Thread by @triciaebarvia

Yesterday at #ctj_pd workshop, @Klind2013 asked, "What does it mean to #DisruptTexts?" My initial response was to frame it w/in the context of our classrooms. And so #DisruptTexts for me involves at least two related and necessary moves: /1

1) Replace problematic texts to make space for the rich literary & intellectual history of POC. Consider the themes or essential ?s explored in the curriculum & ask: whose voices, what points-of-view are not reflected in our study? Who is being centered? Then find those texts. /2

This may require some honest, difficult conversations w/colleagues. It will mean, as @TchKimPossible pointed out yesterday, talking about racism, how it manifests itself in our choices, about voices we value and those we do have not. There will be discomfort and defensiveness. /3

It will also be hard because many Ts (myself included) are products of a traditionally unjust system. As I wrote in this piece, I had always considered myself "well-educated" but now I know that "well-educated" has a rather narrow definition. /4 blog.heinemann.com/heinemann-fell…

Therefore—unless you are T who has gone out of their way to seek with intention the voices of POC who have been often left out of the curriculum and have read, read, read these perspectives—this will also be hard bc now you're in a place where you might lack expertise. /5

It will require doing the extra work to make up for this gap in our reading experiences (note: maybe that's a gap we should be talking about).

So this will mean reading outside of our comfort zones. How inclusive is your reading life? (See self-reflection ?s in link above) /6

But #DisruptTexts isn't just about replacing some texts, although that will be necessary and hard to do. And because replacing texts isn't always an option for financial or other practical reasons, here's the second thing that #DisruptTexts also means... /7

2) Apply a critical lens to the texts you DO teach. Consider the traditional "narratives" and themes we teach about certain texts. You know the ones. Gatsby represents American Dream. Atticus and John Proctor are heroic. Lord of the Flies is about the evil in all mankind. /8

Resist those singular interpretations and the narratives they perpetuate. Teach multiple, divergent, even contradicting interpretations. Ask: how are characters portrayed, positioned? Which perspectives are missing? Encourage Ss to take issue w/these dominant interpretations. /9

Use the literature as a forward-facing entryway into the urgent problems of now. Racism in TKAM is not a product of its time; racism is a problem NOW. Don't assume that Ss will know this. Offer Ss opportunities to dig in and explore, question, find relevant connections. /10

Ask Ss to reflect on their own identities and the experiences that have shaped them. Because it's these identities that we bring to every single reading experience. Because it's these identities that are the vehicles for bias and prejudice. Unpack those. For example... /11

TKAM is beloved. But when we see Atticus as a role model, Ss may take away the idea that being like Atticus = good person (i.e. not racist). If our experiences have taught us to "treat others with kindness," if we say to ourselves, "I'm a good person," then... /12

Admiring Atticus (the individual hero) can be comforting. Yet this obscures and erases the fact that racism is not about a single person as much as it is about a SYSTEM. /13

Finally, I want to acknowledge that the language of #DisruptTexts might seem threatening to some. When we remove a (beloved) text, we think of this removal as a loss. We're "losing" something (culture, history, etc.). But the truth is, what we're doing is making space. /14

When we #DisruptTexts, we're making the necessary space to be honest about ALL of our literary history, which must include more voices. This isn't rewriting history; it's correcting it. /15

#DisruptTexts may be about disruption, but ultimately, I think it's about restoration. #DisruptTexts is a type of restorative practice. By reckoning w/gaps in our curriculum (and in ourselves), we can address inequities perpetuated by our curricular choices... /16

And perhaps we can begin to mend the fractures these systemic inequities create in our clsrms & in our relationships w/Ss. When we #DisruptTexts we can invite Ss to understand the real power of literature—to provoke questioning, build understanding, and foster empathy. /End

UPDATING this thread with a blog post of this thread, with some additional thoughts. #DisruptTexts wp.me/p6rnl0-1uR