Yang discusses how diverse books teach us to love ourselves and others. These feelings of love and accpetance are vital to making a connection with students. If the books I teach do not include my students, they will not feel accepted by me. Growing students as human beings is more important than learning specific academic things. Teaching involves combining both, and English gives a unique opportunity to explore so much within the classroom. To not include books that act as windows and mirrors for my students is wasting that special opportunity and space.

Not only is having these books in the curriculum important, but knowing how to teach them is necessary for positive change as well. This article explains some of the struggles with implementing new books into classrooms.

As a white teacher, I plan on learning from other teachers and discussing the best way to teach diverse texts. I also think it will be helpful to do my own research on historical context and listen to what the author has said about their book.

This article discusses the importance of diversifying libraries and curriculum. More diverse texts means more engages students. Diverse books can also help develop empathy in readers. This article also includes some possible books to include in classrooms.

A big reason I plan on having diverse texts in my class, is because I saw first hand in my own education how much more students are engaged when a text is relatable in a ways classics are not. Offering a wide variety of literature, or even giving students choice in what they read, will allow any lesson I teach to be more effective through students being more engaged with the text.