Each year the market is flooded with prob-lematic books that publishers market to classroomteachers, but there are also gems worth reading. Atmy website, American Indians in Children’s Liter-ature (https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com)
What a great resource. Very helpful!
Another book that I love to use is Two Old Women
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Two_Old_Women/ZTwPAAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
A middle grade teacher doing a uniton lyrics in pop music might consider using EricGansworth’s (2013) If I Ever Get Out of Here. Itis tribally specific, set in the present day,
I would love to read this. I haven't heard about it before, but love the Beatles.
Assuch, Smith is writing from her personal knowl-edge of Muscogee families and communities as theycome together to help a child prepare and partici-pate in a ceremonial dance for the first time.
I think it is important to have a diverse representation of cultural voices. Furthermore, it is important that those voices are a direct and accurate representation of the culture.
The key ideas are to choose books thatare tribally specific (that name a specific tribalnation and accurately present that nation), writtenby Native writers, set in the present day, and rele-vant all year round, keeping Native peoples visiblethroughout the school year.
When selecting any book or literature regarding a specific culture, it is always a good idea to follow these suggestions.
While Native people share some of our ways pub-licly in the present day, there is a great deal that wecontinue to protect from outsiders.
The protection leads to preservation of their culture, language, and customs. This reminds me of other cultures in America that do the same in the name of preservation.
ouknow, like, what you [Phillip] be talkin’ ’bout. They think we don’t do any good,like we not smart. Like, we dangerous ’cause we Black or we criminals ’cause weBlack. Then put being male on top ah that. We get labeled ’cause ah who we are.”
It's not just damaging to a student or just a person, but the persistent regurgitation of this belief ensues a greater bridge to cross in order to develop a counternarrative that can be healing as well as a means towards equality.
the Black male college students in Harper’s (2009) composite coun-ternarrative challenge the assumption that Black males are not high academicachievers. Harper’s composite counternarrative, a response to the scholarly focuson Black male academic underachievement, is based on interviews with 143 Blackmale college students from across the United States. It highlights that althoughtheir “experiences are often overshadowed by the master narrative that amplifiesBlack male underachievement, disengagement, and attrition” (Harper, 2009, p.708), countless Black males who are academically successful also encounter racism
What is astounding to me, and "surprises" me every time, is that all these stereotypes or assumptions about races, ethnicities, citizen status, gender etc. are or can be easily debunked, yet persist. The furthering of counternarratives is vital in combating the perpetuation of these stereotypical ideologies.
two dominant,competing models of literacy—the autonomous and ideological. The autonomousmodel, which views literacy as a set of discrete skills, “disguises the cultural andideological assumptions that underpin it so that it can then be presented as thoughthey are neutral and universal and that literacy as such will have . . . benign effects”(Street, 2003, p. 77). On the other hand, the ideological model understands literacynot as neutral, but as “always embedded in socially constructed epistemologicalprinciples. It is about knowledge: the ways in which people address reading andwriting are themselves rooted in conceptions of knowledge, identity, and being”
Personal and individual perspectives frame the ways in which we view literacy, understand literacy, and the way we are able to communicate our own literacies.
public education and theneed to provide opportunities for people to actively participate in a democratic,multiracial, and multiethnic society. As DuBois (1902) reminds us, “Education mustkeep broad ideals before it, and never forget that it is dealing with Souls and notwith Dollars”
Providing opportunities is much more important than the pursuit of standardized student instruction.
airy tales wereselected because they represent a set of narrativesthat most young children are exposed to in earlyliterary interactions or through educational chil-dren’s programs. Together the model represents theinteractions between fairy tales, counternarratives,and oral storytelling from which Black girls andother culturally and linguistically diverse learnerscan extend or adapt the traditional narrative to bet-ter represent their experiences and cultural funds ofknowledge.
I currently teach a reading enrichment class for K and 1st graders. We only cover fairy tales, fables, folklore, and myths. This makes me think of readdressing my books and creating a more diversified look at the stories I use...though many books at this age group are cartoon characters and fictional settings.
reclaim literary spaces by retellingclassic stories from the perspective of nondominantgroups of learners.
