Racism and Discrimination Discussions in the 5th Grade

Today, I completed my second observation in the same 5th grade class from last week. I have to say, I'm glad out of all the days I chose to visit, it was this one for one very important reason. But before I get to that, I'd like to introduce you to a book that I surprisingly haven't read yet, but plan on doing very soon. 

Today, the class that I was observing was reading this particular book. Now I have heard of it before, but personally never read it. Teachers either didn't assign it when I was younger or I didn't really feel the need to earlier in my life. Well, after today I plan on reading this book because of the particular sections that students read in the class. It was a particular section that had a white child who lives in a primarily African American community, discover what it meant to be white in the eyes of some of the people in his community. During the reading, students were quietly listening to the recording and while usually you can find one or two children drifting off and not paying attention, this book had them ALL pay attention. 

The teacher even let them listen to another chapter and I swear I heard some of the students cheering. But what had me so interested in this book was the way it introduced students to issues of racism and discrimination. The teacher, who is an amazing educators that I look up to immensely, had a discussion after the reading of this book with students regarding issues of racism. Particularly, discussing the idea of people of difference races living in separate areas of towns. Students were willing to speak up and share their experiences, and it is important to note that this is a diverse class of students, with a larger percentage of them from Hispanic backgrounds. I think the particular section that I happened to observe was a great way of introducing students to racism and even lead into various current event topics for students. When I finally get my own classroom, I would like to have these kind of open discussions about various topics, while still having my students feel safe, cared for and not judged for their beliefs, culture, or race.