Growing up as the one of the two Asians in an all-white elementary school, I was always hesitant about bringing up anything Asian with non-Asians. When I was asked to read the book Empty Pot to my class, I was a bit nervous and unsure of how the students would respond. I didn’t realize that I had all these thoughts running through my head just because the book had to do with some Chinese. Would the students think I chose this book because the story took place in China? Would the students think this is what is normal in Asia? Would the students ask me personal questions about being Asian? I wasn’t even sure if the students would enjoy the book because it was ancient Chinese story.
When I read the book for Read Aloud, I was surprised by the students’ responses. The students were engaged in throughout the reading, the students were following along closely as I read, asked questions, and shared their thoughts and predictions. What is an emperor? What was the boy’s name again? Why was Ping the only one who didn’t have a growing seed? The students loved the story and had a long discussion afterwards about what they thought about the story.
I learned something that day that I’ll take with me as I teach and choose materials to introduce to my students. I learned to not assume what the students’ responses will be. It is okay to think about the different responses students will have and be prepared for their responses; however, their responses should not limit you from sharing something in class. Particularly for materials that are teaching about different countries and history, it is doing the students a favor when teachers read books that introduce different cultures and practices. To add, I should be careful not to get my personal insecurities in the way of providing what’s good for my students.
When I read the book for Read Aloud, I was surprised by the students’ responses. The students were engaged in throughout the reading, the students were following along closely as I read, asked questions, and shared their thoughts and predictions. What is an emperor? What was the boy’s name again? Why was Ping the only one who didn’t have a growing seed? The students loved the story and had a long discussion afterwards about what they thought about the story.
I learned something that day that I’ll take with me as I teach and choose materials to introduce to my students. I learned to not assume what the students’ responses will be. It is okay to think about the different responses students will have and be prepared for their responses; however, their responses should not limit you from sharing something in class. Particularly for materials that are teaching about different countries and history, it is doing the students a favor when teachers read books that introduce different cultures and practices. To add, I should be careful not to get my personal insecurities in the way of providing what’s good for my students.