In the article, "A White Teacher’s Suggestions for Doing Right by Students of Color" by Justin Minkel in Education Week Teacher, it says: “Children of color need books to be mirrors as well as windows.” I believe this is true in all areas of instruction, not just in the literature we choose. Consider the power in your students seeing “images of themselves” in the posters hung on walls, graphics you share on PowerPoints, and in the video clips you choose to show. I believe this holds true not just for our Black and Brown students, but also for the children with disabilities (what about a poster of someone in a wheelchair or on crutches?) Let's also consider how powerful it would be if you found graphics that are inclusive for your LGBTQ students as well. A place to start to find some titles of novels is the Scholastic’s We Need Diverse Books catalog, but search other places too and see if you can get them purchased for your classroom. You could also download an image of book covers and print them in color to get yourself some inclusive “art from literature” for your classrooms. In the article, Minkel reminds us, "One mother reported that her children had this to say about the books they were reading in school: 'It’s always about slavery and racism. Once in a while, can’t we read about black kids just chillin’?'" https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/brian-smith/17-18/diverse-books-in-your-classroom/ We Need Diverse Books is also a great place to explore for titles and new ideas so your students can see themselves reflected in the pages they read. Take a look for yourself: diversebooks.org/ Check out some of these poster links for you to use in your Science and Math classrooms too! I've had these six posters ( www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14570 ) printed poster-sized at the DMPS print shop in color and I clicked 'laminate' while I was at it-- they turned out really great! On this same link, below each of these posters (which are all of women, and even some women of color) you'll find there is a short introduction to each of the featured scientists as well as recommended reading for both kids and adults. To download any of the posters, click the image or the "download poster" link. Easy peasy. I also received this resource from Sara Earleywine: https://www.beyondcurie.com/ When I clicked to see these it says: "Beyond Curie is a design project that highlights badass women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics". Badass women in STEM? Yes!! Get these on your wall, y'all! (These posters are really amazing, even if you're not teaching Math or Science, you should still click to see these!) Sara shared that you have to have ‘rights’ to these, however, you’re in luck because Hoyt has purchased these and she has a digital copy for anyone interested. Ta-da! There is SO MUCH MORE out there on the ol’ world wide web, just search and Google images. (Edit: Here's a new site I just discovered. BEAUTIFUL prints available to you: amplifier.org/ ) Are you on Pinterest? Beautiful inspiration on there as well. Download some images and print in color. Boom! You’re on your way to a culturally inclusive classroom on your four walls, your door, and even in the hands of students when they are reading in your classroom! *Scroll down to find the short article I mentioned, "A White Teacher’s Suggestions for Doing Right by Students of Color" A White Teacher’s Suggestions for Doing Right by Students of Color
In this article in Education Week Teacher, Arkansas teacher Justin Minkel notes an important “disconnect” in U.S. schools: 80 percent of K-12 teachers are white, while 51 percent of students are children of color. “White teachers like me have to love our students of color enough to learn how to teach them well,” says Minkel. His suggestions: • Small daily actions – “Our students of color are often starved for anything and anyone relevant to their identities and experiences,” he says. His first graders were enraptured when he showed a YouTube clip of the Hamilton cast performing at the White House. • Literature – “Children of color need books to be mirrors as well as windows,” says Minkel. There’s no shortage of material, starting with Scholastic’s We Need Diverse Books catalog. High-quality books and magazines need to be prominent in guided reading groups, read-alouds, and classroom libraries for independent reading. Texts about people of color shouldn’t shy away from issues of oppression, but there should be a balance. One mother reported that her children had this to say about the books they were reading in school: “It’s always about slavery and racism. Once in a while, can’t we read about black kids just chillin’?” • Guest speakers – There are all too many negative images of African Americans and Latinos in the media, says Minkel: “We have to provide our students a constant stream of writers, artists, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and other competent and caring men and women of color to counter that poisonous programming.” • Upstanding – “When you hear other white people – including fellow teachers – make racist comments, speak up,” says Minkel. “It’s OK if your face turns red, you blurt out something that doesn’t quite line up as a sentence, or it takes you 12 hours to come up with the line you wish you had said. The important thing is to make a little gash in that conversation so the comment does not go unnoticed or unchallenged. Part of white privilege is the ability to speak against racism without being quickly discounted by white people in power as people of color often are.” • Listening – “I continue to marvel at the patience, kindness, and generosity of spirit shown to me by African-American and Latino friends and colleagues,” says Minkel. “To learn from them, I have to remind myself to stop talking and instead listen deeply to their experiences, perspectives, and advice… We can’t be afraid to ask a question of a colleague of color for fear we’ll look foolish or clueless.” “How Can White Teachers Do Right by Students of Color?” by Justin Minkel in Education Week Teacher, August 15, 2018
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