Culturally Diverse Literature in the Classroom

Representation matters in children's literature. That is what Shyno Chacko argues in her TEDTalk. Growing up in 1970's America, she did not come across any books that represented her background as an Indian-American. It was not until 2000 that she came across a book of an Indian-American girl growing up in the United States. Nonetheless, there is still a lack of diversity in children's books. These stats from a 2015 study show the percentages of race represented in children's books. The stats show the following: 73.3% white, 14.2% non-white, 12.5% animals, trucks, etc. There is nearly as much non-human representation as there is non-white representation. 

Chacko runs a young authors program where children are encouraged to write about anything they wanted. The only catch is that the children have to include themselves in the book. What she hopes to achieve is that there will be more books that represent a wide variety of cultures. She also is trying to normalize the presence of minority groups in literature. The presence of a minority should not be justified, but rather be seen as normal.

I will definitely have a collection of books that represent a wide variety of cultures and identities in my classroom and curriculum. I am aware that students would like to see themselves represented in the books they read, so it is only right that they are given that oppurtuniy. This also allows them the opportunity to learn about cultures and identities that are not theirs, when the book is not about them.

This source stresses the importance of how literature is a way for an author to get their thoughts or messages across the a larger audience. This is important because depending on who the author of a book is, the messages can vary. This is why choosing a selection of culturally diverse authors is key for any English classroom, because it ensures that the students are given an opportunity to be exposed to a variety of messages and cultures.

In the classroom, students can compare and contrast themes across cultures to see similarities between cultures that students may have originally believed to be entirely different, as well as view the differences, to see what makes each culture uniquely different. 

This video critiques the literary canon that is primarily taught in high school. Most, if not all, of the books in the average high school curriculum are written by white men. The argument is not saying that all those "classic" books by these white authors do not matter; becasue they do. The argument is saying that there should be a diverse portfolio that includes authors from every background, including those by old white men, women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, international cultures, etc.

As a future high school English teacher, I am a fan of this proposal. I think books such a The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men should be taught in high school. But that should not be where it ends. Books by James Baldwin and Virginia Woolf and many others should be part of a high school English class, and will be a part of mine.