Textbook Racism And The Hidden Curriculum Taught At Schools, The Move To Create A More Representative And Anti-Oppressive Curriculum In Schools

Most of the teachers I had, although great individuals, lacked a culturally responsive pedagogy and could not understand how discouraging it felt to look inside a textbook and not see anyone that represents you. It was disheartening never once to be taught the positive impacts of my community and only see my community represented in criminalizing and dehumanizing ways. These negative portrayals became internalized to the point where I no longer wanted to embrace my LatinX heritage. I felt ashamed in my own skin, and I know that I am not the only one who deals with issues of identity due to outdated anglo curriculum. For such reasons, for my social justice project, I am working on addressing the issues of textbook racism. To address this issue, I am creating curriculum and attempting to build an after-school program for students of color to learn about their histories. My future goals with my project are to develop curricular changes in my former primary and secondary school district. Right now, I have been able to get connected to the different staff members at DU, students from other districts, and staff from DPS to support me in moving forward with my project. I hope that as my project develops I will be able to give students the representation that I wish I had growing up. I know that by making my project a reality, students will be more engaged in school, feel confident in themselves, and fight for social change.