Books unlock a world we may not otherwise be privy to and bring to life characters we can identify with. But what happens when most of the books in your classroom are full of characters who do not look like you? Unfortunately, this is a reality for my students.
I have seen my students' faces light up as we read stories full of pictures of little brown girls and boys who look like them. I have also seen their disappointment when I share, I had to return the book to the library. I have seen them argue over the few books we have with characters of color during independent reading time and it saddens me that this is all that I have been able to offer.
With your help, every student in my class will have multiple books to choose from with characters of color. They will read stories that remind them of home, stories that honor the shoulders they stand on, stories of far away places, stories that encourage them to dream, stories that celebrate their color, and stories that show them children of color are characters too!
Although most of my students struggle to read on grade level, they love to read, especially when the characters look like them. And the more they read, the better they will get. Many of my students come from homes where books are scarce, and the few they may have are full of characters that do not look like them. In our world, it is important that children of color are reminded often of their excellence and capabilities and beauty. This can be achieved through books with characters of color.
About my class
Books unlock a world we may not otherwise be privy to and bring to life characters we can identify with. But what happens when most of the books in your classroom are full of characters who do not look like you? Unfortunately, this is a reality for my students.
I have seen my students' faces light up as we read stories full of pictures of little brown girls and boys who look like them. I have also seen their disappointment when I share, I had to return the book to the library. I have seen them argue over the few books we have with characters of color during independent reading time and it saddens me that this is all that I have been able to offer.
With your help, every student in my class will have multiple books to choose from with characters of color. They will read stories that remind them of home, stories that honor the shoulders they stand on, stories of far away places, stories that encourage them to dream, stories that celebrate their color, and stories that show them children of color are characters too!
Although most of my students struggle to read on grade level, they love to read, especially when the characters look like them. And the more they read, the better they will get. Many of my students come from homes where books are scarce, and the few they may have are full of characters that do not look like them. In our world, it is important that children of color are reminded often of their excellence and capabilities and beauty. This can be achieved through books with characters of color.
Read more