Personal Philosophy

Why am I in this course? I am currently majoring in Special Education at Michigan State. This class fulfills one of the English courses which is required for my major. When I first signed up for this class I had very little background on multicultural literature. I enjoyed TE 348 last semester and since that was a prerequisite for this course I decided to take it. This course has been a challenge for me since I am only a sophomore. Most of the students in TE 448 are seniors and have more experiences they are able to bring to class discussion. However hearing everyone’s thoughts and experiences has helped me learn many new things about multicultural literature. Besides the little bit I was introduced to in TE 348, I never thought about many of the issues which have been presented in this course.

This course has opened my eyes to many different issues that are currently going on within today’s society. Before reading Heart of a Chief I was unaware of all the hurtful organizations towards Native Americans. I was also unaware of how Little House on the Prairie depicts Native Americans until reading the course pack. As a child, I used to love reading the books and watching the Television show. These are just a few examples of the many things I have learned this semester.

My personal philosophy is that multicultural literature is extremely important. Not only does the literature affect us within the school system but throughout life in general. I hope that the school district I teach in is aware of the importance of multicultural literature. Upon looking back on my youth, I did not read many multicultural books in elementary school. I hope to change this in my future classroom by providing an adequate variety of books. Although many books will be difficult to teach, I am excited to take on the challenge. Diverse Literature is important and vital to have within every classroom. I have already learned a vast amount of knowledge and ways to incorporate the literature into my future classroom and am excited to learn more as the semester progresses.