This reminds me of the ideas of "white washing" history among so many other aspects of this ideology. Through retelling a classic story, through the lens or perspective of nondominant groups, adjusts the lens and experience for all cultures.
iteracy instruction should be re-sponsive to students’ identities (e.g., race, ethnicity,gender expression, age, appearance, ability, spiri-tual belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic sta-tus, and community environment) and languages/dialects as they affect students’ opportunities tolearn.
To speak honestly, it often is more difficult to "do" this. It often is a lot more work to cultivate a diverse library of literature or collection of works to use in a classroom, making the task undesirable to many educators. What is readily available, is the dominant culture tests that are relied on time after time, even thought they are inaccessible to many students.
In consideration of this fact, we assert thatBlack girls as an identity are upheld to stereotypicalconnotations of what it means to be Black, female,and a “Black girl” that manifests itself in intricateways. Literature has the power to oppose or upholdstereotypical depictions of Black girls and women.Thus, we propose authentic and affirmative narra-tives to (re)center Black girls’ voices as literacies ofresistance in English education.
We have to find ways, through literature, and other means, to empower and banish the current narrative and depictions of Black, and more specifically of Black females. Literature starts change.
Consequently,these forms of literary work are often not includedwithin English education or are seen within aWhite superiority framework, are misguided, orvoid the significance of race, racism, and sexismin literature. Exposure to these narratives is at theheart of educational equity. These literary works af-firm Black girls and expand the perspectives of allstudents.
Isn't it our responsibility as educators to address inequity and provide space for all students? Exposure and accessibility is the first step to moving toward a socially responsible classroom for all.
A lot of [my students]think people are obese because people can’t put down afork . . . [In this unit] we do research about things likegenetics . . . [to counter that notion].” In addition to theinformation about the availability of healthy food in theircommunities, this challenged the idea that obese and/oroverweight people are just lazy: they may be respondingto larger forces outside their control.
It's always interesting for a student to challenge their own thinking and questions the things that may be thought of as "absolute truths". Growth and understanding, empathy even, comes from these realizations.
Kara also provided her students with research andnews articles that discussed the national disparitybetween predominantly White and predominantly Blackneighborhoods
Though this acknowledgment may be traumatizing for some students to learn, it is often necessary to understand the dominant culture/language and know why disparities exist.
Thisassignment positioned students as experts with insiderknowledge about their local environment (Machado,Vaughan, Coppola, & Woodard, 2017)—knowledge thatoften differs from outside perspectives.
Through agency there is empowerment. Why shouldn't a person be considered an expert of their own community and space?
Explorations of urban literacy have attempted to extend“the focus on literacy from school-sponsored practicesand events . . . to situate and resituate literacy acrosspolitical and educative conditions and situations thatinvolve children, youth, and/or adults of color” (Kinloch,2011, p. 2)
Literacy theory approaches the political spectrum, but never quite encapsulates it fully. There exists a need for curriculum to reach beyond the walls of a classroom and for students to see their writing and voices have an impact.
For ourchildren, literacy determines their ability to engagethe world as citizens, as intellectuals, as workers, andhopefully as artists, filmmakers, and writers of thenext generation” (xi). Students’ determination led topolicy-changing and identity-affirming actions
The need or motivation for change can come from a variety of inspirations. The goal is to exactly this, to be able to engage in the world around us. It's incredible to be part of the growth of a student who will be working in the world one day as a productive member of some sort of profession, using the tools we were able to share with them.
They sought to tell a counternarrativeby applying the methodical five steps of criticalpraxis found in Freire’s critical pedagogy. As such,they cultivated a healthy relationship to power andbegan their project by working within their edu-cational system
The persistence and determination of these students comes from the empowerment they received through the project created. It's inspiring to see such willingness to want change and to be consistently passionate about a cause.
The students’ persistence in thequest for change was a long labor that sometimesappeared to wane, but was then amplified when theymet a supportive group of leaders within their SanJoaquin Valley area civic communities.
