Summary
The goal of read alouds is to offer a valuable learning experience to bring the students’ cultures, languages, and voices into the classroom. (Flores, Osorio, and Colorin’ Colorado, 2021). Gay (2002 ) states "We have to remember that students approach learning, not as a cultural blank slate, in that they bring into the classroom, all those cultural experiences.” Read alouds are the perfect vehicle to unpack students' cultural experiences and to make sense of the world.
Conversely, teachers also come to the classroom with stereotypes and implicit bias which can come to fruition or be challenged on our classroom reading rugs. For example, a study out of Yale found that pre-K teachers, white and black alike, spend more time watching black boys, expecting trouble (Gilliam,, Maupin,, Reyes, Accavitti, & Shic, 2016). If the read alouds chosen by teachers perpetuate these stereotypes, rather than dismantle them, the study argues that bias will continue to extend its tentacles and soon bas is not a community or problem, it is a preschool problem. Teachers, with the help of read alouds, have the power to foster a culture of care, provide an open space for dialogue to dismantle bias and stereotypes that both teachers and students bring to the classroom through their lived experiences.
The books teachers use in the classroom give the students the opportunity to be exposed to diverse stories that reflect different perspectives (Flores, et. al). When students are afforded the opportunity to learn and engage in different activities centered around diversity using rich texts and supplies, it sends a powerful message that each student is represented and valued and promotes a pedagogy of care rooted in empathy.