While reading this article, my mind kept going back to the book bans and different laws that are going on around our country. I just keep asking myself, “How did we get here? Why do certain individuals get to decide what is acceptable to read and what is not?” One of my favorite authors had a few books that were banned in Texas, and she was not quiet about it. Jodi Picoult took to social media and called out the politicians on their decision. This made me wonder what are these politicians afraid of?
At the beginning of the school year, we had an all staff meeting from our superintendent advising us not to give surveys that ask about personal items such as, family dynamics, feelings, and so forth. This was due to a law passed in Iowa. While I do not know what the law exactly stated or forbid, I know it made the leaders of our school districts uneasy and put things into place that seems crazy to me. In my classroom, my students are my family and I want to know everything I can about them. This is how we get engagement and show them that we care. Why can’t I ask them how they are feeling and the makeup of their home lives?
I do think as a teacher, we can be scrutinized more for our responses and or personal beliefs. I know in 2020, I put a Black Lives Matter photo as my profile picture on facebook. My facebook is private, however, people can still see my profile pictures, and I am okay with that. I had heard from a coworker that there was a family that attends our school district that was appalled that I would have such a thing on my facebook, and that “she hoped I wasn’t teaching these things to my students.” I did some self reflection after hearing this and for a second, I thought about taking it down. But, here’s the thing… This is where it’s important to use my voice and not to be ashamed for standing up for people who need it. If that parent would have come to me to speak, I would have told them that I do think Black Lives Matter. I do think we need more training in the United States when it comes to unconscious bias. I do want to make sure every person feels safe in this school district and to know that we are all important.
That being said, it is hard to stand up to people that you care about such as your family members, coworkers, community members, etc. But, if no one ever does, how do we change racism, equity, and inclusion? Ezell and Daly states, “Multicultural texts create opportunities for students to feel visible, included, and valued, yet literacy educators are often challenged using these texts in ways that honor students' multiple identities and address the intersections of identity and (in)justice.” (2022, p. 35). We have to be a voice and we have to stand up for each other.
I think the 3 practices are great steps in starting to honor multiple identities. I really liked the examples of the identity web and I could see my past students enjoying this activity. If I were to go back into the classroom, there are many books that I have been exposed to over the course of my Master’s program that I would want to add to my library. I also think setting up discussion norms is so important, and through this class, we have all had an example of this.
Resources:
Ezell, S. & Daly, A. (2022). Honoring multiple identities using multicultural literature. Texas Association for Literacy Education Yearbook, 9.
I think the identity web is very neat. I know that in most classes we have social contracts. I can see adding the identity web underneath that social contract to remind us that we are all unique and special. That all voices matter, especially those who are being suppressed or not given a chance to be heard. I hate the banning of books because it suppresses someone's voice. Maybe they see something in themselves that they do not like. Instead of banning the books, lets look at what we can do to change ourselves or the society.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the banning of the books either. It seems very contradicting to freedom of speech. I can see there being books that are not a right fit depending on maturity, but people experience things at all different ages and who are we to say a book couldn't help someone going through a similar experience?
DeleteI think that is so sad that an adult would say something about your facebook profile stating about how Black lives matter. I would hope as an adult, we all learn that is fine to have a different voice as someone else and to not feel offended by it or to hope you are not teaching students and agreeing that black lives matter. This is where students start acting and judging other students is because of their parents and what they hear and say. This can make this challenging as a teacher. I know it can be difficult to stand up to others but hopefully we can teach our students to do it in a positive way and make a change.
ReplyDeleteI just wish she would have come to me to voice her opinion or questions instead of talking to other teachers about it. I had always had positive interactions with her, so it caught me off guard. That wasn't the only thing she didn't like, but one that stood out for this conversation. I would never push my own opinions on others, especially students, but I will push human decency and kindness to all.
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