The greatest achievements come from overcoming a challenge and a realization that change can happen with a continued pursuit. It is always helpful to have a support system as well.
Freire’s concept of reading theword and the world together applied to the readingof a dominant, oppressive narrative along with theneed for a liberating counternarrative to tell moreabout young people experiencing the name of thetardy policy through their eyes and perceptions.
It's one thing to know learn about and be aware of the dominant narrative, but it is a whole other thing to address and engage with practices to evolve the counternarrative in your classroom.
Even the most well-intentioned educators avoid thistopic in their classrooms for fear of misspeaking, sounding racist, not havinganswers, or causing more harm than help. We acknowledge that engagingin this kind of work requires courage and confidence, but as educators, wemust understand that we will not always have the answers.
Even annotating this article makes me feel a bit vulnerable or weary to see responses.
Rather, our notion of healing refers to a process whereby teachers usecurriculum and instruction as a kind of “catharsis, a letting out of emotionsthat become painful or even dangerous if they remain internalized” (Mor-rell, 2008, p. 169).
Social Emotional Learning has been discussed across educational platforms for years. This type of learning can be helpful and therapeutic to staff and students. The goal is always to walk away with just a little more than you came in with. It reaches beyond the walls of the school and acknowledges that we are all human, we are all emotional beings, and we are can be the healers of our own problems or pains. It also helps us to realize that we are not alone in feeling, or struggling, or needing more.
Look how they [police officers] lined up.They ready to kill us!They ready to kill us!And guess what?I’ma die for what I stand for
Students of color already know and feel how they are perceived by the larger populace in which they live. It is unfair for a school or teacher to perpetuate these views and stereotypes. The damage has already been done, however, through the mass medias and these biases exist and we educators have the great task to reprogram or uninstall the doubts that many students of color already feel. Not to "save them" from it, but instead to neutralize the playing field so that they can be educated in a space that they feel a part of.
In 1992, hooks pointed out that weare socialized within a racist mass media that convince Black people thatBlack lives (and Black life) are not complex or worthy of sophisticated criticalanalysis and reflection. This systematic racist representation is evidenced byFox News commentators, who blamed gangs, schools, and the welfare systemfor the Baltimore uprisings (Giroux, 2015) instead of examining the systemicracist violence against Black people who—like activist Fannie Lou Hamer—are “sick and tired of being sick and tired” (Brooks & Houck, 2011, p. 62).
This mass media perspective and constant dialogue contributes to greater population forming a distorted and dangerous opinion of other races, ethnicities, genders, religions, and sexual orientations. The fear, anger, or other preconceived emotion felt by many does exist, that sense of fear or anger is real, but it was carefully concocted by the news outlets to sell the papers and gain listener/viewers. This long developed story exists because it is allowed to exist and thrive in society without question.
has provided a counterspace for Black perspectives insocial media; however, it alone cannot dismantle racial violence and counterthe damaging narratives that mainstream media outlets continue to writeabout Black youth and other people of color. Weagree with Morrell (2008) that it is critical foreducators to prepare all youth “to critique thesemaster media narratives [and provide youthwith] the skills to use new media technology astools in the struggle for social and educationaljustice” (p. 158).
It's important to me, as an educator, to give my students the tools they need to successfully develop their own opinions using reliable sources (and knowing the difference, reliable vs. non-reliable) in order to accurately articulate their voice and thoughts.
Our field—particularly our expertisewith modes of communication—is uniquely suited for sustaining ways tohelp each other navigate the risks while holding ourselves accountable totake up the work. To be clear, we cannot untangle trauma from the politicsour nation has witnessed
I truly believe that our field is much, much, much more than just academic education. A school should be and was, at one time, a place for the community and a place for everyone to learn and grow. Our daily interactions with students, teach much more than just an academic subject. Schools are the place where students develop into the adults they'll be, they grow here, make friends here, learn to socialize and communicate with the outside world. Our job is not as a teacher...but when needed, a parent, a social worker, a guidance counselor, therapist, we become whoever our students need us to be.
