Excited about Picturebooks!

      This week I thought I would share an assignment that I am really excited about! I am taking a picturebooks class, and for our final paper we are given a lot of liberty in how we explore a theme related to picturebooks. I decided to deeply explore the visual design elements and lesson plan possibilities of a picturebook that is very dear to my heart.

The Arrival, by Shaun Tan, exposes readers to the world of immigrants and the struggles they endure while navigating long journeys from oppressive homelands to the obstacles they face while adapting to a new life abroad. When exploring this story through the lens of picturebook theory, it becomes vividly apparent that Shaun Tan expertly utilizes various picturebook design elements to powerfully depict the profound fears and joys immigrants must face when leaving behind struggles and encountering new ones as they embark upon journeys to foreign lands. 

My final paper will explore how The Arrival can be used as a valuable teaching tool for my North Korean defector students. Last year, while teaching in Korea, I had the privilege to volunteer with students who risked everything to escape the oppressive regime of North Korea in search for a free life in South Korea. These students were an inspiration to me because they endured unfathomable terrors to escape their country, and despite this, are so resilient and happy. While teaching these students, I was amazed at their pure appreciation for being able to pursue knowledge, and because of this appreciation, the devotion with which they attended to their English studies.

When I left South Korea to begin my Master’s program, I left my students with a nagging feeling that I always wished I could have done more for them academically. I tried my best to create dynamic and engaging lessons, but I always felt that I fell short. They just did not seem to have the needed background knowledge to relate to the material and to see themselves reflected in the lessons. Because I am returning to South Korea to teach this summer, better attending to the needs of my North Korean students has been a topic that has weighed on my mind.

My picturebooks class came at the perfect time because it inspired me to incorporate The Arrival into my lessons with these students. I am so excited to use this book to help my students open up and engage in class. My students will be able to identify with the trials and tribulations present in this book, and it will help them open up and speak about the ways that they relate to the book.

My volunteer position with the North Korean defectors went much deeper than teaching them academic material. Volunteers were encouraged to provide these students with emotional support and friendship. Many of my students desired to talk to me about their experiences, and appreciated someone who would support them and listen to them about their struggles. Oftentimes it was difficult and daunting to share their experiences, especially because the topic was emotionally- charged and they had limited English proficiency. Using The Arrival will serve as a valuable tool because my students can use the wordless pictures to frame their own stories, and through this they can both improve their English, and most importantly, heal from the wounds of the past.