About this Library

The phrase 'windows and mirrors' comes from the National Seed Project, and was specifically introduced by Emily Style. A window is content that helps one to view another individuals experience. A mirror is a resource that allows you to see a reflection of yourself in it, and possibly even help you to understand your own personal identity. Emily points out that what an individual sees out the window is however objective to their experience and also their identities (Style, n.d.). I feel that this creates an even greater purpose for 'windows and mirrors' as it allows for multiple perspectives to be brought to light.

Windows allow students to see how diverse individuals can be this allows them to better understand the people throughout the world and can lead to less judgement on differences which can lead to greater acceptance. Also windows facilitate a better understanding of inclusion. According to Emily, the golden rule, "do unto others as you would have them unto you" clearly describes the importance of using windows and mirrors within your classroom. She stated it as taking "one's own sensibilities and [projecting] them through the window onto the other" (Style n.d.). Mirrors help students to feel a sense of value and belonging. This phrase is the meaning behind the title of this library and also one of the main reasons it was created. I hope that throughout these books you see both windows and mirrors.

This library is not a perfectly tailored list. I did my best to try and compile books that not only represent different genders, sexualities, races, disabilities, social classes, cultures and more but also show these differences in different ways. By this I mean that I attempted to make sure that these books do not all just follow different stereotypes associated with these groups. Another important factor is to include authors of all different backgrounds and identities. This library by no means contains a representation of every individual as we are all different in so many ways however I did try to include as much as I could. One of the main challenges I faced was even finding books to represent many of these aspects. Which goes to show that this issue is bigger than just the classroom library. I as a future teacher I hope to use this as a reference for my own future library and will continue to add on, learn, and reflect.

As of now I have also only featured picture books as I plan to teach at the elementary school level and I believe that this representation is especially important at such a young age. Picture books are still great resources at higher levels of education as well.

One of the highlights of creating a website for this content is its ability to be seen by a larger audience. While creating this however I thought about how this format is not accessible to everyone. I hope those who are able to view this interact with the content enjoy it. Please enjoy and new book recommendations are encouraged!

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Sources:

Style, E. (n.d.). Curriculum as window and mirror. Retrieved May 01, 2021, from https://nationalseedproject.org/Key-SEED-Texts/curriculum-as-window-and-mirror