Of the 32 students I have in my classroom, 18 are boys and 14 are girls.

Approximately two thirds of them are White, and the last third is a blend of 1 Black
student, 2 Hispanic students, and a handful more that are listed as either Pacific
Islander or mixed race.
Texts included on my walls are both teacher- and student-created anchor charts,
reading strategies, and vocabulary words. We also have a bulletin board of sorts that
displays sticky notes with kind words/acknowledgements from student to student.
Computer programs used at school are ambiguous in terms of the culture for which it is
designed for -- unless you count an ELL population. The programs assumes students
are proficient in English; this is not an issue for my students in particular as none of
them are deemed to be English Language Learners.
When it comes to books, there are plenty of them. Currently on display on the
whiteboards in the room are a variety of books about sports (primarily baseball)
because our current and upcoming reading units are about sports in America and
Jackie Robinson. Among those are a few books about sports other than baseball, or
girls/women in sports (as my attempt to reach out to my girl students). There are a few
other books on my desk that students queue to read; they were picked by me as
(potentially) good reads that are similar to ones Ive read aloud in class.
Ive worked hard over the last 3 years to build a library with a variety of different
genres. Non-fiction is far outweighed by literary, but maintains a noticeable presence
nonetheless. Labels are currently missing and books are miscategorized, so Ive
recently noticed/felt that books are not as easily accessible if a student is looking for

something in particular. In addition, in sharing books that I thought the class would like
because they pertain to my read-alouds or units of study, that relegating books to only
one genre can kind of limit the likelihood that a student will read it. So then, do I come
up with other means of classifications or rely on my teacher-ness to be able to suggest
specific books to readers?
To analyze my classroom text solely on the representation of students cultures,
the majority (White) is well-represented. There are a fair amount of books for Black
students as well, especially considering the displayed Jackie Robinson, Negro League,
and teacher recommended books for Black History Month. However, when considering
that I have a handful or two of students that are of Pacific Island, Hispanic, Asian,
and/or American Indian heritage, there are not many books to be found. I didnt think
much of the skewed representation of my students, but definitely was made aware as a
few students mentioned theyd be interested in seeing books about Native Americans or
Hawaiians (both comments coming from students whom I had not previously known had
such culture in their backgrounds). Though I dont think either student feels ostracized in
the classroom, I just think of how much more connected they would feel to see that part
of themselves represented in the character of a book.
It will be my goal moving forward to begin assembling a collection of books that
showcase a broader variety of characters and authors, including cultures that students
did not mention, because I think theres benefit in exposure to the other anyway. Even
though I have a fair amount of books in my classroom, Id like to become more
acquainted with many of the books so that I can recommend books to my students. By

no means would I embark on an endeavor to read them all, but that would be a
relationship Id like to foster within my classroom. Or, incorporating student suggestions
so that peers are viewed as resources for recommendations.
This learning experience reminded me of the importance of reading, and the
power that finding oneself in a text or book can have. Ive completed this assignment
with renewed interest in making my library an interactive space for my students to
connect with themselves and others.