Attn new peeps, esp white Ts who are @ diff stages of this work:
1. reading a book isn’t going to change you unless you take actionable steps to unlearn conditioned racism & whiteness
2. your work begins within & at home first w/your families
3. now, abt disrupting curriculum...

I’ve learned a lot from #DisruptTexts so be sure to follow. I’ve also learned that using my priviledge to disrupt the canon is necessary Esp if your school is canon defending. One way I pushback is by teaching excerpts of classics & pairing it w/modern texts by BIPOC authors...

For example, why continue to teach the Odyssey when you have this? The mythology and history in this book is phenomenal! You’re going to have to research. If you think it’s impossible to change it up this year, at least rec it to all the freshmen who come in loving mythology...

And then Romeo and Juliet typically follows, right? There’s a lot you could do here but I found some success w/focusing on healthy v unhealthy relationships to start. We did some translating of Shakespeare, watched the film, then read this beautiful prose instead of the play...

Moving into other classics. Why not use this instead of Gatsby? Janie as the female lead figuring out who to trust & becoming a truth teller while constantly conflicted w/those battling for power. Sounds like a much better version of Nick Carriway. And why isn’t it canon anyway?

Tricia Ebarvia taught me to ask whose canon? Whose stories are you amplifying & whose are you erasing? Instead of Catcher, why not one of Dr. Parker’s fave recs? And rather than entitled Holden you still get cynical, but w/a hilarious Black male protagonist who doesn’t get shot.

On to 1984. Uff da, my relatives in MN would say. Consider this if you’re teaching abt power & control & the manipulative ways authority & whiteness creeps in to continue their rule. Police brutality inspired this series so it’s def a way to use fantasy to connect current events.

So The Crucible seems to still be a fan fave. Not of students but many Ts. Check into On the Come Up. Why? Depending on how you teach Crucible, it fits in using ones voice & not tarnishing ones reputation. Doesn’t that dude at the end yell something abt his name being all he has?

The Time Machine? Nope. Use Kindred. That’s it here. That’s the whole damn tweet.

Lord of the flies. Savages. Beasts. Ug. What are we teaching? How can you frame this one differently? I’d try to toss it if possible. If not, what about trust? What about who is in your circle & how can you grow by who you include? What abt inclusivity rather than bullying Piggy?

Hamlet lovers? Ok I see you. I kinda like it myself. I like this idea better though-a girl far from home having to survive in the D w/family she doesn’t know well & a mother who has been detained. This book is full of drama & magic. I adore this book & not just b/c of MI setting.

Any AP Ts out there? Why not use a modern take on Pride and Prejudice? Kids will actually read this one rather than use Sparknotes.

Another common AP text is Separate Peace. I think one of my new faves would fit well due to the journey aspect of the theme. What’s that fancy device we have to teach? A bil something. Patron Saints is ALL that & more b/c it brings in trafficking & other issue Ss care about now.

Alexie is taught to our sophomores but we are def trying to do this instead. No explanation needed. Also this book had me-completely. Thanks to Scott & Joel for this book chat rec.

And our fan fave: TKAM. Dr. Parker & Tricia Ebarvia have said this over & over. Get your hands on Just Mercy instead of continuing to harm Ss w/TKAM ideals. If you have to teach it, be sure to frame it w/Emmitt Till’s murder & Carolyn Bryant’s white weaponized tears.

Don’t let fear of compliance inhibit your responsibility as a white educator to adapt necessary changes in curriculum. Your Black colleagues shouldn’t be doing this work. Also include Baldwin, Davis, Morrison, Ellison, & Morrison in your classroom canon & promote in district too.

I’m in no way an expert on any of this but I recognize I have priviledge here in many ways so I must use it to support BIPOC students & colleagues every moment. Also this below should be happening now that you have a few titles to add. I didn’t tag individuals intentionally.

And I ran out of room above, but have to confess that shea the scholar has been telling us to read Juliet Takes a Breath all year. Like ALL year. They also fight for liberation while rec brunch spots, playlists, & damn good books so follow them if you aren’t already.