Introduction
“We can be heroes, forever and ever. What do you say?” – David Bowie1
My father’s heroes were Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Cowboys were the champions of his day. They would ride into town, confront the villain, sing a song by the campfire, save the town, and get the girl. In these westerns the good guys were the heroes and they were easy to spot. All heroes wore white hats. Beware the cowboy under the black Stetson. The world of the cowboy was very clear-cut and simple to understand. As the saying goes, it was black and white. In my youth, the Batmobile replaced the horse, and ten-gallon hats were supplanted by the cape and mask. Superheroes were the characters I was drawn to. Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man were the giants of Saturday mornings. These were my heroes. They would use their gifts and skills to unravel a mystery, capture the villain, and save the day. Heroes excite our imagination. They highlight traits to which we aspire. They illustrate the possibilities of what we can be at our best. But do our heroes represent all of us? Do our heroes represent the students in my classroom?
My classroom is found at Kathleen Wilbur Elementary School in New Castle, Delaware. Wilbur is a large school of almost 1,200 students. Our 1,200 come from diverse backgrounds. They come from mansions, motels, and everywhere in between. I teach in one of the nine kindergarten classes found at the school. In each of these nine rooms you will find students of varying skill levels. Some will have grown as they attended years of preschool. Some will have learned much from Sesame Street, an older sibling, or an inspired parent. Other students may never have held a book before. Throughout last year my class ranged between 20 and 22 students. As the year closed I had 22 students on my roll. I had an even split between male and female students (though this is actually atypical.) My class was predominantly (55%) of African-American descent. The rest (45%) of my class was pretty evenly split between Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian backgrounds. Seven of my students were pulled out during the day to receive English Language support. Throughout the school year three of my students were regularly pulled from class to receive additional academic support. I also had one student who would go out weekly to receive behavioral intervention support, as well as a student who had an Individualized Education Plan put in place in his preschool setting. These numbers are pretty common among kindergarten classes at Wilbur and I anticipate a similar class makeup in future years.
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