Introduction
“Why do I have to read this?” is a question I often hear when beginning a new text. In order to get my students engaged in beginning a text, I must give some type of promised reward for finishing the book. Many times my students need constant encouragement to finish reading a novel, as they tell me that the book is boring. I understand the importance of reading, but how do I pass that value onto my students? How can I help my students understand the value of reading, without telling them every day? I believe reading brings exposure and with that exposure, hope. Hope can bring encouragement even in the most dismal situations. If my students can be motivated to read, then they will have hope for their future.
In my classroom, I often see my girl students gravitate towards books that represent the mainstream culture. They often desire to have hair and features of the mainstream culture that they see in picture books. I have noticed them drawing pictures of themselves with longer, straighter hair and lighter skin color. It hurts me to see how some of the girl students view beauty. I notice my boy students flip through books that contain expensive cars and big houses. One day I overheard some of my boys talking about a picture book filled with expensive cars. One of them said, “that’s the kind of car white people have.” I was again hurt that my boys associated an expensive car with the mainstream culture, not with hard work and saving money. What role does identity play in students’ being motivated to read? If my students see themselves more in the text, would they be motivated to read more and therefore appreciate their own beauty and chances for success?
I remember a unit that I taught a few years ago regarding goals for the future. Kendall, an 8-year-old boy, responded that he didn’t know how to set goals for his life because he was going to be dead at 18. Kendall was a bright student who could add much value to his community. However, he was allowing the reality of his community, that many of his older male cousins and uncles were shot and killed in the streets of Chicago, to influence his outlook on the future. Kendall is not alone in his thinking. I think it is a problem that many of my students are unaware of their history and have no goals to live past 18. What am I doing every day to help students who have a mindset like Kendall’s? In this unit, I want my students to be exposed to individuals like themselves, who had similarly dismal situations, but could choose to rise above. I want my students to have hope for the future, their future, as a result of this unit. I will use the mentor text Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington in order to share African- American history with my students and also to give my students a positive role model, who became more than his surroundings. Also, in this unit, students will work with their families in order to publish a family story of perseverance. This project will enhance families’ value as students and learn from their history.
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