I’ve really appreciated all of our discussions in class regarding inclusion, as well as how to handle potential push back. I think it is so important to make sure that all of our students feel welcomed and supported in our classroom, and as English teachers we have the great privilege of being able to ensure that our students feel included and represented in the literature that they read. I loved Amber’s comment that when she’s teaching, she’s there for the child and not for the parent. That’s something I’ll try to keep in mind when designing curricula if I ever have the fear that I’ll encounter pushback from a parent. I think that by bringing texts into the classroom that are written by authors with diverse backgrounds and identities, we can show solidarity with and build confidence in our more marginalized students, while helping everyone in the classroom practice empathy.
I likŠµ this post, enjoyed this one appreciate
it for puttring up.
Jacqueline, your post about inclusion and having students feel welcomed in the classroom got me thinking about the “speak English only” rule we see in a lot of ELL classrooms. I wonder how we can foster a welcoming classroom environment while encouraging students to practice their English and make mistakes. Your suggestion to bring in texts by a variety of authors with diverse backgrounds and identities is a good way to create a welcoming classroom environment. Perhaps even dual or multi-language books may be useful for these classrooms as well!