As a new teacher in my school district, my classroom is far from complete. My class is full of diverse students, but unfortunately my classroom library doesn't match their diversity! We don't have books that represent students of color, LGBTQ families, bilingual students or students with disabilities. First graders are learning to read for the first time and I want my students to fall in love with reading. In order to nurture this enthusiasm they need to have books with characters they can relate to.
Children should be able to see themselves reflected in the books they read and should be able to see characters that look like them. Books with characters of different backgrounds help to normalize the lives of students from notoriously marginalized backgrounds and this, in turn, provides them with a source of pride and prevents readers from feeling forgotten or invisible. My students need books that mirror the
About my class
As a new teacher in my school district, my classroom is far from complete. My class is full of diverse students, but unfortunately my classroom library doesn't match their diversity! We don't have books that represent students of color, LGBTQ families, bilingual students or students with disabilities. First graders are learning to read for the first time and I want my students to fall in love with reading. In order to nurture this enthusiasm they need to have books with characters they can relate to.
Children should be able to see themselves reflected in the books they read and should be able to see characters that look like them. Books with characters of different backgrounds help to normalize the lives of students from notoriously marginalized backgrounds and this, in turn, provides them with a source of pride and prevents readers from feeling forgotten or invisible. My students need books that mirror the