Summary Of Mixed Me By Taye Dig

There are specific curriculum standards that must be met for every marking period and across all learning subjects that classroom educators will develop for the I DO, WE DO and YOU DO portions of lessons. In addition, educators will tailor lessons that meet the numerous learning styles of students whether or not they have an IEP. However, an educator that is sensitive to the student’s cultural backgrounds will have postings of students that are in the classroom, and on the exterior classroom bulletin board, and the imagery of people, families and related artifacts in the classroom on display. This same educator will select grade level literature, read stories, view educational videos, visit nearby cultural museums, and even invite guest to

share their stories with the students. All of these things can be done to enhance learning objectives that will further engage students and grow and develop their sense of self and be exposed to things that they did not know, have not seen before, and are curious to know about in a safe and comfortable learning atmosphere.

It is the job of the classroom educator to create an atmosphere of learning that is lively, can take ownership of, and offers students far more than they can get at home.

I have dressed up my classroom with a Yoruba statue, Liberian Dan masks, the actual photographs of classroom students engaged in learning activities and purchased and borrowed books that reflect not only how they look but their experiences as well.

I had a student that was biracial that was having some issues with fitting in according to his White parent. The book Mixed Me by the Rent actor Taye Diggs was purchased and read to the entire classroom. This story resonated with the student during the Read Aloud period so much that his parent told me how much he appreciated the story. My other example that was mentioned in an earlier discussion is the reformulated story of Afrotina and the Three Bears. I purchased this book, several times, for a character education lesson about responsibility and integrity. Afrotina is young Black girl that finally understood the meaning of “Pretty is as pretty does” from her parents. This was a favorite of all the students and it spun off in to a writing activity. “Pretty is as pretty does” became one of our many classroom mantras. More importantly, the little Black girls in this 1st grade classroom could identify with a character, albeit a fictional one, that they could relate to culturally and

visually.

Now we are onto the males in the classroom. Since I have spoken about wearing cologne, going to the gym, riding my fold up bicycle, how I NEVER liked macaroni and cheese, my trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and my take on Black Panther, the male students became comfortable with sharing how they work-out, as 1st graders, their take on the movie and them asking me about the fragrance they are wearing. As their teacher, I used myself and my experiences to connect with them in ways that no curriculum guide could ever provide. Some the best descriptive/narrative writing came from the boys about the Black Panther movie that included the rules of capitalization, punctuation, and the use of adjectives, verbs, conjunctions (FANBOYS), and prepositions to spice up their creations.