EP 37 Read into Tough Topics

Lisa, Beth and Alanna crack open Teaching Tough Topics by Larry Swarz and we uncover the intersections of own voices, gaps in publishing and how much I Read Canadian day has pushed our school literature collections. The pandemic is further highlighting the inequities in our school systems. Lisa describes how tight knit communities seem to ‘make room’ for invisible diversities but have trouble with other intersections. Beth wrestles with global literature and the primary bubble of kindness, and how not until junior levels do students open themselves to topics of social justice. Alanna recalls relying as a parent on the school to talk about the tough topics in that primary level when communication is just forming.

Shoutouts to Jael Richardson, The FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity), The Knowledge Bookstore, Wali Shah, Lorna Schultz Nicholson, and S.K. Ali