Media Mania
How can the media center better serve our schools in today's modern world?
The dictionary defines diversity as "the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc." In researching and blogging on diversity in literature, it is painfully obvious that there is a giant gap in representation. I also started to become aware that are scope of diversity can be very small. In contrast, the actual scope of diversity is HUGE! So many types of people and backgrounds make up the world. I am most likely not going to become a producer of literature. But, I can make sure the selection of books on my media center shelves accurately reflects my students. As important as it is for our kids to see themselves in books, I think it is equally as important for students to read about people who are different than them. It will broaden their world and open doors to things they have never seen before. In order to understand diversity in literature and to reflect that in our collections, we have to make sure our scope is wide enough to understand all of the nuisances under the diversity umbrella. Here are some videos I found helpful and informative on the importance of diversity in literature. Shyno Chacko discusses what it was like growing up in India with no mainstream books that reflected her and how we can correct it. A quick snapshot of why diverse literature is so important. A run down on how we can bring diverse lit into the classroom.
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At a recent Professional Learning meeting, the county media specialist was alerting us to the fact there has been some trouble in nearby districts with book complaints. Those complaints were for the most part about books with LGBTQ+ characters and subject matter. The Love, Simon books had recently been attacked and reviewed by one of the school boards.
This conversation sparked me to look at the books on my media center shelves. Not to censor, but to make sure I had equal representation for the students who needed it. I also researched popular LGBTQ+ titles. That's when I found this graphic that highlights the discrepancy of the representation of this group of people in literature. In doing research for a grad school course, I came across this article that discusses the importance of children being exposed to diversity in literature. The author, BJ Epstein, states "Despite knowing how important it is for diversity to be represented in our day-to-day lives, many children’s books are still littered with white, male, able-bodied, heterosexual, cisgender, nominally Christian characters. And research suggests that over 80% of characters in children’s books are white – which clearly doesn’t reflect the reality of our world." She continues to explain that the statistics showing how white washed our literature is was the inspiration behind the creating of the We Need Diverse Books movement. Founded by Ellen Oh and Malinda Lo, the movement's goal is to bring the problem to light, educate us on how we can correct it, and teach the importance of works that give us access to the worlds of others. Diversebooks.org offers too many resources to list. They are tools that can be used to broach tough subjects and add diversity to our library shelves. It is an amazing resource for any media specialist. Watch a video about WNDB and what they do. We all know reading is good for us. It has a million benefits. But it can also expand our world, our views and our scope. Stretching ourselves makes us better people. One way to do that, it to make sure our reading lists include works where the characters are different from us. I am a white female living in the deep south. So if I read Gone With The Wind- the characters are like me. If I read There Eyes Were Watching God or The Color Purple, I get a window into characters who lived in the same area as me, but lead much different lives. In our school media centers, we need to ensure our demographic is reflected in the book collection. Not only so our students can see themselves in the pieces, but to provide windows into the lives of people we are different from. To build an understanding, to build empathy, to save the world. I found this article by Kate Sullivan very illuminating on this topic: Why Diversity in Literature Matters
I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in high school. I had never read a book where the main protagonist was someone with special needs. Christopher, the main character, is autistic. The main points of the book surround the events of his mother "dying" and Christopher finding his neighbor's dog murdered.
The book explores Christopher's "ticks", characteristics, and habits. We can see the affect his diagnosis has on his life and the lives of those around him. The books allows us a window into the live of someone different than us and can create empathy in the reader. It has also been made into a play. Do you have another example of Special Needs reflected in Literature? Makers Space has become a buzzword thanks to shows like Craftopia and all the DIY hacks and videos on social media. Do you need one in the media center?
First, what is a makers space? Its a fancy term for a craft corner or station. Basically, it can be whatever you want it to be. Why have a makers space? Studies have shown that using our hands to create something that doesn't involve a screen, can be therapeutic. No matter how elementary or advanced, it can be a time for self-reflection and give your mind a break. Who will use it? To start, think about your average patron and what might appeal to them. Obviously, budget will play a role here as far as materials that you can provide. Would just coloring pages be enough? Or should there be a fleshed out activity that they make and take with them? It is a lot to think about and can be overwhelming. I suggest working with the The sky is the limit. Renovated Learning has some great ideas for a makers space. A library is for books. It is a quiet space for reading, studying, and reflection.
