Diverse Classroom Library: Our classroom libraries are in trouble. Just as more teachers are learning that their libraries need books that reflect their student populations, they also have to fight policies at the district and state levels that ban many of these same books from their libraries. Florida, for example, is banning certain materials in classroom libraries […]
We Need Diverse Books
Posted inOpinion
Mythical, Fictional, Make-Believe…as Long as They Ain’t Black
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! As a Black teacher who advocates for the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the heated debate about a Black Mermaid has piqued my interest on many levels. I recently discussed the issue with members of my African American Student Union […]
Posted inOpinion
Banned Books Week is a Time for Educators to Fight Censorship
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism Banned Books Week is an annual effort to fight for intellectual freedom. This year the theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us” and the fight could not feel more urgent. Banned Books By the Numbers This Friday, the […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Disconnected Audiences: 2015 Oscars and English Classroom Literature
The Hollywood Academy released the 2015 nominations this past week, and their choices for best picture, best actor, and best director lit a firestorm on social media about the lack of diversity in their choices. Some of the heated discussions called into question the make-up of the Academy, which according to a 2014 Los Angeles Times article is: 93 percent […]