introductory post

I am really interested in taking this course. I can't wait to read some of these books that we are going to be reading throughout the sememster. When I was in school I never really had the oppertunity to read about some of these "controversial "topics. I think it will be a good experience and I will be able to expose children in my classroom to these great books when I begin teaching.

Insider/outsider Debate

I think that books written by insiders don’t necessarily show a accurate a representation of a particular culture. Even though someone might be an “insider” it doesn’t mean that they know all the facts and know how to successfully represent thier group accuratly. Everyone is biased in some way shape or form even if they think they aren’t. This can cloud someone’s depiction of a certain group including their own group they are writing about. If an outsider has the knowledge and a more unbiased view of people than an insider, the written work they produce could be just as informative or even more informative and accurate than a story that was written by an insider. As a teacher how do we figure out how to distinguish between which books are a fair representation of a specific culture if we know nothing about that culture?