Creative Teaching, 4 Summary and Analysis

Maori Transitional Readers

Sylvia compares her infant reading books to those established by educators. Although her children's infant readers include words and stories that represent sadness and even violence, they successfully form the basis for the children to move onto standard readers. She asks rhetorically if the experts who develop the standard American readers for six-year-old children really think that world peace will result from the depiction of a far-away peaceful society is included in a Maori primer. After a rest period where the children close their eyes for a short period, the children often share their dreams (or thoughts) with Sylvia. She often hears of horrific things going on in their lives, but feels certain that it is better out than in.

The difference of the content in the children's minds and that of the standard reading books...