DOCSLIB.ORG

“They're Trying to Trick Us!”: Making Sense of Anti-Oppressive Children's Literature in the Elementary School Classroom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
“They're Trying to Trick Us!”: Making Sense of Anti-Oppressive Children's Literature in the Elementary School Classroom Running head: ANTI-OPPRESSIVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE “They’re trying to trick us!”: Making sense of anti-oppressive children’s literature in the elementary school classroom Kate Paterson, B.A. Social Justice and Equity Studies Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University St. Catharines Ontario © 2015 ANTI-OPPRESSIVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ii Abstract This study examines how children make sense of “anti-oppressive” children’s literature in the classroom, specifically, books that integrate and promote positive portrayals of gender non-conformity and sexual diversity. Through a feminist poststructural lens, I conducted ethnographic observations and reading groups with twenty students in a grade one/two classroom to explore how children engage with these storybooks. I further explored how the use of these books in the classroom might help to mediate and negotiate existing gendered and heteronormative beliefs and practices within educational settings. The books used in this study challenge oppressive gender and sexuality regimes within mainstream children’s literature that have traditionally served to marginalize and silence gender non-conforming and LGBTQ individuals. Responses from participants in this study aid in questioning how dominant discourses of gender and sexuality are produced and reinforced, as well as where we may find opportunities for change and reform within the elementary school classroom. ANTI-OPPRESSIVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE iii Acknowledgments It goes without saying that I would not be where I am today without the unconditional love and support of my parents, John and Kathy Paterson. The past two years have been a whirlwind of change, (at times) sheer panic, and overwhelming achievement. Your genuine interest and shared passion in my research, willingness to listen, edit numerous papers, celebrate my successes, and comfort me in the toughest of times have not gone unacknowledged. I cannot thank you enough for your unwavering acceptance, encouragement, and faith in my dreams and aspirations. To my SJES family, thank you for welcoming me with open arms. From turning grad lab into our second home, to sushi lunches, movie nights, and coining a beloved new nickname, my time at Brock would simply not have been the same without you. I have had the privilege of working with and learning from three accomplished, inspiring, and supportive women. Nancy and Andrea, thank you for your continual encouragement and fresh perspectives throughout this process. Shauna, I am so grateful to have had you as my supervisor. Your full support from the very beginning of this journey, insightful edits, compassionate ear, and continual belief in my abilities is deeply appreciated. I also wish to acknowledge the administration, teachers, parents, and students of Mayfair Elementary School. Thank you for providing me every opportunity to make this research a success. Lastly, I gratefully acknowledge the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Master’s Scholarship for helping to fund my Master’s degree. ANTI-OPPRESSIVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE iv Table of Contents Title page ............................................................................................................................. i Abstract ............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ iv Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Background and context ................................................................................................. 1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 4 Personal significance ...................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1: Theoretical Framework ............................................................................... 8 Feminist poststructuralism ............................................................................................. 8 Language ......................................................................................................................... 9 Discourse ....................................................................................................................... 11 Subjectivity ................................................................................................................... 13 Agency .......................................................................................................................... 15 The gender order .......................................................................................................... 17 Compulsory heterosexuality ......................................................................................... 21 Disrupting dominant discourse through poststructuralism .......................................... 23 Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................ 26 Gender in mainstream children’s literature ................................................................... 29 Heteronormativity in mainstream children’s literature ................................................ 33 Children’s engagement with children’s literature ........................................................ 35 Anti-oppressive children’s literature: Content and uses in the classroom ................... 38 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................. 44 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 46 Recruitment ........................................................................................................... 46 Participants ............................................................................................................ 47 Ethics and consent ................................................................................................. 48 Anti-oppressive children’s books ......................................................................... 49 Selecting the books .................................................................................. 50 Content and use of the anti-oppressive books ........................................... 53 Ethnographic observations .................................................................................... 56 Reading groups ..................................................................................................... 57 Data analysis ........................................................................................................ 62 Positioning myself as volunteer and researcher in the classroom ......................... 65 Strengths and limitations ....................................................................................... 71 Chapter 4: Data Analysis .............................................................................................. 73 Ethnographic observations: Gender and heteronormativity in the classroom ..... 75 Conflicting discourses: Negotiating understandings of gender and sexuality ..... 78 Negotiating gender ................................................................................... 79 ANTI-OPPRESSIVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE v Negotiating sexuality ............................................................................... 90 “How would Molly feel?” Making sense of new discourses ............................. 101 The “right thing” to do ....................................................................... 102 Applying the books ............................................................................ 107 Disrupting discourse: The potential for change ................................................. 112 Chapter 5: Conclusion .................................................................................................. 118 References ..................................................................................................................... 125 Appendix A: Semi-structured reading group guide ................................................. 136 Appendix B: Teacher consent form ............................................................................ 137 Appendix C: Parental consent form ........................................................................... 138 ANTI-OPPRESSIVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 1 Introduction Background and context According to Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, three quarters of LGBTQ1 and ninety-five per cent of trans* students reported feeling unsafe at school (Taylor, Peter, Schachter, Paquin, Beldom, Gross, & McMinn, 2009). An additional seventy-five per cent of students reported hearing daily derogatory remarks directed at LGBTQ youth. Under the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign, many LGBTQ students are told to ‘stick it out’ until they can complete high school and enter the proverbial ‘real world’ where they may finally find solace and acceptance
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Family and Social Roles in Queer Children's Literature
    Portland State University PDXScholar Student Research Symposium Student Research Symposium 2013 May 8th, 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Family and Social Roles in Queer Children's Literature Nicolas Toscana Brouhard Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/studentsymposium Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Brouhard, Nicolas Toscana, "Family and Social Roles in Queer Children's Literature" (2013). Student Research Symposium. 9. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/studentsymposium/2013/Presentation/9 This Oral Presentation is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Research Symposium by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. Brouhard 1 Nicolas Toscana Brouhard Portland State University Department of Psychology 18 February 2013 Families and Social Roles in Queer Children’s Literature Queer literature has been around since antiquity, providing insight into the nature of homosexual relationships and their meaning. It is a broad field that both shapes and is shaped by the mainstream culture in which it exists. This research paper lies within the subgenre of queer children’s literature whose audience is much younger than for whom most of the broader genre’s stories are written. There is still much debate about what should be shared about homosexuality with people in this age range. Queer children’s literature is therefore, still radical in many parts of North America.
