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I thought what Mr. Minor and Ms. Bishop spoke to, was very pertinent regarding how as teachers we can notice and encourage the differences in people but not assigning value to those differences. I also believe it is important to bring these issues of difference and equity to the forefront earlier rather than later in a child's development, so they have time to gradually build a healthy sense of self and as they grow older will be able to address these issues in more depth in the way they see fit. You just want there to be a healthy and encouraging foundation to be built. I think from a number of these videos and in our past readings, that it is incredibly important to have books that speak to everyone, even if you are not in a diverse classroom. It is important for every student to recognize that there are differences amongst us, but they should be celebrated.

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I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, but I have a younger sister who is most definitely not. I've always wondered what was different - what different influences we had as children - to make that so. I don't think you could stress the importance of introduction to books and stories and capturing what interests children enough. I've always been confused as to how to "teach" a love of reading, but I am coming to realize you can't really "teach" it, but rather need to model it. The videos this week highlighted this idea. As well, I've always used the phrase "books are my escape" whenever someone asks me why I read so much. It's easy enough for me (a white woman) to find mirrors (although finding strong, complex female characters can sometimes be a challenge), but its the windows and especially the sliding doors I love most when I read. I'm extremely glad to now how vocabulary to describe these feelings actions.

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I found the first video "Who do we see?" to be very insightful because he talks about a very different approach to diversity in reading.  Rather than pointing out the skin tone of a particle character he makes it a point to engage more with personality traits and students can strive to be similar to characters in that way.

I found both of Mr. Sharp's videos to be very useful as well, especially with how he incorporates picture books into a gr.5 classroom, where most of us would probably assume to avoid picture books because students have out grown them by this age.

A question that's come to mind while thinking about including diverse cultures and ethnicities in the book we supply to our class is, How do we pick books that will provide a realistic and accurate depiction of these cultures and ethnicities when most of us are Caucasian? Another question I have is, is it appropriate for us as future teachers to assume what a Child's ethnic background is in order to provide books they can see themselves in? (this question arose because I personally have indigenous heritage but when looking at me, people would not know, therefore is it appropriate to make assumptions like this about our students our would we be better to ask the students directly about their background?)

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From these videos, my first take away was that there are hundred's of books out there for students to read, and it is up to us as educators to find ones that both catch the attention of the students, but can also enhance their knowledge. I believe we must introduce students to a variety of genres, covering a plethora of topics, to ensure that all children can find something that sparks an interest for them.
I think it is essential to choose a variety of different texts, to ensure every student feels represented in the literature. By addressing several different social issues, we can enhance out students awareness beyond the classroom.
Finally, I believe covid-19 should have very little influence on reading, as the pandemic does not alter our ability to speak and share our ideas and thoughts. Whether students are reading individually, or being read to as a class, students can still engage and do this sufficiently in the class room setting, both online and in person.

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My first take away from these videos is the importance of a strong introduction. Reading a book to the class is not as simple as opening it and showing the pictures. Before any of the reading begins its important to just look at the cover to make predictions, ask questions and leave comments about the story. Then when the students are excited and in the right mindset to start reading you can begin. The introduction to a book helps students construct meaning and allow them to be excited.

The second take away I got was the importance of being passionate. All these videos highlighted individuals who have dedicated their life to literature. Just by watching these short clips I became very excited and engaged about the books they were speaking about because they were so excited and passionate about it. This same feeling resonates in our students. When teachers show excitement and passion, students feed off it and begin to feel the same way about stories and books.

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I found the first video with Cornelius to be very inspiring. The idea to always incorporate similarities and differences in every lesson. I am striving to achieve that in every lesson I create moving forward. The discussion on windows, Mirrors and sliding glass doors in the last video strengthens that idea of always including everyone. I am now realizing that everyone needs to be exposed to different races so they can identify with and learn from the lessons we do. Carole in the second video said to make her readers think. This inspires me to make my students think in everything we do.

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Something that really appreciated was when Cornelius introduced the idea of children seeing themselves in, or wanting to be like a character with a different ethnicity. I thought it was powerful and important to introduce this concept at a young age. I also liked his point that every book is an opportunity to discuss race, especially if there is a lack of diversity.

