Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors – 3

Rudine Sims Bishop is an American author who introduced me to the importance of displaying multiculturalism through children’s literature. Her phrase “mirrors, windows and, sliding glass doors,” is a phrase I had not heard in a while. The first time I heard this phrase was. In the very beginning of my teacher education journey, the phrase resonated with me as it was such an important piece of information written in such a simple metaphor, that it made a lot of sense to me.

Mirrors and windows are the most straightforward to me. Students should be able to see themselves (mirrors) in literature and explore other perspectives (windows.) However, sliding glass doors always makes me think a little bit harder. I like to think of it as a slight shift in perspective as if you were to slide a glass door only halfway. Rather than exposing students to completely different lifestyles or topics than they are used to, it shows scenarios students are familiar with, but forces them to look at it from an unfamiliar perspective than they may be used to. This is extremely important in my opinion because as you go through life there will always be people with different perspectives on the same scenario and it builds empathy in these situations. 

I don’t think I will ever be able to fully feel the importance of self-representation in books. As a white settler, I grew up with plenty of self-representation in the books I read. I was often able to see myself in the books I read, but that is not the case for everyone. I’ve always had this privilege so it’s difficult to recognize how much that it has really done for me, as I’ve been taking it for granted my entire life. Recognizing this has made me really excited about my future class library as I want to find the widest range of books, I can find so that everyone in my class feels represented.  

When I think of literature as a window into another life, a glimpse at a different reality, I like to imagine students going through that door and immersing themselves in learning. Really putting themselves in another situation and feeling the emotions of the character creates empathy like none other.

Here is a wide range of books I have found to teach students about diverse topics.