n classrooms, testimony to experienceis always present, whether explicitly invited or authorized, as the bodiesof teachers and students tell stories of connection, disconnection, care,dismissal, belonging, and exclusion. Thus, as literacy scholars have argued,classrooms should be spaces of intentional invitation and opportunity forstudents to testify to and engage with their experiences and histories (e.g.,Cruz, 2012; Johnson & Vasudevan, 2012; Saavedra, 2011)
Students should be able to express themselves fully and engage in protective and healing discourse without judgment, teachers need to create that environment for students and provide perspective for students to fully understand why they feel this way, how they can heal from these feelings, and know that the support of the teacher is always present.
SEL must addresswhat it means to cultivate belonging in a broken world. Far more expan-sive than developing students’ emotional skills, English educators and thechildren, youth, and families with whom they work must help remake andrepair the world.
All stallholders are responsible for practicing ways of interactions that will foster an environment that promotes safety and wellness, especially for the students.
English educators need support in addressing the emotional dimensions ofteaching and learning in punctual moments like these, but also in the dayto day of classroom routines and relationships. Students—like much of theAmerican public—have questions, uncertainties, and mistruths that circulatearound them constantly.
Educators need more than just support, we need tools and even more personnel to handle the trauma students face and the emotions that are brought into the classroom daily. What are we to do with students who are so unfocused on academics, who are scared, who are suffering or maybe expressing their emotions through anger or worse yet, aggression?
a deluge ofinequitable policies, words, and actions continue to shape the tensions, fears,and contours within which classrooms exist today
The fear was one of the biggest problems we faced in our large immigrant population that made up the school. We did have parents and students who admittedly are here illegally and the fear or threat of deportation was very apparent. I had students too terrified to come to school, thinking that attending the public school was too risky.
recognition that teach-ers are generally not prepared to address the intersections of healing, politics, and emotion inclassrooms.
The election, the pandemic, the cultural changes, and the current events of the city in which we live...all have an effect on the students and their performance in the classroom. I will admit that I was not prepared for a lot of what I encountered throughout the last few years.
“undergroundwriters. . . . When you see these studentswalking down the halls, you would neverknow that they were writers.
We as educators need to see and acknowledge the talents of our students, that are not tied to academic, rigorous tasks.
The main focus of WritingOur Lives is to celebrate “radical” youthliteracies and intentionally work to challengedominant narratives about who is and canbe a writer.
Shouldn't we be consistently revising our definition of who a writer is or can be? Do all writers have to adhere to a specific lexicon or language? Can't we rethink and redefine the definition of what a writer is?
T]he moreradical a person is, themore fully he or sheenters into reality so that,knowing it better, he orshe can transform it.
The "radical student" is normal. They ask questions and aren't afraid to interact with others in the world around them. They are learners who will frequently look for opportunities to learn through others and through experiences.
I knew that the commonlyheld view of Black children as nonwriters and nonreaderswho were disengaged from learning was false. Thiswas a dominant misconception, however, because ofthe power given to writing and other literacies that areschool sanctioned and assessed
Any preconceived notions regarding a certain gender, race, or ethnicity is damaging. Parents and community members have to move beyond conventional ways of teaching to widen the accessibility of a writing curriculum.
I gavevoice to my lived experiences and reimagined my lifethrough writing poetry and fiction. I also saw writingas a way to access greater opportunities. I was a skilledessayist, and my writing won many competitions andscholarships toward my higher education. Like many ofthe youth writers I meet, I, too, credit everything that Iam now to writing.
Writing is extremely personal and authors speak constantly about the inspiration coming from families, homes, and communities. It also is a gateway to academia and greater, more broad, academic opportunities that many students never thought possible.
Parents and communitymembers understood writing to be the timed writingtasks for standardized exams or the demonstration of theconventions of writing on school assignments, which isnot unusual given the national focus on standards andtesting and on preparing young people to be college-and career-ready.
