Black-History-Month-in-the-Classroom

I have never really stopped to give much thought to celebrating Black history month in my classroom. It just wasn't something I had really done much before. One of my schools required that we do something and so, out of obligation, I did. However, my views on that are changing.

Last year, I read a book that featured a strong African American girl as the main character. It was a work of fiction. I cannot for the life of me remember the title of that book, but what stands out to me is the reaction of one little girl in my class. She was hanging on EVERY SINGLE WORD. She was memorized. She had found herself in the story. 

My family also took a vacation that allowed us to spend one day in the heart of Montgomery, Alabama, most known for it's place in the civil rights movement. This was home to Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and George Washington Carver also lived nearby. Being the teacher that I am, I brought along some books so that my own children could learn about these people on our road trip. By the time we got there, they had some idea what they stood for and what they had done for their people and really all of us. 

While spending the day in Montgomery, we took a tour of the place where Martin Luther King Jr. lived and even met some of the people who knew him personally. We visited with his neighbor, who was also the babysitter of his children and purchased her book about her experience. This is REAL history. My children were engrossed in history and loving every minute. A spark ignited in my daughter and when someone asks her what her favorite subject is, she will answer with two subjects, one of which is social studies. 

 We stood in the very place where Rosa Parks refused to leave her seat on the bus that day long ago. We walked the street in front of MLK Jr's house where a famous picture was taken of him marching for equal rights, surrounded by many others. We touched the spot on his front porch where a bomb was planted to kill him. It left a permanent mark that has never been fixed. We went to the church where he was a minister. We relived...history that day, imagining in our minds what it all must have been like. 

Thinking back over the experiences I had on that trip and the reaction of one little girl in my class you finally found herself in one of my stories, I realize that I do need to do more. I need to bring stories that can help this group of students identify themselves and the history of their race in America. It just can't be about the main founding fathers that we talk about every year, we need to allow time for other people that were pivotal in our history too. 

You can see some of the other ways I have brought the African American history to life in my classroom. You can see those here, here, and here. 

This year, I will be honoring some of the people who worked to give equal rights to all people. A few years ago, I created a pack of booklets to help my students study famous Americans. I have recently updated some of the booklets to include a printable story that can be used as the research guild for these booklets. I found several books into one set especially for Black History Month. You can find that here. The great thing about these is that they can be used with your students in a whole class activity, as partner work, in centers, or individually.   

Representation Matters

In the middle of the protests that our nation is facing, it is giving me time to think about how important representation is. I want to share two personal stories with you.

A couple of years ago, I got my hands on a book that I wanted to bring into by classroom. I consciously had a couple of my little girls in mind. As I pulled out the book and began to read it, I noticed that one of my babies sat a little taller, leaned forward a little more, and listened with rapt attention. She was literally hanging on every line. When one of the other students quietly said something to a neighbor, this little girl shushed him right away so she wouldn't miss a thing. It was important. This book mattered to her. It mattered because she found herself between the covers. She saw in that book a mirror into her soul. She was celebrated through this book. Representation matters.

I took note as I read this book, more determined than before to represent my students through books in the classroom. Representation matters.

On a more personal note, I grew up in the 80's and 90's, and while I am white and white people are represented in books of all kinds, I had freckles. And people with freckles were not often represented. Books were filled with all kinds of white children with "flawless" skin. The only books I ran across that focused in any way on freckles seemed to focus on the character hating their skin, instead of loving it. As a result, I grew up hating my freckles too. I a pleased to see more diversity the faces I see now not just in books, but also TV shows, commercials, and print adds. Representation matters. 

While my own experience is on a much smaller scale than people of color, because my race was always largely represented, I can understand in a very small way how they feel being underrepresented by the books, posters, and videos shown and used in classrooms around the country. Representation matters.

As I think about my own classroom now, I am not the majority. I am a minority, even as a white person. I need to do better about representation. Not just for the black students, but for the other students of color as well. My class is made up of a majority of Latino students. They also want to see themselves in the books I read. Representation matters. 

And as I think about my year coming up, I am reading and trying to find good books that will open conversations about how people are treated, even if they are from other races. I want books, not to vilify one race over another, but to discuss so we can all learn and be better, do better. So we can understand one another. We need to have windows through which we can view the world of our classmates who come from varying places and points of view. Representation Matters. 

