans and Africans.
We hired him.
So that begs the question: What is our purpose in teaching Civil Rights
across the country? And why through such limited lenses?
The discussion of how and where to teach Civil Rights is gut wrenching to
some of us who have to deal with those children when they come home. As I read the other posts about children not knowing or retaining information
some thoughts occurred to me (as an author, a mom, and as an MIT college
interviewer of 30+ years) having a difficult time finding urban students
qualified for college entrance) - perhaps many of them DO know the inform ation and our choosing not to retain it. Why carry that pain around and what are they supposed to do with the information absent alternatives and strategi es.
Schools tend not to approach this as more of a global issue. That the sam e oppressive situation occurred with Native Americans. Or Aborigines in Australia. Or the inhabitants of Easter Island. Or Irish immigrants cros sing into the US through Ellis Island. Or the Sherpas who dragged the British up Mount Everest but were treated inhumanely. Instead - we make African Americans "own" the problem as the primary victims of a horrendous period of time and as a result, it has a deleterious affect on children going forwa rd. That even in 2011, minority children are forced to negotiate the world from a position of weakness instead of a position of strength. And white
children are made to feel guilty for acts they didn't cause.
It's almost as if adults are still coming to terms with that limited segment of our past and keep pushing it at children without opening the lens. And as a result of that "steady diet" we limit their exploration of the
broader perspective.
An example. My youngest attended a summer school at Phillips Exeter Academy a few years ago. The school typifies a global perspective given that students come for all over the world. She called home fuming because - dur ing "Diversity Day" students from all over the world showcased their cultures
(music, dance, technology). When the African Americans stood up they talked about . . .
one guess . . .
BINGO!
Civil rights and slavery. Not that our history started long before the
boats dragged Africans here, not the significant accomplishments of peopl e of color - just civil rights and slavery. They told the same rehashed stories of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. Of Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, slave ships and freedom trails.
She was mortified that for many international students this was their first up-close and personal exposure to minorities and what they got was a rehash of information they probably hear in their own schools. Making minorities appear "less than. . . ."
And yet, even in those stories they didn't really understand that the facts weren't always complete. That Rosa Parks went to the bus knowing
beforehand she had back-up. Or that Booker T. Washington was secretly fu nding efforts towards equality even as he preached separate but equal. Or that
Thurgood Marshall helped write a constitution for an African nation to ins ure the rights of whites were protected in the formation of the new country? Or that not every person of color had slaves as relatives or swam across the
Rio Grande as an "undocumented" immigrant.
I told her that she had to set the example. Because her peers were only
regurgitating the information they'd been fed. How are they supposed to know about musicians, dancers, inventors, if we don't teach empowerment as par t of the process?
Fast forward two years - My daughter - now at a NE boarding school -- wrote on her Facebook page: "Do you know how awkward it is to be the only
African American in a class discussing slavery. It is ironic that one of her best friends here at home, a young white male, had written earlier that day "Do you know how awkward it is to be the only white person in a class discussing slavery?" Both are getting the same "ubiquitous" fare.
A vast majority of the CCBC list consists of educators, librarians, publishers, writers/illustrators - all tasked with informing and enlighte ning children. WHAT do we give those children to dissipate the anger when we'r e done helping them check the right boxes on a test?
So the Mexican approach suggested on this list is a good one because it
avoids a tired stereotype of African Americans as ubiquitous and homogeno us victims.
But in the end, what probably influences children more than the limited
time a teacher has in a lesson plan, is that those children go back out into the world where everywhere else they look, they aren't the heroes - not in nonfiction, not in fiction.
Why teach Civil Rights but ignore the fact that publishers provide few if
any books in which the "descendants of the oppressed" are depicted as something other than invisible? Or disposable? Where are the books in which the ability to be a hero isn't tied to some past struggle? Or where race is not the source of the problem the protagonist is attempting to solve?
Just finished seeing "Captain America" with my family. Where 99% of the
cast is white. When did my children begin cheering? When the Black capti ve was the only person who could translate the enemy's transmissions. He revealed that he'd studied German at Howard before switching to French. And then had a conversation in fluent French with another of the team. The
scenes were seamless - and perfect in tone and pitch.
More of that please, to balance out the rest of what we give to these kid s.
