Book Diversity in the Classroom and Library

Take a moment and think about your student population. How many of your students come from diverse backgrounds? How many kiddos speak English as a second language? How many students are homeless or have blended families? How many students are struggling with their identity? How many of your students practice a religion that is less common? How many students have a disability? 

Now think about the books on your shelf. Think about the books you spotlight. Do the titles and authors you share reflect the backgrounds of your students and your community?

Years ago, one of my favorite teacher friends and I were having a conversation about books and the importance of representation and she told me that she was 22 years old the first time she ever saw someone like herself as a main character in a book. She said that growing up, Black characters were only included as minor characters in the books she had access to.

This really crushed me because the first time I saw myself in a book with a main character I identified with was when I was in second grade. All our students should have the latter experience, not the former.

As a school media specialist of a diverse school, I have really had to step back and evaluate our collection to make sure that it reflects what matters to my students and is representative of our community. This means: 

• Thoughtful placement of books that are displayed
• Thoughtful choices for book club titles or spotlight books
• Bumping our over-represented groups down a few shelves so that the others can have a turn to shine
• Always having a focus on diversity – not just for a specific month – always

Having a diverse book collection for a school library or classroom library is essential, not just for our students who need to see themselves in the book, but for us to see others – to really see them. To see the struggles and the joy. To walk in their shoes for just a little while so we can become more empathetic and aware. So we can all be better humans. 

Sometimes spotlighting books that reflect diversity can be controversial. How do you handle that? What happens when a parent complains? Here are the things I do to make sure that I’m covered but still show my students that they ALL matter:
 

1. I check the reviews in Titlewave® of books I’m purchasing or using to make sure they are age appropriate and supported.
   If you don’t have a Titlewave account, you’ll definitely want one. It’s free and takes two minutes to set up. You get teacher- and librarian-created book lists, professional reviews to help get insight into the title (including if it’s inclusive), free educator guides and reading levels information, plus you can use Follett Tags!
2. I read them myself. This seems like a given, but many people skip this step. Yes, it’s a lot of reading, but it’s worth it.
   If it’s a classwide read, I always have a backup book that students can read if their parents are uncomfortable, but I suggest that the parents read the book first.
   I have age-appropriate options for book clubs that address the same issues so that students and families have a choice.
   I invited the community to join us for our book clubs which may seem like asking for trouble, but it has been a beautiful thing.
3. You may experience some pushback from parents. But if you do, I’d suggest following your school or district challenge procedures and moving forward. Encourage parents to read the book in its entirety and then chat again. Be respectful of their wishes. Be a voice for the people who need you.
4. Titlewave has some great features to help you search for diverse books and books that connect with your students. Plus you can filter by grade level, book type, reading level and search curriculum needs with Follett Tags. And, you can start with the diverse book lists.

This isn’t just a quick change. This change takes work. It takes constant evaluation of your books and your curriculum. It means moving things around. It means you stop teaching the same book you’ve taught for 20 years so another group can shine. It means not just having books that show the struggle but books that show joy and happiness of others. It means putting yourself aside to make sure every kid is seen and valued.

You want a beautiful school community where students respect each other and learn to be open-minded? This is how it is done. 

Carrie Friday
Media Specialist
Southwest Middle School
Palm Bay, Florida

Carrie Friday is the media specialist at Southwest Middle School in Palm Bay, Florida, and a 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year Finalist for Brevard Public Schools. She isn't afraid to take risks and will do just about anything to encourage the love of literacy in students and teachers. She is one of the co-founders of the #swms20bookchallenge and a total YA author fangirl. She is a chapter leader of her school’s Project Lit Community chapter, a committee member for the Florida SSYRA 6-8 selection committee and on the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) nominations committee. She believes in innovation, collaboration and the power of really good books. You can connect with her through email at friday.carrie@brevardschools.org or on Twitter. You can also follow along with her adventures in the Media Center at alwaysfridaylibrary.blogspot.com.