Evaluation of Teaching Ideas when Teaching Self-Identity

 For this evaluation I chose the book "Becoming Vanessa" by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. In this book, a girl named Vanessa prepares for her first day of school with an outfit that has all of her favorite clothing items. While she's at school she becomes self-conscious about being herself because her outfit is seen as a distraction by her classmates with all the questions and pointing out; but her teacher loves it. She also becomes self-conscious about her name because her classmates names aren't as long, so she tries to say that she is a different name. Once she's home she tries to avoid the day by ignoring that it happened at all. The next day, Vanessa wears an ordinary outfit that doesn't have the "personal touch" of Vanessa, and her mom helps her remember why she is so unique and how she doesn't need her favorite clothes to show that she is unique in her own way. Once she is reminded of the importance of her name and why she is unique and special, she goes to class and shares what makes her so special and unique. I feel like this book is a great way to teach students to be proud of their uniqueness and individuality. It could also be a great resource to help students be more comfortable and embrace the first day of school; help them come out of their shell, with the right activity :). In the two articles I chose, they both provide tips for providing an identity-safe environment, that students feel welcome and safe being themselves in. In the edutopia article by Becki Cohn-Vargas and Dorothy M. Steele, one of the tips given was "Every day (not restricted to a specific month or holiday), include diverse music, art, games, stories, and activities that reflect the backgrounds of each student". I feel like this is a great idea that can help teachers understand that learning about, and celebrating, identity doesn't just have to be during holidays, you can build personal, and self identity year round through mini-lessons or activities. In the second article from Understanding Prejudice, one of the tips given was "Make empathy training as central to your lesson plans as reading, writing, and arithmetic". This one is an important idea I feel, because empathy for others, when it comes to sharing things about self-identity, is important to have so that there is a judgment free zone during these conversations. Overall, self-identity is an important thing for students to understand and accept because, "without addressing each student's needs for belonging and value, we cannot successfully teach them". 

Resources: 

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/creating-an-identity-safe-classroom-becki-cohn-vargas-dorothy-steele

https://secure.understandingprejudice.org/teach/elemtips.htm