Rebecca-Fat+Kid+Rules+the+World

Artiles, A; McClafferty, K. (January, 1998) Learning to Teach Culturally Diverse Learners: Charting Change in Preservice Teachers' Thinking about Effective Teaching. //The Elementary School Journal Volume 98//(3), 189-220

This article talks about how they used two methods, a concept map and surveys to test the results of a multicutural course on preservice teachers. The course had 17 preservice teachers that were enrolled in the 5 week course. They gathered the data before and after the test to see how the cognitions of the students had changed. The ultimate results showed that teachers can use both concept maps and surveys to measure cognition in people about the course.

The article connects with this course because we have been talking about becoming more aware about different cultures and diverse people in this class. The study shows an educational study that was done to test these things. It relates back to the course in that way. The study showed how people reacted to different cultures and multicultural classes. We have been doing he same thing in class this semester.

This will impact my classroom because I will have to teach different cultures. The idea of surveys in a classroom is an interesting one. You can take a survey of what your students think of different cultures and make them more culturally aware of other people around them. The article may be older, but it is still relevant to us today in our classrooms.

Completed: 9/26

My book was Fat Kid Rules the World. It is about Troy, who is an overweight high school senior and Curt, a school drop-out who befriends him. They meet at the train station when Troy is thinking about killing himself by jumping in front of the train. Curt saves him, and says that Troy owes him lunch. They go and eat and talk, and Curt brings up the idea of a band. Troy is hesitant, but throughout the book he becomes more involved in it. Curt and Troy start an unlikely friendship that lasts throughout. When Curt is hospitalized, Troy's ex-military father tries his best to tear them apart. Their friendship stays true, and in the end Troy realizes that there is nothing wrong with him at all, and he doesn't have to change.

The group being shown here is the kids who are picked on because of size and weight, and also the kids like Curt who grow up, drop-out, and are seen as “failures.”
 * Group**

My perception after reading this book hasn't really changed all that much. I better understand the troubles of both Curt and Troy, but at the same time I'm a very accepting person of all cultures. While I better understand the troubles that both boys had to go through, I don't think that my perception about that specific group of people has changed.
 * Perception**

I understand that there are different kinds of people in this world, and that each culture deserves equal chances to do what they want. Troy feels oppressed because he can't like a punk rock band; he thinks that he shouldn't like them because of Dayle. He wants to show that he likes them but is afraid to do so. I also understand the culture that Curt comes from; his mother loved music and his father taught him guitar. He comes from a very musical family, and the area he lives in seems to have a culture all its own. He is seen by most to be homeless and addicted to substances. Students in our classrooms may very well have the same problems that Curt or Troy do and I am aware of that now.
 * Cultural Awareness**

The insight that I gained from this is that no matter what others think, just be you. In the end, Troy found out that being you is what really matters in life. It doesn't matter what others think, and it doesn't matter what they say about you. All that matters is that deep down you know the real you and you let the real you shine out. The most important thing in life is to never forget who you are, and never let anyone tell you that you have to be someone else because you're not pretty enough, or thin enough, or make enough money. Just be yourself and you will find that it is better than the person others tell you to be.
 * Insights:**

Sooner or later we will all have a student like Troy or Curt. We will have someone who is uncomfortable in their own skin, or someone who comes from a family that isn't the greatest. We as teachers need to know how to deal with that and how to talk to them about the problems in their everyday life. It is important that we realize that sometimes they just need someone to talk to, and as a teacher we can be a huge influence on kids. It is helpful to know where they come from, and this book shows us that. It is helpful and insightful to future teachers everywhere.
 * Relevance to teaching:**

I think that this book is the kind of book that should be used in the classroom only in the upper grades. The language and maturity of the book makes it the kind of book that should be read in high school. I would definitely use the book at a high school level. High school can be the best or worst years of someones life, and this book might help students realize that the ones they are making fun of and mocking may have a past they don't know about, or self esteem problems that are causing the student to contemplate suicide. It is a great teaching tool for high school students.
 * Use the book in the classroom:**

**Recommendation:** Because of the content, I recommend this book to high school students. It might help them see the hurt that they are causing others and the feelings that they are hurting. It is funny, informative, and deals with problems most associated with high school. I completely recommend this book for that age level.