Below, is a list of books that will help all your students realize that the ALL matter. What books are you sharing with your class? Don't forget, representation matters!

I love, LOVE this book. I features a boy, Ravi,  who recently moved from India. While he DOES speak English, because of his accent, he is seen by others, including the teacher as someone who needs special help. He gets placed in the special ed. pull out class along with another one of his classmates. This is extremely embarrassing to Ravi because in India, he had always been at the top of the class, the best in sports, and one of the popular kids. Suddenly he  himself as a "nothing", a position he had never been in. Now he is on the receiving end of all the jokes, instead of dishing them out to others. Now the shoe is on the other foot and as he realizes that he is the brunt of jokes among the popular kids, he suddenly finds himself in an unlikely friendship, battling against the one popular kid who is a reminder of the past Ravi. 

This is a great read aloud for fourth grade and up, or a powerful book to use in literacy groups from fifth grade and up.

Front desk features a family of immigrants from China and their lives as they try to make it in America. It shows how people can sometimes take advantage of immigrants through low wages and unfair practices. It shows the determination with which immigrants work, however difficult and despite the long hours. It shows the struggle that immigrant children  

have in navigating their new lives and fitting in. 

This book does have a few bad words and because of that, I would suggest it as a read aloud for fifth grade and up. I usually cut out or change bad words as I read because I try  

not to have those kind of books in my classroom, but this one has such great room for discussion and it is well written, despite that one fact. 

Ada Twist, Scientist features a black girl who is filled with scientific curiosity. It just goes to show that people of all color can achieve greatness in the scientific field. I love that it also features a girl in a field (science) that is often times thought of as a field for boys. 

I loved the movie about the little know four black women who were involved in the space race in a time when NASA was dominated by white men. These brilliant women were much needed, but not celebrated at all until now. I am thrilled that they have made a children's book telling the same story. These powerful women prove that any person or any sex or race can achieve greatness.

This book features a child from a family of divorce and different races. She struggles to find out who she is. Many children come from divorced families and are often not represented at all. Many children are also biracial, so they are also looking to find themselves in the books that are presented in class. 

Wonder is the perfect book to build awareness and empathy for all people, including those with physical deformities. While Auggie goes from being homeschooled to being thrown into a class where no kid looks like him, he learns to navigate through many difficulties and the kids around him learn that underneath their exterior, kids with deformities are still just kids wanting to be loved. 

The Lemonade Club is a book that focuses on a little girl who is battling cancer and how her friends rally around her after struggling with differences. This is a great book to teach understanding and empathy and how important it is to continue being a friend even when difficulties arise.

This book features a Latina girl who is proud of her name. Unfortunately, her teacher does not realize how important Maria's name is to her and without considering her feelings, begins calling her by a nickname because after all, there are two Maria's in the same class. This book calls out the need for personal identity that our names can bring. 

Names are important and should be celebrated, despite how different or how much the same they may be. Teacher's should make it a point to make sure to learn how to pronounce each child's name, which to them is a big part of their identity. 

In China and many cultures, multi-generations live together and older family members are revered for their wisdom and age. In this book, the protagonist is suddenly left without his best friend who happens to be his grandmother when she has to move away because of an illness. 

This book shows the importance of family connection across generations. 

The book Fly Away Home focuses on a father who is trying his best to take care of his son, despite their homelessness. They find themselves living in an unlikely home, an airport and trying to keep a low profile. 

This book teaches empathy while bringing the problem of homelessness to the forefront.

What child has not felt they are too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, too whatever to accomplish their dreams? This is the true story of Stephen Curry, one of basketball's best players who at one time was considered "too short" to be any good. 

Just because other's share their opinions of what they think of you does not mean that without hard work and perseverance you cannot bring your dreams to reality.

Mexican White Boy is a book about a boy who is trying to fit in. His classmates take a look at his exterior and make assumptions about him based on how he looks. Follow the main character as he struggles to find his place, despite his mixed race. 

Whatever books you bring into your room, think about the students in your class. Are they represented in the books you have? Even if you have a classroom that lacks student diversity, providing a window into the lives of others can build understanding and empathy. As teachers, we must make that a priority! Representation matters!