This has become the exception not the rule. Libraries now have children's programs, mommy & me time, puppet shows, movies, and even petting zoos! With information now literally at the tips of people's fingers, libraries have had to do more to make themselves relevant. So, how does this translate to a school media center? Should the school media center, often already teaming with students, beeping computers, running printers and more, add to that sometimes chaotic environment? Are activities for purely "entertainment" appropriate or necessary? There is a strong argument with scientific backing that board games offer a host of educational and social benefits making them more than solely entertainment. These benefits include social skills, logic, literacy, collaboration with peers, memory, communication... (Read More Here). All of these things are engaged when a student is playing a board game, but they often do not realize they are learning. In this case, it can also be a nice brain break. I find the board games in my media center are used as a reward by teachers for students who have finished their work. They are also used when our community mentors meet with mentees. Favorites include Checkers, Battleship, Life, Clue, Monopoly, Dominoes and Yahtzee. I have often seen a "community puzzle" set up in libraries where patrons can work on it for the duration of their visit. I have not broached this in my media center yet, but do know Media Specialists who have had a lot of success with this set up. Puzzles can offer a quiet brain break from the hustle of the day as well as visualization skills and much more. Games can be purchased at any retail location or website. Some, like Discount School Supply, offer game bundles. Another idea would be for people to donate lightly used games they no longer want. Getting creative has become a mantra in the classroom in the last couple years. We have had to develop new ways of doing everything- including leaving the classroom without leaving the classroom. I am lucky enough to live in an area rich with history, art and cultural experiences. The High Museum of art and birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. are all a 45 minute drive from my high school. But it is not always feasible to load up a bus of kids and drive them to a museum or theatre. There are so many factors like money, transportation, a pandemic, etc. that can hinder broaden our students outside of school. So many of these places have updated their websites with virtual tours, informational videos and even lessons. It is a really cool way to liven up lessons and not reinvent the wheel. I have compiled a list of some of these resources, but there are so many more out there! Happy adventuring! As a Media Specialist, I have a lot to do. Many layers to my job, chatty people at my desk, and all the stuff that goes with being part of a school faculty. There is not enough time in the day. It seems like the last thing I have time to do is read and mentally catalogue all of the books in my collection in order to be able to recommend them to readers. So, I thought, why not have some of my more avid readers help me? One of my regulars offhandedly said, "I read so much, I should write book reviews." And I thought that was an amazing idea, so I started the Bronco Beat Book Review. Book reviews by students for students. The idea is to grow from the one writer I have now to several and make it a thing. Like I just read in a class text book, you have to start small. Cheers to getting students involved in their school! As the demographic makeup of our student populations change, our library collections and ELA curriculums need to pivot to match that change. When I built my first collection, I wanted kids from all backgrounds to find themselves reflected in the pages they were reading. I will say that curriculums have come a long way since I was reading The Scarlet Letter in high school. Now they are reading The Other Wes Moore and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Books like these act as mirrors to students with similar backgrounds to the characters. When I say "mirrors", I mean that the student can see themselves in the protagonist. Books like I am Malala and Night offer windows into lives and cultures we would not get the opportunity to see or learn about with books. Diversity in literature is a way for kids to see themselves in a book AND offers views into new cultures and lives of people different from them. This can translate into understanding and tolerance. Ok, so we know having a diverse collection of literature for students is important. Check! But one of the challenges lies in the limited variety of protagonist of color as well as authors of color. The Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison documents and tracks "aspects of diversity and representation in children’s and young adult literature as well, including LGBTQ+, disability, and religion." Below are statistics from the last 3 years of books written about and/or by people of color. Here is a link to more diversity resources complied by the CCBC:
https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/diversity-resources-multicultural-literature/ Connecting the Dots: You can find my Diversity Lesson here. I designed it to go with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, but it could go with another book written by and/or about a person of color. |
April A. WaldenI am a mom, a wife, and a brand new Librarian. Living that Media Specialist life while learning all the things! Archives |