    [Show full text]
  • And Tango Makes Three Free Download
    AND TANGO MAKES THREE FREE DOWNLOAD Justin Richardson,Peter Parnell,Henry Cole,Neil Patrick Harris | 32 pages | 01 Aug 2015 | SIMON & SCHUSTER | 9781481449946 | English | United States And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Pretty amazing stuff. While many challenges were based on the claim that the topic of homosexuality in animals made the book inappropriate, a random focus group found many adults saying that there was nothing And Tango Makes Three inappropriate with Roy and Silo's relationship as it is portrayed in the book. I know what it's like to want a baby and not be able to have one. With sales boosted after each challenge, however, he's confident the book will continue to find an audience on its merits. I read this for banned book week It's just one of those feel good books that you just have to read. And Tango Makes Three and Silo took turns sitting on the egg, and one day it hatched. In The Night Kitchen. Heather Has Two Mommies. Their nest was nice, but it was a little empty. He was pleased when And Tango Makes Three gave to the couple the egg to hatch. At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. The Great Gilly Hopkins. For example, one rock is different from another identical-looking rock even though they share their physical characteristics. Shelves: childrento-9r.
    [Show full text]
  • And Tango Makes Three
    Perceptions of Self and the "Other": An Analysis of Challenges to And Tango Makes Three Marta L. Magnuson, doctoral candidate, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Understanding what motivates people to challenge books and how community members react to these challenges can help librarians find better ways to work with challengers to come to equitable solutions. This study focused on the motives behind challenges to the acclaimed children’s book And Tango Makes Three and the reasoning given by those who opposed these challenges. Qualitative content analysis was done on newspaper and library journal articles that discussed challenges to the book. Analysis revealed five major themes: third-person effect, parental rights, scarcity, First Amendment rights, and diversity. Introduction The purpose of this study was to better understand the motives for and arguments against book challenges. Between 2001 and 2010 the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) recorded 4,659 book challenges (ALA 2011a). A great many of these challenges occur at schools and libraries. By studying the discourse of a community during book challenges, librarians can better understand what motivates people to challenge books and find effective ways to work with challengers to achieve acceptable solutions. This study focused on the motives behind challenges to the acclaimed children’s book And Tango Makes Three and the reasoning given by those in the community who opposed these challenges. Literature Review Because motives for censorship have been studied across disciplines, censorship attitudes have been defined and researched in various ways. Past studies have viewed censorship attitudes from both an individual level as well as part of the larger construct of political tolerance (Lambe 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • And Tango Makes Three Tops ALA's 2006 List of Most- Challenged Books
    ISSN 0028-9485 July 2007 Vol. LVI No. 4 www.ala.org/nif Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award‑winning And Tango Makes Three, about two male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed‑sex penguin couple, tops the list of most‑challenged books in 2006 due to the issues of homosexuality. The list also features two books by Nobel Prize‑winning author Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye and Beloved are on the list due to sexual content and offensive language. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) received a total of 546 challenges last And Tango year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Public librar‑ Makes Three ies, schools, and school libraries report the majority of challenges to OIF. “The number of challenges reflects only incidents reported,” said Judith F. Krug, tops ALA’s 2006 director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. “For each reported challenge, four or five likely remain unreported.” list of most- The “10 Most Challenged Books of 2006” reflect a range of themes, and consist of challenged the following titles: ● And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, books anti‑family, and unsuited to age group; ● Gossip Girls series by Cecily Von Ziegesar, for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language; ● Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, for sexual content and offensive language; ● The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler, for sexual content, anti‑family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group; (continued on page 172) Published by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, Kenton L.
