To teach this, it must be stressed to the students that they matter and that they’re worthy of receiving positivity and happiness within the ways that they view themselves. In order to teach something so crucial, the lesson should be surrounded around the power of words. I would first introduce the title of the text and then pose a question to the students as to what they believe the phrase means and how we’ll see that as we read the text aloud together. From then on, I would read the text and continue to put emphasis on certain words. For instance, the sentence “I am enough” is the last phrase of the book. I would read each word slowly and clearly in order to put emphasis on each of the words. From then on, I would ask the students why they believe that the phrase “I am” was continuously repeated throughout the book. This would lead me to highlight the differences in the characters, and I would push my students to consider how this is connected to what the passage was saying. I would end the discussion by asking them why they think that it’s important for people to know why they are enough. This would be a way for me to provide the students with affirmation and to promote high self-esteem within the classroom, thus attributing to a positive class culture.
Raven Jones Stanbrough explains in her article that “When championing for children, all teachers must know that their students deserve to be advocated for and respected” (Stanbrough 74). This is a vast component of Critical Literacy, as it further allows students to think critically as to how certain texts can be connected to our own lives. This could be a powerful book that can be taught within an urban classroom, as these topics are tended to not be discussed as much. Additionally, students within these settings are provided the resources and opportunities to be exposed to Critical Literacy and further enhance their ability to apply textual concepts. It’s essential to establish a classroom that provides a high-level mindset, and it’s just as important that students are exposed to this mindset through their classwork.