by Gina Crosby-Quinatoa, Julia López-Robertson, and Melissa Summer Wells, University of South Carolina
On March 2, 2000, he goes to his grandmother Agueda’s house. He stands on the same porch that his mother disappeared from eleven years before. He hugs Maria Isabel and Aunt Rosa Amalia. Then he steps off.
(p. 50)
This week we introduce you to Enrique Continue reading
by Julia López-Robertson, Gina Crosby-Quinatoa and Melissa Summer Wells, University of South Carolina
This month we invite you to join us as we discuss two YA novels we read as a part of a course on Reader Response theories this past spring; we will be discussing Enrique’s Journey (The Young Adult Adaptation): The True Story of a Boy Determined to Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Enrique’s Journey is the true story of a young teenager’s, Enrique, perilous voyage from his home in Honduras to find his mother in the United States. Continue reading
by Deborah Dimmett, University of Arizona
As teachers, one of the tasks delegated to us is selecting texts for students to read. But, in choosing a text, we need to ask ourselves what it is we want the text to do for us. And, how will students be supported when they identify conflicting discourses—particularly those that conflict with the teacher’s original intentions? Continue reading
by Deborah Dimmett, University of Arizona
Haitian families struggle to send their children to school. Although there is no tuition for attending national schools, parents who earn $1 or less a day still have to find the means to purchase textbooks, supplies, uniforms, and pay the registration fees of $20 to $30 per year if their children are to attend school. Many families make the initial investment in their children’s education through Grade 3. However, the cost of schooling increases after 3rd grade. In fact, it is not unusual for schools to send students home who come without textbooks. Continue reading
by Deborah Dimmett, University of Arizona
While in Haiti this summer, I found myself entrenched in a debate with a Haitian friend about the existence of mermaids. He wasn’t sure about zombis or lougarous, the previous evening’s discussion after being stranded at an active cemetery, but he was totally convinced about mermaids. Continue reading
by Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Language binds the past to the present. With the advent of high-tech, wireless devices that is even more evident as people interact in new and unique ways reflecting rapid evolution in language. New words are born every day while other words slip into obscurity. In many ways, everyday language becomes a “fashion” as it mirrors social changes, trends, and contemporary issues. Historically linked language became really evident to me some weeks ago when I was watching a Korean reality show. An actor in his late 40’s used the word “Soviet” in place of Russia. When hearing this, other participants teased him as a veteran of the Ice Age. Continue reading
by Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
“Russian children’s literature and culture are obscure subjects in the West. When they come up in a conversation, even the most Russia-savvy students shrug their shoulders and produce a genuinely puzzled look on their faces “ (Balina & Rudova, 2008, p.xv,)
Earlier I looked at two books, Breaking Stalin’s Nose and Arcady’s Goal, set in repressive Stalinist Russia. I then introduced The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia, an informational text describing the establishment of the Soviet Union. In doing so I developed a real curiosity about the development of children’s literature written in Russia. Continue reading
by Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
In the story Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine (Whelan, 2014), the queen loves to swim. Her swimming is not without a dilemma: how does a queen swim and still maintain “propriety?” The more she thinks that she shouldn’t swim, the more she wants to swim. In the end, her husband solves the problem. Sharing this not so public side of Queen Victoria is what makes this a truly delightful book. In the illustrations, the queen isn’t depicted with glamorous looks or in elegant dress, despite the fact that she was one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe. Instead, she looks like any ordinary middle aged woman Continue reading
by Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
“President Putin.”
“The Cold War.”
“James Bond, 007!”
“Gymnastics.”
These are response from my students when asked what they know about Russia. Their knowledge about Russia is based on recent events with typical historical Hollywood representations: Continue reading
by Yoo Kyung Sung, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
December has always been my month to contribute to WOW Currents. In many ways, it has become a special month for me since it is at the end of the year and offers me, like everyone else, an opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months. As we mentally “write our stories” at years end, our reflections often lead us to revise what some of these recurring and evolving “stories” might look like in the next year. We share and connect through these stories. They are an important medium that enriches the many facets of our lives.
As I surveyed new historically based titles, some of those “old” histories have taken on a new patina. Continue reading