TT Community Has Great Span, Wants to Help

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Kathy Collier-Paul wanted to help Khadija, her brown-eyed, black-haired Muslim student, who didn’t feel she fit among the other primarily blond-haired, blue-eyed students. Last month, Collier-Paul turned to Teaching Tolerance’s Facebook page seeking recommendations for books featuring main characters of color. A daily visitor to the TT Facebook page, she hoped that a staff member might read her message and offer a resource or two.   

“Teaching Tolerance is the expert I can turn to,” said Collier-Paul, a first-grade teacher in a St. Louis suburb, where the diversity of students is mostly socioeconomic. “That’s why I posted.”

She had already searched Amazon for book titles, but found only surface-level books about including celebrations that represent diverse cultures.  Collier-Paul already celebrates each student for her unique qualities and invites families into the classroom to share traditions. 

“I am looking for anything I can do to make her more comfortable,” she wrote about Khadija in her message. “Perhaps a resource for finding great books with people of color as the characters? Anything you can help me with is welcome!”

We reposted her message with the status, “We need your advice and help.” Within minutes, the worldwide TT community of educators began offering book titles, films and other resources. To date, the post has generated nearly 170 responses.

Cat Lollis offered a website including Muslim books for children. “I highly recommend Listen to the Wind, an adaptation of the adult book, Three Cups of Tea that the teacher should read,” Lollis wrote.

And more came.

“I spent two hours writing down all the links,” Collier-Paul said.

This is just one benefit of having a connected community of educators willing to share book titles, strategies and advice.

The outpouring inspired Collier-Paul. She wanted to make sure the books at her school reflected all her students. She applied for a local district grant that paid for 17 books from the list of titles the TT Facebook community suggested.

Her students are now reading a new book each day. There’s even a fairy tale featuring a Muslim Cinderella. According to Collier-Paul, the books are starting “wonderful conversations”—not only for Khadija, but for her entire class. “They all are learning and making connections. It’s been amazing.”

And the sharing didn’t stop there.

Collier-Paul will lead a workshop for teachers at her school to talk about the new books she discovered.

The TT network is large, knowledgeable and ready to help when you need assistance. As Collier-Paul put it, “There are experts among us.”

Williamson is associate editor for Teaching Tolerance.