Past projects 1
First Year Teacher Building Diverse Library
Funded Jul 12, 2021Reading is an integral part of the curriculum used by my school district, but as a minority teacher of an incredibly diverse classroom, I knew I needed to find resources that reached as many of my children as possible. The books I chose for my list included African American, African, Native American, Hispanic, Indian, and Asian American Pacific Islander main characters. It included story lines about homeless or foster children, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and some of the books take place in different communities or countries that while far from home may be distant memories of my students this year, and for future years. In the first seven weeks of school, my classroom has completed two grade level texts, and completed numerous shorter whole class read-allude.
One of my favorite moments of the school year thus far, took place during a conversation with a student of mine who told me that she used to find a significant part of another culture to be, "weird" but that reading a story in which the main character viewed that as normal, had helped to normalize it for her as well. We took the time to chat about how, "cool" it is that reading could help to change people's attitudes about things she found normal too.
As the eighth week of school is beginning, my class has taken the time to reflect on all of the reading we've been doing, and it has been amazing to hear how excited all of the students are about what we will read next. Some students have expressed that reading these books makes it feel less like a chore to do readings, and while we do not have homework in my class, students often ask to take books home since they are so anticipatory for our next reading.
In an odd twist of fate, one of the books on my list, went through a significant controversy during banned book week. While this lack of understanding about education is incredibly disheartening, thanks to your contributions I can ensure my Asian American and Pacific Islander students will not have to deal with this specific instance meant to silence their voices. Your contribution has helped to amplify the voices of those who matter the most, and it is one step in creating a safer and more understanding future.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bates