Insider/Outsider Debate

After reading the articles pertaining to the inside/outsider debate, I find myself not siding strongly with either side. I can see the pros and cons of writing multicultural literature as both an insider and an outsider. Before taking this class, I thought that any literature written about a culture that was not mainstream would be considered multicultural literature. Quite obviously, my viewpoints have changed.

I think that an insider could very easily write an accurate story about their own culture because they have the ability to draw upon their personal experiences from their childhood, as well as their adult life. They don't have to do a lot of research because they are writing a story involving things that actually happened to them or people close to them. However, you also have to consider how accurate their story really is. Often when people tell childhood stories, they are exaggerated upon for dramatic effect. These writers could unknowingly be writing false information because their parents could have told them a story wrong, or they could have even remembered a story wrong. With that being said, maybe an outsider is more fit to write multicultural literature? No, because there are many things that can go wrong in researching a culture. You have to be extremely careful when researching because it is very easy to obtain false information without even knowing it. Also, even if careful and accurate research is collected, the writer still does not have that personal connection to the culture that an insider has.

After considering both sides of the debate, I think that anyone can write multicultural literature. An insider has to be careful that they are telling an accurate rendition of their story, while an outsider has to make sure that they collect accurate and ample research.

Hi, my name is Laura Slusher, and I am a senior. My major is Child Development with a concentration in language arts. I have always loved children, which is why I decided to become a teacher. I love young children, so I hope to teach kindergarten or first grade, but we'll see what happens. This past summer I worked at Childtime, which is a daycare, and I also babysat for a family that has a four year old and a two year old. I decided to take this class because I want to learn more about diverse literature than I previously learned in TE 348. I feel that it is extremely important for teachers to be educated about diverse literature in order to share what they know with the children they teach. I would like to know what the criteria is for quality diverse literature. I would also like to get ideas for books that will promote diversity in my own classroom library. I am excited about this class because I have always enjoyed reading, and I think the information I learn about diverse literaure will be beneficial to me.