Kids Need Diverse Books that Represent All Family Dynamics
Help me give my students books to enjoy that represent their own lives and the lives of children around the world: a variety of cultures, children of military families, children with incarcerated parents, varying family dynamics, and MORE!
Current enrollment at our elementary school is approximately 340 students in grades K-5. At times, enrollment has been as high as 350 students in recent school years. Approximately 10% of the students qualify for special education services, approximately 20% are English Learners (EL), and just under 50% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on household family incomes.
As I continue to promote kindness, empathy, equity, and respect in my Kindergarten classroom, I have discovered a need to include more diverse literature into student book boxes.
It is becoming critical that students see themselves represented in the books made available to them. It has occurred to me that I have a limited classroom library in this respect, and I owe it to my classroom of twenty-two kindergarten students to fill this void. It is my responsibility to provide them with a broader view of the world.
Last year, I was able to increase our number of classroom books that cater to specific kindergarten interests and favorites like animals, dinosaurs, Legos, community helpers, fairy tales, etc... Doing this created such a surge in the excitement for reading, that I want to keep this momentum going!
My Project
As I settled into my classroom rocking chair with over twenty eager and wide-eyed kindergarten students looking up at me, time and time again I began, “Once upon a time there lived a Dad, a Mom, two kids…”. Wait, wait, wait (queue the sound of record scratching)! Now, storytimes are my absolute favorite moments within an elementary school day. Read alouds grant us opportunities to experience a multitude of emotions as we learn about, and relate to, story characters taking part in a variety of adventures. However, as I looked around my classroom, I found myself questioning, how was Matthew going to relate to these stories, as he is being raised by a single mother as his father is incarcerated? What about Lillian who recently became part of a blended household? Natalie was adopted from China and Sam lives with his two dads. Will Charlie see himself represented in the literature as he is now growing up with his grandparents as his main caretakers?
The family structures of children are more diverse today than ever before.
This reflection really opened my eyes and it challenged my thinking about the inclusion of read alouds and literature highlighting all family designs in positive ways. I often remind myself that my students have only been on this Earth for five or six years, which naturally limits their background knowledge and increases my responsibility to provide equitable access to curriculum, along with a realistic portrayal of the community in which we live.
I seek to do this through the use of fun and engaging stories that integrate acceptance of various family structures and dynamics, weaved in seamlessly as part of entertaining stories for young children. Thank you for your consideration of this project!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Gulden and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
