Diversity in Children’s Literature

Clyde RiceLenwood Thompson, III

RE 5140 Spring 2010

Topic Connection

• Age 5: entered school; knew he was different, but not how.• Age 12: knew he was gay, but had told no one.• Age 18: graduated from high school having never heard any

positive information regarding gays. Had heard teachers say various historical figures were “light in the loafers,” “you know,” etc. Someone had written in a bathroom stall that this child was a fag. He’d still told no one & wouldn’t tell for at least 12 more years.

This child was born in 1970 . . .

According to GLSEN . . .• Approximately 5% of U.S. high school kids identify as

lesbian/gay (roughly ¾ million students). • Many self-identify & “come out” by age 16. Are in high school.• 10.5% of gay/lesbian kids saw LGBT people positively

portrayed in class.• 86.2% reported verbal harassment at school for being gay;

22.1% reported being physically assaulted.• 60.8% of those harassed/assaulted at school did not report it

to school staff because they didn’t think anything would be done.

• An estimated 7 million LGBT parents with school-age kids in the U.S. A fifth of surveyed students reported hearing negative comments about their parents; a third heard these from school staff. 23% of students with an LGBT parent had heard negative comments from other parents.

What does research say?• Most research deals with pre-service

teachers, not current ones. They have typically not given a lot of thought to addressing this type of diversity.

• Teacher educators aren’t generally comfortable, either.

• Parental complaints have caused many such books to be challenged or even banned in various school districts & libraries across the U.S.

• Self-censorship prevents many people from being exposed to this literature. Take the path of least resistance.

Classroom Activity Parent surveyParents were asked if they would give their child permission to hear booksrelated to families that contain gay/lesbian parents.

Teacher Survey Teachers were asked about their attitudes regarding using children’s literature with gay/lesbian characters.

My Action Research Re: Teachers

• Survey on attitudes regarding using children’s literature with gay/lesbian characters.

• Thought upper elementary (grades 3 – 5) would be more comfortable with the topic, as would younger teachers.

• Received 20 responses: 10 primary, 10 upper.• Primary teachers were evenly split when asked if they’d

ever had a gay/lesbian parent in their room. None said they’d had a gay/lesbian child.

• 70% of primary teachers felt either slightly or highly uncomfortable with the topic. 2 of the 3 who were comfortable with the topic had taught less than 10 years.

Action Research (Continued)

• What affected primary teachers’ level of comfort? Parental comments, answering kids’ questions, and religious beliefs.

• 7 upper elementary teachers had had a gay/lesbian parent.• 1 had had a gay/lesbian student.• 60% said they would feel either comfortable or very

comfortable using such literature. Of that 60%, 4 of the 6 had taught 16 or more years.

• What affected their level of comfort? Knowledge of the subject, parental comments, and having an LGBT family member.

• None of the teachers, primary or upper elementary, had ever shared literature containing gay/lesbian characters with their students.

Classroom Activity• Did a picture walk of And Tango Makes Three.• Kids thought it was about a mom, a dad, and a baby

penguin.• While reading, some kids’ comments were:

-“Only the girl penguins can lay eggs. That’s why the boys don’t have one.”

-“They are taking turns sitting on the egg.”-“Yay!” (said when Tango hatched)

• Was our guess right? “No, it’s 2 daddies, not a mom & a dad.”

• Extension: a nest in dramatic play. What would happen?

Gender “Boys Will Be Boys”

How do male students view reading?

What elements affect males students choice

of books?

How are male characters socialized in the books we

use?

What does research say?

• Boys use literature to help form their social identity (masculinity).

• Children’s literature introduces children to varying male archetypes. (Healer,

king, lover, magician, patriarch, prophet, warrior, and wild man)

• Boys need to be engaged in discussion about the things they read.

• Children’s literature from the 1900 to 1984 mainly featured male characters

as the central or main character.

Classroom BackgroundStudent Interest Inventory•10 males students were asked 4 questions about their reading preferences and behavior.•Results were compiled into graph form and used to reform instructional practices.

1. How much time do you spend outside of class reading independently?

a) 45 minutes to one hourb) 1-2 hoursc) 2-3 hoursd) 45 minutes or less

2. Which genre of books do you prefer reading?

a) Fantasyb) Realistic fictionc) Mysteryd) Historical fiction e) Autobiography

3. Where do you prefer to read?a) At a desk or tableb) Outside, under a treec) Reading in VIP area in classd) In a chair near a window

4. After you finish reading a book, which do you do first?

a) Talk to a friend about the book you readb) Talk to a parent or guardian about the

book you readc) Write in a journal about the book you readd) Find a new book to read

Student Interest Survey

1. Five out of the ten students spend 45 minutes or less outside of class reading.2. The majority of the students preferred reading books that are realistic fiction or

mystery.3. Six of the ten students preferred reading books in the VIP area of the class.4. Overwhelming majority of the students engaged another student in conversation

after they finished reading a book.

Teacher Survey • Eight upper grade teachers (grades 3-5) were asked four questions concerning their

reading practice and the level engagement of male students during that time.

How would you describe your instructional style

during reading instruction?

A)Lecture B) Paideia

What measure of assessment do you use to gauge students’

mastery of reading objectives?A)Multiple choice test

B)Essay C)Conversation partnerD)Combination of A-C

How do you determine what books your children will

read?A)Quarterly plansB)Student surveys

C)Recommended textD)Student free choice

On a scale from 1 t 10, 10 being most engaged. How

engaged are your male students during reading?

Teacher Survey Results

1. All eight teachers described their teacher practice as lecture style.2. All eight teachers assessed their students through multiple choice

test.3. Majority of teachers follow a predetermined plan for instruction.4. Majority of teachers observed less than five male students engaged

during reading instruction.

Classroom Activity • Using a familiar text, I read the story Wilfrid Gordon McDonald

Partridge. • The central character is a boy named Wilfrid Gordon McDonald

Partridge and he represents the “lover” male archetype. His compassion and sensitivity towards others is displayed in his empathy for Miss Nancy.

• After I read the story I organized my students in pairs. In pairs, students discussed a series of questions.

• Following paired discussion we discussed the book whole group. • Lastly, students wrote in their reading response journals. Students

were to make a text to self connection, text to text, and text to world connection.

Paired Student Questionnaire

1.What did you like most about the text?2.Does the main character remind you of

someone you know?3.What characteristics do you think make

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partidge unique?

4.Would you recommend this book to someone else to read? Why or why not?

Final Thought• “I wrote Joe to lead the way into a new way of seeing and thinking. But

most important, I wrote Joe for myself and the boy I was who had no literature, no language, and no role models……I wrote it for their

families and I wrote it for the grown-up Joes who teach our kids and, like our kids, need to feel it’s okay to be open about who you are-to be open because you don’t have to live in fear because you like yourself.”

-James Howe

• When I look back, I am so impressed againwith the life-giving power of literature. 

If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of

myself in the world, I would do that again by reading,

just as I did when I was young.~ Maya Angelou ~