    [Show full text]
  • Open Klutch Maeve Letsnottalkaboutsex.Pdf
    THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LET’S (NOT) TALK ABOUT SEX, BABY: AN ANALYSIS OF QUEER TOPICS AND CONTESTATIONS IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE MAEVE KLUTCH SPRING 2013 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree in English with honors in English Reviewed and approved* by the following: Christopher Castiglia Liberal Arts Research Professor of English Thesis Supervisor Lisa Sternlieb Associate Professor of English Honors Adviser * Signatures are on file in the Schreyer Honors College. i ABSTRACT Arguably one of the queerest genres of literature today, children’s literature (both of the modern and traditional variety) explores many themes that are often deemed inappropriate for children by heteronormative standards: sex, sexuality, and gender bending. This paper will examine the specific genre of queer children’s literature and its dualistic reception in American society today. Highlighting three influential and controversial queer children’s texts— My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis, And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and King & King by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland— this paper will compare and contrast traditional notions of childhood and modern cultural practices. Through the examination of queer children’s texts and adult reactions to children’s narratives that go outside of normative social values, this paper will investigate the contradictions between queer children’s literature and the heteronormative theme of “protecting
    [Show full text]
  • {Dоwnlоаd/Rеаd PDF Bооk} and Tango Makes Three Ebook, Epub
    AND TANGO MAKES THREE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Justin Richardson,Peter Parnell,Henry Cole | 32 pages | 07 Jul 2007 | Simon & Schuster Ltd | 9781847381484 | English | London, United Kingdom And Tango Makes Three PDF Book As long as the children are loved, who really cares if their parents are gay, straight or transgendered? National Council of Teachers of English. Educational Value. Does a family require that its members be biologically related? All of the couples have one female penguin and one male penguin except for Roy and Silo, two male penguins who have fallen in love. The other one that seemed pretty obvious, the zookeeper notices their behavior and says, "They must be in love! Product Details About the Author. In some cases, zoos exist to help preserve and rejuvenate endangered species. Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. Peter Parnell Justin Richardson. Roy and Silo had no egg to sit on and keep warm. Two male penguins are in love, sit on a nest, and take care of a baby penguin. Roy and Silo took turns sitting on the egg, and one day it hatched. It was just great all around. Retrieved 27 August An example of an marketing cookie: uuid Unclassified Cookies These are cookies that have not yet been categorized. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own. They found a rock and tried to hatch it, mimicking the other penguins by taking turns to sit on it to keep it warm. Silo ended up with a female partner, and Roy began living with a group of single male penguins.
    [Show full text]
  • Same-Sex Couples in Children's Picture Books in French and in English
    Document generated on 09/26/2021 3:43 a.m. Meta Journal des traducteurs Translators’ Journal Same-sex Couples in Children’s Picture Books in French and in English: Censorship Somewhere Over the Rainbow? Julie Tarif Volume 63, Number 2, August 2018 Article abstract This paper focuses on children’s picture books featuring same-sex couples in URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1055145ar Anglophone and Francophone cultures, and more particularly in France and in DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1055145ar the United States, with a particular interest in the censorship of these works. Censoring a book is common in the United States. This essay is a reflexion on See table of contents the publication and reception of Francophone picture books on the topic – originals and translations. In this perspective, it also considers the question of the circulation of these books between the two cultures, as well as towards the Publisher(s) two cultures respectively, Francophone picture books tending to be bolder in content than their Anglophone counterparts. Some references used to explain Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal reception are gathered thanks to primary sources, in particular personal communications; others come from secondary sources, such as academic ISSN publications, blogs, and newspaper articles. This paper also explores the different forms of censorship, including the translation of a work from another 0026-0452 (print) culture or the alterations to the illustrations of an original work in an 1492-1421 (digital) adaptation. The contrastive approach adopted reveals that, despite the growing number of picture books featuring same-sex couples, censorship is not only an Explore this journal American reality but a French reality as well.
    [Show full text]
  • "Other": an Analysis of Challenges to and Tango Makes Three
    Volume 14, 2011 Approved March 2011 ISSN: 2165-1019 www.ala.org/aasl/slr Perceptions of Self and the "Other": An Analysis of Challenges to And Tango Makes Three Marta L. Magnuson, doctoral candidate, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Abstract Understanding what motivates people to challenge books and how community members react to these challenges can help librarians find better ways to work with challengers to come to equitable solutions. This study focused on the motives behind challenges to the acclaimed children’s book And Tango Makes Three and the reasoning given by those who opposed these challenges. Qualitative content analysis was done on newspaper and library journal articles that discussed challenges to the book. Analysis revealed five major themes: third-person effect, parental rights, scarcity, First Amendment rights, and diversity. Introduction The purpose of this study was to better understand the motives for and arguments against book challenges. Between 2001 and 2010 the American Library Association‘s (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) recorded 4,659 book challenges (ALA 2011a). A great many of these challenges occur at schools and libraries. By studying the discourse of a community during book challenges, librarians can better understand what motivates people to challenge books and find effective ways to work with challengers to achieve acceptable solutions. This study focused on the motives behind challenges to the acclaimed children‘s book And Tango Makes Three and the reasoning given by those in the community who opposed these challenges. Literature Review Because motives for censorship have been studied across disciplines, censorship attitudes have been defined and researched in various ways.
    [Show full text]