Off my soapbox now……â₠¬В¦Christine
Christine Taylor-Butler ChristineTB_at_alum.mit.edu George B. Morgan '20 Award for Sustained Excellence -- MIT's Educational
Council http://www.ChristineTaylorButler.com
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Subject: Re: Clarification From: Sheila Welch Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:06:58 -0500 X-Message-Number: 6
Hello,
Now I need to clarify my statement. I have been saving these posts because they concern a topic of interest to me, but, so far, I have skimmed only a few. In my comments, I was simply reacting to Monica's post about expectations. I was not implying that anyone on this list acts in the manner I described. But I've been guilty of at least feeling "shocked, bewildered, and even disapproving" when children are unfamiliar with events or issues that I believe should be common knowledge. Over many years as a teacher, parent, and grandparent, I've discovered that showing or expressing my inner feelings creates resentment, which doesn't help kids learn. Reminding myself of times when I've been the ignorant one has made me modify my reactions to children.
I just read Christine's comments and agree with her on so many points.
Our oldest son said, "How come when we finally get a Black Disney princess, she's a frog for most of the movie?"
I'm looking forward to reading all the posts on this topic.
Sheila
On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:06:34 -0500 Sheila Welch writes: Monica makes a good point. Expecting children -- or anyone -- to know something that they don't know (or remember being taught) and then acting shocked, bewildered, and even disapproving can be unproductive. How do I feel when someone says, "You never heard of _________?" Well, I feel
stupid, ignorant, embarrassed, and not exactly in the right frame of mind to learn anything. On the other hand, children do know a lot more than we adults might assume. I think many children are aware of the rules and laws that restricted Blacks in the south, but they don't know the term "Jim Crow." There are some truly wonderful books that can be used to help children of various ages understand that era in US history. Has there been a discussion on this list about fiction and nonfiction on this topic? I checked the archives and didn't see a topic such as "African Americans," "Civil Rights Era," or "Jim Crow" listed. I realize other discussions include these books, but it would be interesting to focus on them in particular.
Sheila Author/Illustrator
On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:01:19 -0400 Monica Edinger writes: I had someone write me privately concerned about my final statement, " "My suggestion is to just not expect them to know much or anything and take it from there." And so just let me clarify that this was meant to encourage an openness to children, to get away from blaming teachers for what their charges learned or didn't learn, know or don't know. Kids know tons, but my feeling is Tony and any author coming into a wide variety of schools cannot be certain of the specifics and be prepared to provide the background they need if necessary. If I were Tony I might begin by asking, "What can you tell me about Martin Luther King Jr?", "Rosa Parks?" (Just because these are the most likely familiar names to them as a starting point.) Their answers would help me to know where to go next. That is, maybe they'd give a sense they did know something of Jim Crow and then I might ask them about that. Or if they knew little, I'd fill in the necessary information to th en go on to talk more specifically about Lunch-Box Dream.
Monica
--- You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: sheilawelch_at_juno.com. To receive messages in digest format, send a message to... ccbc-net-request@lists.wisc.edu ...and include only this command in the body of the message: set ccbc-net digest To unsubscribe click here: =T &lМbc-net&o332023 (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) or send a blank email to CCBC-Net Archives The CCBC-Net archives are available to all CCBC-Net listserv members. The archives are organized by month and year. A list of discussion topics (including month/year) is available at To access the archives, go to: http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net and enter the following: username: ccbc-net password: Look4Posts ____________________________________________________________ 2550% Penny Stock Gains? Our last pick exploded 2550% - Join our newsletter for free picks! PennyStocksExpert.com ____________________________________________________________ Penny Stock Jumping 3000% Sign up to the #1 voted penny stock newsletter for free today! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Teaching Civil Rights From: Ellen Levine Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:40:37 -0400 X-Message-Number: 7 For my book "Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories" (HC 1993; pb 2000), I interviewed dozens of African American s who were young people during the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and were actively involved in movement activities -- Montgomery Bus Boycott, school integra tion efforts, actions and events in Birmingham, Mississippi Freedom Summer, Se lma. When I speak in schools, I tell these stories to elementary kids as well as at middle and HS programs. It's quite moving to see how the young one s "get it" -- they understand the injustice and cruelty of, e.g., bus segregation when it's explained graphically. I've also been invited to attend programs at schools where kids from different grades, paralleling the you ng people in the book, step into the shoes, as it were, of the movement kids , and read and speak their words. An incredibly moving experience for me. ellen www.ellenlevineauthor.com --- END OF DIGEST ---Received on Mon 01 Aug 2011 09:56:24 AM CDT
