Similarly, this weekend included oh-so-many opportunities to re-read "A Mother for Choco," my 2 ½ year old's favorite book, about a bird named Choco in search of a mother. (Clearly, the title could leave more to the imagination.) I would attribute much less to the repeated requests for this book in a single sitting if it weren't in desperate need of repair from my older son's strikingly similar devotion to it. While the word never appears in the book, it's clear that my two children have always known, seemingly instinctually, that it's an adoption story that connects to some part of their stories.
As an adoptive parent of two biracial boys who has spent a career studying books and stories, it's hard to interpret the fact of my children's every choice as anything other than a testimony to the fundamental human truth emerging as essential in education: representation matters. Stories, as educator Rudine Sims Bishop asserts, serve as both windows into and mirrors of one another's experience.
From my children to your children to Marley Diaz, the now-fifteen-year-old founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, today's youngest generation of learners proves that a deep sense of belonging begins with stories that embody and value our individual and collective experiences and identities. We are well-served by leaning into the lessons that young people teach us about what it means to see one’s experiences not only acknowledged but embraced in daily classroom learning.
At Friends School Haverford, I'm privileged to work alongside teachers who embrace this truth and strive to find the books and stories that reflect the experiences of every student in their classroom. I'm grateful to know that this goes on throughout the year, day in and day out, and is not reserved for a particular month or season. Affirming our students for who they are and offering them a chance to see the world from each other’s perspective is at the heart of what we do here at Friends School Haverford, every day.