Hi there! I am so happy you are here!
My name is Christina Santala, some call me Coach Nina, Ms. Christina, or Ms. Santala. I am a student at Grand Canyon University where I am studying English for Secondary Education. I will graduate with my teaching credential and ready to teach high school English. I currently work for Title I, educating underserved communities. Also, I am a high school swim coach! I am so blessed to do the work I get to do, I feel inspired by the students that I learn from everyday.
I am very passionate about creating a loving an inclusive environment for all the students I work with. A big part of that is making sure my class and content resembles the many cultures that my students are a part of. The students that I serve are a blend of many different cultures, and that is exactly why the works they are reading should reflect this. Students need to see examples of themselves being championed, help up and expressed through literature. Which brings us to this blog, a celebration of multicultural and global literature.
Global literature refers to not only the blending of cultures, but the access to literature from across the globe. In twentieth century literature we begin to the see the blurring of national boundaries, people arising from diverse backgrounds and creating new facets and subsets of culture. With the internet, expansive publication, express world shipping and fast paced technology, we now more than ever have access to works of literature. The access, along with a blending of cultural identities highlights and amplifies the unineness and struggles that come along with trying to determine personal identity. Throughout this blog, you will see references to works from many different cultures including:
- Ancient Eastern
- Contemporary Eastern
- Native American
- African American
- Latin American
- Post-Holocaust Jewish
- Global (Blended Culture)
We are beginning to find it harder to identify with just one culture, as many of us come from families of different cultures, or moving to a new place and learning a new culture. Oftentimes, we may not find ourselves in a list, but the ability to recognize and understand that culture goes beyond tradition, allows us to tap into our personal identity. Many people and students struggle with the question “who am I?” and are expected to have transformative years where we overcome barriers to find ourselves. Cultural education is important for many reasons, multicultural literature includes themes of self identity by cultural identifiers and highlights the struggles many of us face.
There is a lot we can do to help our students prepare for the future, but one of the best things we can do is help them grow a strong sense of self. Through studying and analyzing global literature, students will be able to look inward, as well as be provided with appropriate examples of their struggles and their strengths. To not include literatures of many cultures, would be doing a disservice to you and your class. I hope this blog helps inspire you to find ways to include diverse literature in your class.
And again, I am so happy you are here!
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