We want to take a moment to acknowledge that May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  We recognize that within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community there is much diversity and many strengths to celebrate. At AFIA, we strive to celebrate the diversity and strengths all of our community members bring to our school all year long.

Our teachers use high quality read-alouds as a way to affirm students and introduce to individuals from backgrounds different than their own. We draw from the work of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop who describes literature as “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors”. Our practice is rooted in this concept. For example, during a recent professional development, our teachers engaged in portrait reading and discussion related to the book, Baseball Saved Us. The author highlights the experience of Japanese Americans during and after the internment camps.

Snapshots from our classrooms

In March, Ms. Doerr’s class read My Name is Yoon and learned about Korean folk art. Students then created art in response to the book.

 

 

In response to the increased anti-Asian crimes, Ms. Haley’s 6th grade class read “There’s been a rise in anti-Asian attacks. Here’s how to be an ally to the community” on Newsela.com. In response, the students generated a list of ideas of how they can be an ally.

 

 

 

 

Learning and taking action

One of our student’s parents shared that there are bystander intervention trainings available online. To learn more visit the Asian Americans Advancing Justice website. These trainings are interactive and are one-hour long. There are two scheduled for next week.

We celebrate the diversity of the AFIA community and strive to ensure our community is welcoming and affirming for all individuals. We are committed to our responsibility in fostering an inclusive community for everyone, not only at AFIA, but a global community as well.