DEAR Reader,
We created this website to inform and educate others of the importance of exposing children to literature about poverty. Each of us has a connection with poverty, whether it is living or knowing someone who lives in poverty, volunteering at a food bank, or tutoring and mentoring students from economically disadvantaged communities. Our exposure and connection to poverty has created an empathic heart in each one of us. Because of this, we are inspired to erase the false stigmas and negative stereotypes surrounding children and people who live in poverty. With "More Than Poor," our aim is to provide educators and parents with a resource they can go to and learn about how to effectively and conscientiously teach their students and children the social justice issue of poverty. Our hope with this website is for people not living in or have a connection to poverty, to be exposed to literature that teaches and reveals accurate depictions of poverty, and will be the begin to break down economic dividers. We want people, who do not live in poverty, to view and judge people living in poverty based on their character and not their tax bracket. Also, we want this website to be a resource for people living in poverty or teaching children who live in poverty, and to realize there are texts their students and children can read that they can relate to and connect with.
Currently, we are all enrolled in the Critical Literacy of Children’s Literature course at Texas Christian University. This semester we have discussed multiple social justice issues. A few of the topics we have discussed include gender stereotypes, family dynamics, racism, immigration, and poverty. However, not everyone has experienced the struggles associated with each of these issues. As a result, we have read and been exposed to diverse and multicultural literature to gain insights into other peoples' worlds, while at other times seeing ourselves and our lives in the books we read. Through close reading diverse texts, we have had the great benefit of becoming more empathic to the lives of people different than us, and inspired by the stories that share similarities to our own lives. One article we read in class was "#WeNeedMirrorsAndWindows: Diverse Classroom Libraries for K-6 Students" (2016) by Jonda C. McNair, which discusses how books have the power and "potential to entertain, foster a love of reading, and inform while also affirming the multiple aspects of students' identities and exposing them to the values, viewpoints, and historical legacies of others" (p. 375). The article goes into detail about books on economic class and how not all children live in middle or upper class families, and as a result "they too should see their experiences be reflected in books" (McNair, 2016, p. 378). The article confirms that although there are many struggles associated with living in poverty, books exist that depict people living in poverty in a positive and realistic manner, who care about their communities and the people around them (McNair, 2016). Additionally, the textbook we read this semester, Children's Literature in the Reading Program, discusses how exposure to different people, cultures, and struggles is important and beneficial because "Humans need to know each other in order to understand and appreciate, rather than distrust and misjudge, one another" (Wooten, Liang, & Cullinan, 2018, p. 4). If people are only exposed to literature similar to their own lives, then their view of others is restricted and skewed, and the world in which they operate in is small. The book even talks about how if children are not exposed to literature about people who have different lives than them, they can develop a toxic hierarchy that causes them to view people with different lives as inferior. This is why having children read and discuss books on people who live in poverty is so important. If children see others who come from different backgrounds, including poor families, in a positive light, then they will see them as equals, and more than just being poor.
We hope that this website will be used as a tool for educators, parents, and students to develop an authentic understanding of poverty while simultaneously encouraging individuals to cultivate relationships unbiased of socioeconomic status. We truly wish that this website will spark empathy and motivation in your hearts and that you will take this information to better yourselves and your community, whether that be a classroom, office, or personal setting.
We want all students, regardless of socio-economic class, to have empathy for others and base their worth and the worth of others on their character and not the material objects they have.
Thank you,
Gabriel, Abby, and Madelyn
McNair, J.C. (2016). #Weneedmirrorsandwindows: diverse classroom libraries for k-6 students. The Reading Teacher, 70(3), 375-381. doi:10.1002/trtr.1516.
Wooten, D.A., Liang, L.A., & Cullin, B.E. (Eds.). (2018). Children's literature in the reading program. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Currently, we are all enrolled in the Critical Literacy of Children’s Literature course at Texas Christian University. This semester we have discussed multiple social justice issues. A few of the topics we have discussed include gender stereotypes, family dynamics, racism, immigration, and poverty. However, not everyone has experienced the struggles associated with each of these issues. As a result, we have read and been exposed to diverse and multicultural literature to gain insights into other peoples' worlds, while at other times seeing ourselves and our lives in the books we read. Through close reading diverse texts, we have had the great benefit of becoming more empathic to the lives of people different than us, and inspired by the stories that share similarities to our own lives. One article we read in class was "#WeNeedMirrorsAndWindows: Diverse Classroom Libraries for K-6 Students" (2016) by Jonda C. McNair, which discusses how books have the power and "potential to entertain, foster a love of reading, and inform while also affirming the multiple aspects of students' identities and exposing them to the values, viewpoints, and historical legacies of others" (p. 375). The article goes into detail about books on economic class and how not all children live in middle or upper class families, and as a result "they too should see their experiences be reflected in books" (McNair, 2016, p. 378). The article confirms that although there are many struggles associated with living in poverty, books exist that depict people living in poverty in a positive and realistic manner, who care about their communities and the people around them (McNair, 2016). Additionally, the textbook we read this semester, Children's Literature in the Reading Program, discusses how exposure to different people, cultures, and struggles is important and beneficial because "Humans need to know each other in order to understand and appreciate, rather than distrust and misjudge, one another" (Wooten, Liang, & Cullinan, 2018, p. 4). If people are only exposed to literature similar to their own lives, then their view of others is restricted and skewed, and the world in which they operate in is small. The book even talks about how if children are not exposed to literature about people who have different lives than them, they can develop a toxic hierarchy that causes them to view people with different lives as inferior. This is why having children read and discuss books on people who live in poverty is so important. If children see others who come from different backgrounds, including poor families, in a positive light, then they will see them as equals, and more than just being poor.
We hope that this website will be used as a tool for educators, parents, and students to develop an authentic understanding of poverty while simultaneously encouraging individuals to cultivate relationships unbiased of socioeconomic status. We truly wish that this website will spark empathy and motivation in your hearts and that you will take this information to better yourselves and your community, whether that be a classroom, office, or personal setting.
We want all students, regardless of socio-economic class, to have empathy for others and base their worth and the worth of others on their character and not the material objects they have.
Thank you,
Gabriel, Abby, and Madelyn
McNair, J.C. (2016). #Weneedmirrorsandwindows: diverse classroom libraries for k-6 students. The Reading Teacher, 70(3), 375-381. doi:10.1002/trtr.1516.
Wooten, D.A., Liang, L.A., & Cullin, B.E. (Eds.). (2018). Children's literature in the reading program. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.