Finally, Rudime Sims Bishop's point that diverse/inclusive literature is important because it can introduce students to a world that they unaware of stood out to me as well. I think it is imperative to introduce students to several perspectives.

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The last video really stood out to me. This is because looking back at my younger days of schooling, the books that were read, were not diverse. I think this is very important as many communities are very diverse. As a white male, I never had an issues relating to the culture, themes and characters in books, but I feel this may have been difficulty for other races and genders.

Another point that stood out to me was the fact that not only do writers want us to enjoy the book, but they also want us to think on our own about what the meaning of the book is. I think this can relate to us as teachers, as one of our main goals should be to get the students thinking about why we are doing certain things in the class, and how they can relate to us.
-Nathan G.

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Jing Gong - Mirrors, windows and sliding doors

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Jing Gong - Mirrors, windows and sliding doors

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I also believe that representation is very important for children to see, especially in the classroom where they spend the majority of their time growing up and in the books that they read. Diversity allows children to see themselves included. I remember growing up not having any books of representation shared in the classroom and those moments of joy when I found someone who looked like me in the library books being represented. Because as the video states “like windows” because you get to see yourself in a character and sometimes even if you are represented a lot in the mainstream. It is also important to recognize the other people that exist in the community because the world is indeed getting “more and more colourful” especially with globalization of education.

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I liked Cornelius' comment in the first video that books are a place of escape where children can visualize their potential and imagine what they can be / what they want to be. That vision can be very uplifting and motivating to children - particularly those from marginalized communities. Secondly, I liked Colby's comment that "stories connect us." So true! Great stories, especially ones that engage with people from all communities have a way of teasing out our similarities rather than our differences. And thirdly, I really liked his upbeat approach to read-aloud in a pandemic. Just keep plowing ahead!

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The first idea that I found interesting was when Cornelius talks about developing racist consciousness or racial literacy, something that is not done only by talking about it once, but all of the time. A good way teachers can do this is by using books of diversity which opens the door to discussions of race in the classroom. These class discussions are important in order for children to realize that not everybody lives the same reality. The second idea I found interesting was a reason for why it’s important to read diverse books in class; to help students that frequently see similar characters to them in books see different worlds, realities, and cultures.
- Emilie L.

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In the video Who do We See : Using Books to talk about Race, the speaker talks of how books create worlds for kids that show what is normal and this leads to discussions of what is considered “normal” in books, thus the world. I found this insightful because I had not considered that a lack of representation also leads to a construction of what student perceptions of “normal” would be.
In the Video “5 Things I Learned Reading Aloud in a Pandemic”, he talks of how if you are passionate about something, the kids will feed off your passion. I found it inspiring that your students will pick up on your energy and can learn to love books as well and I want to keep this in mind for my own teaching.

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I think three main things stick out to me from the videos, those are the need to be passionate, to be consistent and to be diverse.

On being passionate I think this mainly gets explained in Colby's video's "if you're all in they'll be all in" if you as a teacher show enthusiasm and interest in what you are doing it is much more likely to rub off onto the students you teach. In regards to making sure that kids enjoy reading this passion at a young age is very important to spark an interest that can continue.

On being consistent, I think this is more a secondary idea that applies to the other two, Cornelius speaks about how engaging kids in ideas of race consciousness must be a consistent and continuous approach as opposed to a one time class, I believe this also applies to passion, you can't suddenly act in an inconsistent manner and have kids not pick up on the weirdness of it, you must always be passionate.

Finally on diversity, I feel we have discussed this quite a lot already but in brief, it is necessary to ensure diversity in literature in order for kids to see themselves in the literature, and therefor be more interested in it.

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The videos this week were very inspiring in terms of looking how you can inspire and engage students in conversations about books. The first video, from 'First Books' was the one that made me think the most. I loved when he talked about how you can read books that maybe have something 'wrong' with them. They might have only white characters, or represent something you don't agree with, but that can be why and how you engage with it. To become critical thinkers and readers, you have to participate in all sorts of conversations and look at what you are reading for positives as well as negatives.

