I have a mini-thought running through my head about CRP. Bear with me.
CRP, or Culturally Responsive Pedagogy is about allowing students to see themselves in the texts and projects that they interact with in the classrooms.
In an English class, this means that... (1/12)

...books include South Asian authors, Black authors, authors living in Canada but from diasporas from around the world, First Nations authors, Métis authors, and Inuit authors (among others). This is important. The analogy that I have heard which illustrates this... (2/12)

...is that Education can be a Window or a Mirror. A window to experiences which are outside the experiences/cultures/traditions that the student is a part of; A mirror to experiences to which students are very familiar to. I often find myself excited to read books by... (3/12)

...Punjabi/Sikh authors, not because I devalue other perspectives, but there is something fulfilling about reading a book by someone whose experiences mirror my own; sometimes, these stories bring up incredible hardships from the histories of Punjabi people,... (4/12)

... such as the Komagata Maru incident, Partition, and Indira Gandhi/Operation Bluestar. It is a way to process that inherited trauma, and to educate myself through perspectives which may differ from my own even if it is of the same history.
As a window, I often ... (5/12)

...read texts by Indigenous and Caribbean authors and note the similarities (and differences) of the process of colonization. The Window becomes open, and I can feel the air of the unfamiliar mingling with the air that is around me; a breeze that creates... (6/12)

...a link between worlds, lives, ideologies. This is why diverse authors are sorely needed in our English (and French) classrooms.
A Twist:
Another sort of culture is our students' own culture. They are growing up in an age of reality TV and Superhero movies... (7/12)

...I remember using a small intro from a recent Batman comic book (Curse of the White Knight, issue 4) to demonstrate parallel plot and imagery. The best part of that lesson was a Black student saying... (8/12)

..."If more teachers used superheroes to explain stuff, I would be much more engaged!" Which made me really happy, because I know that tapping into CRP is a multifaceted approach. When students are using SnapChat or TikTok (security issues aside) do not make fun... (9/12)

...of them, but use it as an "in" to their world. Do not put "the classics" above any other text. Yes Classics have some great inspirational stories; but honestly, if it does not interest students, there is nothing wrong with engaging them via something that is... (10/12)

...current and relevant to them. I want to end this thread by letting you all know that @comiXology currently has released all Black Panther comics for free, in honour of Chadwick Boseman. Please download the catalog, read through them, and consider using them... (11/12)

...in your classrooms. Geography, Social Sciences, History, English, Art, ... so many cross-curricular connections can be made. (12/12)
Link here:
https://www.comixology.com/search/items?search=black+panther&subType=SINGLE_ISSUES&irgwc=1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=IR&utm_campaign=Skimbit%20Ltd.-10078&tid=IR-affiliate-10078&clickid=RDpxpvSw7xyORV0wUx0Mo38qUkiVeXSRrXIqVc0

Bonus: Okay, so this was more than just a "mini-thought". Turned out longer than I expected