I really enjoyed Eric A. Kimmel's article, "Joy on Beale Street." One passage that I'm particularly fond of is the following:
"'If you could be black on Beale Street for one Saturday night, you would never wan to be white again.' It's true. Anot not only on Beale Street. And not only for African Americans. Every minority group has its own Beale Street. Embracing your identity brings great joy, along with a sense of wholeness, completion. 'I know who I am and where I belong. These are my people'" (Kimmel 411).
This quote is so significant when looking at it with a pedagogical perspective. As a future teacher, I feel my classroom should sort of be a "Beale Street" for my students. I would hope that my students will feel like they belong both as individuals and as a collective whole to the classroom. I want them to be able to hold no reservations about being themselves.
Throughout this class, I have learned that I can make this possible by being sensitive, aware, and empathetic to issues of diversity and multiculturalism. Presenting accurate portrayals of diverse topics through literature is one way to do so. It's important that children are able to see themselves accurately in the literature, and therefore the classroom. It's also important to be sensitive to students' lives outside the classroom. For example, being sensitive to what holidays children celebrate is necessary. It's necessary to include a variety of ways people celebrate, allowing each child to feel seen. Each child should feel like they are an important part of the classroom! :)
Kimmel, E.A. (2003). Joy on Beale Street. The Lion and the Unicorn, 27(3), 410-15.
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Erin, I like your last paragraph on making students feel included by celebrating all holidays. At this time of year, in field at at my job (at an elementary school), I can see how the teachers are incorporating all holidays and beliefs into their celebrations. At Bath Elementary, where I go for field, the kindergarten students are learning about different holidays that are celebrated in December in music class. Bath isn't diverse in terms of having many cultures, but with this introduction to other religious/cultural holidays, the students will be more open to any diversity they encounter as they grow older.
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