Time for Curriculum Redesign

Our current climate feels ready for educational reform. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and fake news, it is imperative that we respond with change.  COVID-19 has proven that with perseverance and the right technology tools, we can find a way to continue the education of our students.  The Black Lives Matter movement has shed a light on the facts that our nation’s history lessons need to do a better job of revealing the complexities of our past. Fake news and social media begs us to learn how to check our sources and seek the truth.

Yes, I believe it is prime time to redesign K12 curriculum.  We should reevaluate our American history curriculum to ensure that our students are learning about all the influences in our past, not just the “white men” experiences.  We need to include diversity and ethnicity and race and cultural awareness into our social studies and literature curriculum.  We need to teach our students how to evaluate sources and ways to distinguish facts from opinions, how to be responsible content creators, and the impact of our digital footprints.

I have no ideas about how these changes can be made. I have no solution to this problem.  Fortunately, I am not the only voice of concern. Like me, other educators have noticed signs for change, too.  I have faith that collectively, we can work towards a solution with curriculum redesign. 

Curriculum and Culturally Responsive Teaching

From my recent pondering on the topic of “what is curriculum,” I have found that it is a pretty complex topic, and a word that is generally taken for granted. As educators, we know what curriculum is, but it is hard to talk about curriculum without pulling many other educational topics into the conversation, such as assessment, professional development, professional learning communities.  The word curriculum naturally triggers conversations because curriculum is one of those variables in the education equation that is necessary for any kind of outcome.

Our district is fortunate to have great leadership in the curriculum department.  After spending some time with our assistant superintendent of curriculum, I am confident that if he wanted to write the curriculum for our entire district, he could do it.  But that is not his philosophy.  He believes that curriculum is more impactful if written by those using it--our teachers.

As I learn more about culturally responsive teaching, I am beginning to understand how important it is to ensure that our curriculum is diverse and inclusive.  When our teachers are analyzing the standards and selecting resources and materials to help our students gain all the skills and knowledge they need to be successful community members, they must consider the diversity and culture of our students and our community.  They must weave diverse perspectives and stories into standards-aligned lessons. They must consider who they are writing the curriculum for and include content that honors the diversity in our community.

I have never directly worked on a curriculum team, so I personally don’t know the conversations that happen when our teachers are working on our curriculum.  However, I do know our teachers, and I know the love and dedication they have for our students and our craft.  I know they have built strong relationships with our students and our community.  As their librarian, I will continue to provide and recommend resources that help them bring diverse perspectives into their classrooms and help them adapt lessons to include voices from other cultures and that will help our students feel seen and included in their learning.

Fake Books, aka Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels. I don’t know how many times as a librarian I have heard from various adults, “those aren’t real books.”  I even heard a teacher tell her student, “No, you can’t check out those books.  Go pick out a big boy book.”  Eeek.  I was just as insulted as her student.

Fortunately, educators are coming around to see the value graphic novels have to offer students, especially our students who are English Language Learners. A good graphic novel is an amazing tool to help a student visualize the text. I personally am a visual learner. So, for me, reading graphic novels adds a whole dimension to the text. What the words don't say, the pictures help elaborate. And, besides being enjoyable and engaging, graphic novels help reduce anxiety some students have about reading. Who wouldn't want that for their students?

One of my favorite graphic novels is Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka. I first "met" Jarrett Krosoczka when I was an elementary school librarian five years ago. I couldn't keep his Lunch Lady graphic novel series on the shelf. So last year, as a junior high librarian, when I found out he had written his autobiography in a graphic novel format, I could not wait to read it and share it with my students. This book is a mirror for many of my students, as some, too, have family members struggling with addiction. The book was a window for me; a way for me to look inside a different home life than mine and empathize with the characters.

The latest graphic novel that I have read and would highly recommend is Lowriders in Space by Raul the Third.

A couple of things make this book an important addition to a collection of Hispanic themed literature.  For one thing, the mix of English and Spanish throughout the text and the Hispanic names of the characters make the book attractive to Hispanic readers.  The signs and posters on the scenery are in both Spanish and English. Secondly, from reading the author’s notes at the back of the book, I discovered that building and showing lowrider cars was a popular Mexican American thing post WWII.  Third, many readers, especially English Language Learners, like the graphic novel format.  These three things together make this book an important addition to not only Hispanic themed literature, but the whole library collection.

Last semester, one of our 8th grade history teachers brought one of her students to the library.  I greeted them and the teacher proceeded to tell me that she noticed "Mike" had difficulties forming pictures in his head from the text he was reading and thought he might enjoy a graphic novel.  I nearly cried.  And jumped for joy.  Yes, yes, yes!  So for all the "Mikes" in the world, embrace those graphic novels.  You won't be sorry.