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I found the recommendations section of this essay very helpful for thinking about the topic and thinking about ways to fix it.  Myers-Hughes writes, "We call upon parents, caregivers, and teachers to provide a lens through which the children process the images and stories; mediation by an adult can make all the difference.  Only by critically engaging children in reading the world within the text and illustrations can we hope to create a more equitable society for people with disabilities" (198).  One of the most important points in this quote is that it is the responsibility of the adult to determine appropriateness of a book and lead the thinking surrounding the book. There are some messages in books that children don't necessarily pick up on right away, but picture books are the perfect way to start a discussion on topics and look through the book for examples and support. It also gives children the chance to develop their own ways of thinking and self-identities by creating a spot for them to interact with deeper ideas in a mediated setting.

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This essay touches on two things that I have been looking into a lot more in the past few years: appropriate and inclusive picture book choices and the way disabilities are portrayed and handled in education.  Going to school at a private school, there were very few students with disabilities, both physical and learning disabilities.  I had very little exposure to disabilities until 6th grade when my dad and stepmom got married, and I gained a step-cousin with Down's Syndrome.  I really had no idea how to treat her or interact with her, and soon realized how wrong that was.  She was just like every other kid, but my prejudgements about her prevented me from seeing that right away.  That realization has led me to much different thoughts about those with disabilities and has allowed me to think about how I can prevent this kind of thinking in myself and create a classroom that welcomes everyone.  In terms of picture books, I hadn't really thought about "harmful" picture books until taking my Diversity in Children's Lit class.  I had never really thought that kids would catch onto the hidden ideas and stereotypes in picture books, but I soon learned how wrong that was.  I began learning about the different resources to fill my classroom with unbiased and inclusive books and now find myself evaluating many of the picture books I read.  Even in exploring so many picture books in the past few years, picture books featuring disabilities are ones that I haven't seen much of. I hope to fill my future classroom library with a variety of books that touch on social class, race, sexism, and ableism in order to create an inclusive classroom environment.

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This essay really reminded me of a social justice form of classroom management, but squished into one unit. It really focused on getting students to see that they have influence in the world and the way it works. Connecting to the classroom management techniques we've looked at, I'd like to find a way to bring social justice issues into the classroom. It can focus on the past, present, and future, and it shows students that the world is constantly changing and we can be a part of that change. In thinking about the development of the unit, the author was very candid about mistakes she made and things she wished she had done differently. This being said, she didn't say "oh no this didn't work I'm not doing it again". Instead she learned from her mistakes and decided how she could improve it for next time. I try to hold this same mindset, focusing on my mistakes as ways to improve and learn rather than as bad things. This is also important for students to see, showing them that everyone makes mistakes but that isn't a bad thing. I think in teaching we all have times where we think we have no idea what we're doing, or something doesn't go as expected, and this viewpoint on the realities of that was comforting to read.

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When reading Walters' essay, I thought most about the following quote: "I also felt clear progress toward one of my goals: that my students understand that young children can make a difference" (112). I feel like children are often told from a young age that they are too little to do things, or don't know enough yet. We often hold back certain topics because we think they're "too deep" for young children to grasp. When students are given the tools to succeed and push their thinking, however, we see their worlds open up and watch them embrace hard concepts and tasks. In my high school I was given an opportunity to make a difference by creating a "justice project", on whatever topic and idea I chose. I could have done something small, like held a bake sale, but my teacher pushed me to accomplish so much more, and I ended up singlehandedly raising over $400 for the American Cancer Society through organized school and community events. It's important as educators to push students past their comfort zone and extend their abilities so they can succeed in ways they hadn't imagined, giving them the power to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

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Reading through this article gave me some really good ideas for how to approach tough subjects in my own classroom. I liked how the topic developed as the class went, turning it into an entire unit. This allowed different students to connect more easily with different assignments and develop their own personal feelings on the topic, turning it into deeper discussion.

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"I am certain that the quality of my students' work and their commitment to struggling through difficult material was born not just out of a dedication to learning, but from the meaningful, provocative content of child labor" (79).  This quote makes me think about the way students engage with material. You can tell when a class is not interested in a topic or does not think it's applicable. This topic, however, grabbed their attention and pulled the students into it, resulting in deeper thinking and full understanding of the topic at hand.

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Reading through this article, I found the topic incredibly daunting. There are a lot of topics that are good to talk about in schools, like child labor or slavery, that I have absolutely no experience with. But even though I might not have experience with it, students in my class might. I realized that this requires lots of research, to make sure I can present difficult topic in a way that represents them appropriately and accurately. I also need to take into account that my students may have differing opinions or ideas about them, which is enriching to share with the class. Being a teacher is not about knowing everything, it's about learning everything, even learning from your students.