I also really liked how enthusiastic Colby's videos were. His enthusiasm can really rub off on those learning from him, which I think is one of his points regarding reading. Thinking about how the pandemic structures in school affect the reading in classrooms was not something I had considered, but I was happy to hear advice on what to do to keep up the good reading habits. Another thing, was how he emphasises that especially during this challenging time, that reading together is calming and good for students to think about something else.

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The first idea that stood out to me was from the second reading as Carol Matas highlights that in all her books, the core theme is that one person can make a difference. This stood out to me because I strongly believe that it is important to read to students stories that involve characters pursuing a dream and making a difference in our global world. Through stories we can teach confidence, determination and empower students that they all have unique qualities that can make a difference. The second point that stood out to me was from the third video as Colby states that students feed off teachers and that when teachers are passionate and invested, students model that as well. This is a powerful concept that teachers should reflect on during the Covid-19 pandemic,  as it demonstrates that teachers have the power to create a classroom that is safe, inclusive and comforting for all students. The classroom can still be a place to create magical moments even with masks and stricter rules. Stories can be used to create these moments and to reassure our students that everything is going to be alright.

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While I very much enjoyed all of the videos this week, I want to focus around a quote from the first video. While discussing race and how he facilitates this conversation with young students, Cornelius said "we can notice difference without assigning value" and this was an important takeaway for me. I can think of past teachers of mine that would use comments like "I don't see race" and "this isn't an appropriate topic" in attempts to deflect these conversations. This made me especially appreciate Cornelius' approach as it provides the building blocks for how to have meaningful conversations around differences with our youth.
- Zach Romanson

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My biggest takeaway from watching these videos is how authors and educators can make books fun to read so kids can see themselves in books and find their own voices.

I really enjoyed how Cornelius showed viewers in the first video how he goes through books with students prior to reading them to appreciate the book’s artwork (if any) and asks them how they can relate to the book's main character(s) regardless of their cultural backgrounds. He actively engages students with questions about important topics such as racial injustice, so students can feel involved in societies most relevant issues and have open discussions about these issues. All the other videos also touched upon this; to give students possibility to find themselves when reading books and make meanings on their own in order to help them find their own voice/identity in today’s society and not just become “part of the pack".
-Eric P

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Carol Matas talks about "the kid who read the whole vacation" and while reading in school may not always be that fun, as educators we need to remember that reading, to some degree, should be fun. If we force books and deadlines on our students all the time, it just diminishes their experiences with reading.

I am glad teachers such as Coby Sharp are finding ways to still read as a class during the pandemic. I particularly like Sharp's use of the projector when reading picture books. I feel that projecting the book makes the images and text within it more accessible. I am pretty short so if I wasn't sitting in the front while we sat on the carpet to read, I was not seeing much. The projector would have removed this issue for me and would likely help other students as well. Defiantly an idea I'll have to steal when I have my own class.

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I really enjoyed in each of these videos just how passionate the presenters were. Cornelius and Colby in Particular.

Cornelius mentioned that every time he reads to his students it's an opportunity to discuss race.  He also talks about how he encourages his students to ask questions, as the classroom is the ideal environment to answer whatever questions his students may have. I think that this is a fantastic mindset to have as an educator.

I liked how energetic and positive Colby's videos were. Especially considering how crazy everything currently is with the pandemic. Many of his students are probably feeling uneasy and uncomfortable as they adapt to life in the pandemic; however I'm sure that Colby's passion and energy helps tremendously with them feeling comfortable and safe within the classroom.

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Two ideas from the videos really stood out for me. One, the importance of representation in literature. As a white male, I feel that this is something that I never really considered growing up. However, I now know the importance representation has. As educators, this is something we should reflect on in our daily teachings. The second, involves us a educators. I feel that in a few of the videos, the educators strived to be energetic and interested in their books. By doing so, they were able to capture the interests of their students and encourage/facilitate engagement.
- Adrian

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"Allow those questions to live." - Cornelius Minor.
I loved this quote in the first video. I think it is so important that we allow students to wonder, to explore, and to discuss meaningful topics in the classroom setting. I think that if we, as teachers, choose books in our classes that inspire students to question their surroundings, they are able to develop a stronger sense of critical literacy which is an extremely valuable skill.
- Mackenna