Person First, Everything Else Can Wait

One of the things that we have been discussing in class this week while examining literature inclusive to people with disibilites is person first speech. I came upon this concept during my freshman year at MSU and it made complete sense to me and helped me to know proper terminology in more than adressing persons with disabilities. No human being wants to be identified as anyone but themselves. I want to be me first with all of the other information later. I am not the brunette teacher candidate, I am Maggie, i happen to be brunette and studying education, but it doesn't define me. In this same way no one should be a race, sex, or disability before who they are. It might be a part of how they define themselves or tehir world experience but it is not before ho they are. The language so often used that identifies a trait or a minority group before the person is offensive not only to that specific person but to all those who hear it. I am very glad to know that this issue is becoming prevalent today and its becoming compeltely required in our society to use person first language.

Nilda

I recently finished a novel titled Nilda by Nicholasa Mohr. The book tells the story of a young Puerto Rican American girl named Nilda, and her family through the years before and during WWII. She was born in New York and the Barrio where she lives is the setting for the novel. Even though this book is a work of historical fiction I think that it is a great diverse book because it helps teach about the roots of Nuyorican culture in New York that thrives still today. This book would be teachable at a middle school level and up. The content is mostly appropriate in middle school but it is long and there would need to be a discussion of slang and foul language that is occasionally used throughout the story by the characters. For this reason it might be easier depending on the students to approach in a high school classroom.

This novel sparks many questions about the experiences of immigrants and how they were treated in those times. It also weaves so many cultural practices into the story students will have a great opportunity to discuss similarities and differences between that culture and their own. I'd defiantly recommend this book to others interested in diversity and cultural histories.