Learn YA Lit with Me (Ch.16)

The one where Ms. Shattuck learns about "Ebony Elizabeth Thomas."

I'm taking a class on Young Adult literature this semester at SHSU and am required to blog about each chapter that I read, so I thought I'd create a series to share with my blog friends. Welcome to Chapter 16.

Summary:

In 2018, Penn GSE News interviewed Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, an associate professor of literacy, culture, and international education to discuss why children need more diverse books. My favorite line is the opening that says "What children read shapes what they think of themselves, of others, and of the world." It shows how impressionable they are, and the less they're exposed to the rest of the world, the less the understand about it.

Thomas goes on to talk about how diversity is marginalized, misrepresented, and sometimes even deleted from the text entirely. She talks about how all kids need stories about all kinds of people in order to experience the world, especially if they're meant to be contributing members of society.

Misrepresentation in fantasy literature, according to Thomas, traces all the way back to the fear of darkness in the European canon. Her Q&A includes discussing Racelessness, the "racing" of characters that are not human, and how this influences children's though process of race.

She goes on to explain what teachers can do to help children of color navigate their history, with all of its painful parts, and how parents can take part.

To read her interview in detail, please visit: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/ebony-elizabeth-thomas-diverse-books-children?sfns=mo

Reflection:

I agree with Thomas in ways that I often didn't think of as a caucasian teacher. I try to be as inclusive as possible, an advocate, but I know that I could do more. I really enjoyed her discussion about how by the time a student of color gets to middle school, they may not want to read about their own people anymore because of how painful the past can be--which made me think that it's REALLY important for me to show my students the other side, the forgotten or ignored aspects.