Though there should be time and focus to prompt spontaneous writing, isn't there room for working toward academic writing conventions? Shouldn't there be room for learning writing for the purpose of being career and college bound? Wouldn't there have to be?
digital literacies, which is especially important giventhe ways that social issues are communicated in digitaland online spaces. Youth writers in the workshopsare encouraged to post their ideas and thoughts ascomments on websites featuring essays and news storiesabout current events. They create blog sites wherethey contribute articles raising awareness about socialinjustices and inequities and offering solutions to theproblems.
Digital literacy has become an increasingly important skill explicitly taught in my school. It should also be noted that digital literacy also involves the deciphering of reliable media, messages, and communications. We encourage seeking out the source before using digital information as "facts" or "truth"
It is paramount that youth writers learn aboutand witness the writing processes of everyday writers intheir lives and communities. We all write. Teachers havean opportunity to bridge community literacy practiceswith school expectations
In order to align school expectations with with literacy practices within a community, standards would also have to be addressed, the curriculum we use would have to change, and the writing practices we showcase would need to change from the top down.
When they wrote, they had spellingerrors and grammar issues, despite—or because of—theWarriner drills or my lack of knowledge about AfricanAmerican Vernacular English, but their logic andevidence spun circles around me.
The value of voice and authentic language is unmeasured. The importance of educators recognizing various vernaculars of languages used is undervalued. Slang and the use of phrases within dialects of a language have value and meaning, they should be recognized in academic settings as well.
When they wrote, they had spellingerrors and grammar issues, despite—or because of—theWarriner drills or my lack of knowledge about AfricanAmerican Vernacular English, but their logic andevidence spun circles around me.
The value of voice and authentic language is unmeasured. The importance of educators recognizing various vernaculars of languages used is undervalued. Slang and the use of phrases within dialects of a language have value and meaning, they should be recognized in academic settings as well.
When I stopped attending to test scores and startedlistening to the music of my students’ voices and seeingthem as “more than a score,” I increased my capacity toengage them. I knew what didn’t work, but I still didn’tknow what did work.
Less emphasis is needed on test scores and more importance should be given to the skills students already have and know. Their lives are rich with culture and experiences that is valuable and important.
he “disadvantaged”label that the newspaper had placedon my students didn’t recognize theireagerness to learn, their drive to beintellectuals, to know more about theworld.
At the heart of teacher, the focus is a delicate balance of inclusion, culture, and motivation. Academic pursuits follow after.
. But the worst part came laterwhen my photo appeared in the local paper stating thatI taught “disadvantaged” students. I prayed that noneof my students or colleagues would see the article.
All students want to learn, they are motivated, the label of "disadvantaged" does nothing to support their continued growth.
I increased my capacity toengage them. I knew what didn’t work, but I still didn’tknow what did work.
Engagement is the first hurdle and it's often the biggest one. Obviously, the next is finding what works.
I moved in the right direction when Istopped believing that I was the one who knew and theywere the ones who needed to know.
Learning from students and valuing their experiences and knowledge is imperative to creating the classroom you want to see.
try to make myliteracy work a sustained argument against inequalityand injustice.
I try to make myliteracy work a sustained argument against inequalityand injustice.
I like the use of the word 'sustain'. It's application fits nicely because the literacy skills need to be sustainable and obtainable. Writing and reading do not go away, being a proficient reader is imperative in a life of success.
Responsive teaching and community based readings make lesson smore meaningful and memorable. There seems to be a greater amount of engagement when this happens.
In order to teach studentseffectively, I have to raise the curtain on the myths thatcontrol the narrative of our community:
n order to teach studentseffectively, I have to raise the curtain on the myths thatcontrol the narrative of our community:
Who controls the narrative and who the major players are within writing a text is a huge portion of the control that is allowed to happen in "disadvantaged neighborhoods".
ut asteachers, we have more academic space than we inhabit.We can choose to push back against the disadvantagednarratives and mandates that continue to lurk in ourschools and society and instead build a curriculum thatputs students’ lives at the center and encourages them toresist a story line that distorts or maligns their right toblossom into the intellectuals and change-makers theyare so ready to become
We do have more power than we think and the fight for what is right and give student's a voice through their writing.