Reporter’s Note
This year, I am thankful for Hamilton County students and their families, educators and community members and especially the teachers who have let me into their classrooms and their lives so I can help tell their stories. Thank you for all that you do. Happy Thanksgiving!
– Meghan
THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION NEWS
Kindergarten teacher Brenda Morris doesn’t remember reading a lot of books that had characters who looked like her.
Usually, when there was a character that did look like her – an African American girl – the story was a historical one featuring a slave.
She also noticed that many of the books, passed down from teacher to teacher through curriculum and lesson plans, also didn’t depict very many students of color or living in unique circumstances.
But DuPont Elementary School in Hamilton County, where Morris is now a kindergarten teacher, has a very diverse student body.
So Morris and her colleagues are fundraising to purchase diverse books with characters their students “can see themselves in” this holiday season through the “Rich Lit” initiative.
For more on the importance of diverse children’s literature and DuPont Elementary’s project, check out the story.
Keep reading for this week’s top education news.