Windows and mirrors
There’s a lot of talk about authentic representation in the stories teachers use in their classrooms. The idea of “windows and mirrors” is not new. Over at PBS, an article recently detailed what this means in practice with the focus on race / ethnicity.
As teachers, what we choose to teach and talk about matters, and it is our job to choose topics and texts that reflect our students because they matter. For far too long, our Black, Indigenous, and students of color have either seen themselves tokenized, misrepresented, or not represented at all. It is time to reconsider what texts we view as canon, what voices we regard as worthy, and what themes, storylines, and storytelling mediums are considered academic or rigorous. It is time to select the stories that really matter: ones that center and empower our BIPOC students.
A window is something you can see the world through. The texts teachers put in front of their students should share this quality. When it comes to reading, we have all heard the narrative that books transport readers to different realms and allow us to escape. Or, books give us a way to experience another culture or live the life of a person who may be different from us or may have come long before us. Whilst this all may seem harmless, one can argue that these thoughts may be insensitive and lack critical awareness. When we teach students this, we give students the impression that cultures and places in the world require escape, that they are different in a bad way, and this can perpetuate ideas of xenophobia and assimilation.
Instead, what if we were to use windows to learn history, authentic perspectives, and perhaps, shared experiences? What if these windows could help us to be better citizens and teach us ways to navigate the world, honor culture, and make prosocial choices?
Mirrors allow us to see ourselves. They show us what we look like, they let us examine ourselves, and they can give us a glimpse of our ancestry and heritage. Sometimes a mirror will show you a part of you that you did not notice before, and there is beauty in that. When choosing stories, they should reflect images of our students’ multiple identities and the world we actually live in.
Seeing ourselves in literature is a rare gift. It can be an empowering experience as a reader to see a protagonist who is similar to us. It is uplifting to meet a character who is like you in some way and relate to them, watch them develop and grow over time in a way that is not cliche. It is inspiring to read an author’s work whose voice feels like that of a family member. It is special to be able to connect with a person you will never get to meet. These mirrors help us see ourselves in relation to the world and help us build connection and a sense of belonging. They also show readers what is possible.
With these ideas in mind, do autistic people see themselves authentically represented in the texts provided to students? If you’re choosing a text to present to students, are the characters realistic and authentic, or tokenized? Here are some questions to help facilitate your text selection process:
Author and Identity-- Who wrote this? Can you use poets, artists, and other creatives as storytellers? What values do these authors stand for? Do they support causes and agendas contrary to the well-being of autistic people? Do they have the right to carry autistic voices?
Characters and Character Development-- Who is the protagonist and how are they developed? What characters are represented and are they misrepresented? Does the character development perpetuate stereotypes or false and harmful narratives? What role does intersectionality play in the story? Do characters look like the different yet full selves of your students?
Themes and Ideas-- Do themes mirror assimilationist ideology and make students feel like they need to conform to dominant culture? Do themes teach students that working hard is all you need to do to succeed, which can be a harmful message for disabled students? Do the hardships and resolutions of stories encourage students to follow the status quo? Are you willing to get rid of texts that do this? Are you prepared to provide students with counter narratives? Do the ideas of the texts uphold a harmful ideology like eugenics?
Joy and Resilience-- Do your texts highlight and showcase the joy of autistic people, disabled people, and people outside of the dominant culture? Do your texts (stories, songs, poems, narratives, articles, art expressions) tell and showcase counter narratives? Do you celebrate joy and tell stories of joy beyond heritage months? If you recognize and applause students for resilience, how do you demonstrate to them why they’re resilient and have had to be resilient?
Language-- Does the language in a text cause harm, marginalize, exclude, etc.? How is language or differences in language portrayed in the text? Is it negative? How can we honor students' home language and language variants in the texts we put in front of students? Does the text feature non-verbal characters? If so, how so?
A Quick Note About Nonfiction Texts
In the age of information and ever flowing news cycles, there is an abundance of nonfiction texts to choose from on autism. You may choose to analyze articles, news stories, opinion pieces, Tweets, headlines, graphs and charts, and other informational texts. Either way, it is equally important that we choose texts that help teach students about themselves and social issues that arise and those that are all around us. Consider the role you might play in gatekeeping or withholding important information our students deserve to know.
I know that we are all doing and holding a lot as educators and parents. Whether you are teaching in a classroom, from a distance, or in a hybrid or blended learning environment, or at home, know that you are not alone. May you continue to show up and bring life to the stories that matter.
If you’ve found content that you particularly like, I would encourage you to share it in the comments below.