Drawing from his work with disengaged adolescents in Chicago, Tatum saw the need for texts that were provocative and relevant, stories that spoke to the essential questions of students’ lives. He also insisted that his students write, not just to develop skills, but as a process of self-discovery and a means of empowerment across four intellectual platforms that enable students to think deeply about their own human development. As he says, “It’s not just about literacy. It’s about their lives” (2009, 2013). • Define Self: What are your passions, your values, and your goals? • Become Resilient: How do you stay strong when life puts obstacles in your way? • Engage with Others: How do you work with other people to make a difference? • Build Capacity: What can you do to make the world a better place? Closing Thoughts Phyllis Hunter (2012) writes, “Every child should find her or himself in the pages of a book.” As teachers work to bring in culturally responsive children’s and YA books that will appeal to their diverse classrooms, they would do well to ask the following of each book they are considering. Does this book: • Reflect the values, strengths, and ideals that a cultural group considers vital?
• Accurately represent the characters’ countries of origin? • Address complex issues with sensitivity and nuance? • Portray characters as problem-solvers? • Feature the diversity most typical in different regional areas?
By bringing the world into our classrooms and homes through culturally responsive literature, we open windows of understanding (Draper, 2014; Dybdah and Ongtooguk, 2014; Haddix, 2014; Parker, 2014). We have the power to know more through the books we read and through the stories we hear. And as educators, we also have the power to change what our students know. We can bring books to our students that will push them beyond their limits and out into understanding the world as it truly exists. We can give them access to more empathy and more understanding by giving them access to the kinds of books that accurately represent the diversity of the people with whom we share this world (Lifshitz, 2018).
31
DIVERSE LEARNERS
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs