Reading and Writing Resources for Educators: books

Students come to our class from many parts of the world, with different religions, life experiences, physical abilities, languages, ethnicities, perspectives, and cultures, to name a few.
As educators, we need to recognize that each of these differences makes our students unique. Not one student's story is the same as any other student in the classroom.

As educators, we need to recognize that the diversity existing in our schools requires us to ensure that everyone's stories are represented in our classroom and school libraries. We need to be aware of the needs of all of our students. Fortunately, there are thousands of resources available the provide diverse and rich literacy resources.

Having taught for over 17 years has given me the experience to know how important it is for every student to feel that their voice is being heard and represented in the classroom. The school board I teach in has embraced Pride Month for the past two years in wake of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Florida by having all schools fly the Pride flag for the entire month of June. This is just one way that schools can acknowledge the diversity that exists in our student population and their families.

Classrooms that have rich literacy resources that represent the environment, FNMI communities, and other culturally diverse stories provide our students with a voice and an opportunity to learn more about other students' experiences. This TED-Talk by Linda Sue Park explains the value that one book made, not only in one classroom but moreover, in many schools around the world. This story of a young Sudanese boy and his journey to freedom is one example of how books can make a difference for thousands of students while immersing those same students in the struggles that some of their own peers may have endured.

This past school year, I was covering a grade 4/5 class for a few weeks. My school board was honouring Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day recognizes the children of FNMI communities around Canada who were sent to residential schools to make them more 'English'. They were taken from their families, denied their native languages and traditions, and many experienced physical and sexual abuse. I read the book "Shin-chi's Canoe" by Nicola Campbell. The students in my class were so moved and outraged by what these children endured during their time at the residential schools and found it even more egregious when they learned that the last residential school in Canada only closed in 1996 in Saskatchewan. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools, and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

Books, like the ones I've discussed, are only a few of the thousands of books available for educators to have in their classrooms to promote an understanding of the diversity within our classrooms.