Description

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When educators place love at the center of their work, they change lives—and that is precisely what the authors of this remarkable book aim to do. Drawing from years as researchers and teachers, they share ways they’ve overcome challenges and demonstrate how to engage in ongoing self-reflection and examine common but harmful practices that narrow the curriculum for all children. They offer:

• Practices that affirm and celebrate all students’ identities, languages, and cultures—building a community of engaged and thoughtful learners.
• Hands-on tools for examining yourself, your systems, and your instruction.
• Effective ways to engage with students, families, and communities.
• Ideas for transforming reading and writing workshop to work for all children.
• Guidelines for selecting diverse children’s books and using them to help children become kinder and more empathetic, as they become more proficient readers and writers.

If you want to create a vibrant classroom community that honors the funds of knowledge that children of color bring, this book is for you.

About the Author

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Eliza G. Braden, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education at the University of South Carolina. Her research interests include critical literacy and language practices of Black and Latinx children and their families, culturally relevant teaching, and critical multicultural children’s literature.

Michele Myers, Ph.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina (UofSC). As a holistic, social justice educator, Myers is committed to ensuring that all children receive a humanizing education that honors their histories, heritages, literacies, languages, cultures, family structures, and communities as assets for learning.

Natasha Thornton, Ph.D., is a teacher educator and the founder of Thornton Educational Consulting where she develops professional learning experiences and curricular resources that center children of color.

Praise For…

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“At a time when the nation is so polarized and educators are being vilified for helping students feel comfortable in their own skins and become their own people, this book boldly encourages us to practice ‘revolutionary love’ and walks us through strategies and ideas to make that happen. Bravo! It is the book we need for the times in which we find ourselves.”

— GLORIA LADSON-BILLINGS, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children

“Revolutionary Love captures journeys of personal transformation, laced with introspections shaped by literacy, policy, and lived experiences. The authors provide honest portrayals of educators in search of the beauty, symmetry, and promise of revolutionary love. They’ve written a marvelous humanitarian workbook for educators, steeped in contemporary and historical artifacts.”

— ALFRED W. TATUM, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Metropolitan State University of Denver; author of Teaching Black Boys in the Elementary Grades: Advanced Disciplinary Reading and Writing to Secure Their Futures

“Exactly the book we need at this time. It is a love story for teachers committed to equity and for children seeking teachers who see, feel, and care about their humanity. It is essential reading for all educators, regardless of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds or level of classroom experience.”

— LAGARRETT KING, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education, University at Buffalo; editor of Perspectives of Black Histories in Schools

“Revolutionary Love provides us with tools to examine our belief systems and uncover the impact they have on our instruction and relationships with students and their families. Grounded in a deep respect for children and educators, it guides us to reinvent schooling so that all children reach their full potential, while feeling loved and valued.”

— JULIA LÓPEZ-ROBERTSON, Professor, University of South Carolina; author of Celebrating Our Cuentos: Choosing and Using Latinx Literature in Elementary Classrooms

“Revolutionary Love beautifully weds important literacy theories and practices and, in the process, catapults educators into a new movement in which children of color matter. It is an eloquent, brilliant book that normalizes revolutionary love in PreK–5 classrooms and beyond and captures what it means to teach against the grain for the wellbeing of all children.”

— NATHANIEL BRYAN, Assistant Professor, Miami University; author of Toward a BlackBoyCrit Pedagogy: Black Boys, Male Teachers, and Early Childhood Classroom Practices

“This remarkable, accessible book shows us what action-packed love looks like as it guides, inspires, and teaches us to transform our day-to-day practices to reflect a commitment to all peoples and to a greater humanity. It is a must-read for preservice teachers and experienced educators alike.”

— SUSI LONG, Professor, University of South Carolina; coauthor of “We’ve Been Doing It Your Way Long Enough”: Choosing the Culturally Relevant Classroom

“A love letter to fiercely brave and brilliant Black and Brown teachers, past, present, and future. The authors honor the legacy, the blueprint, that our elders have created, showing us ways to center revolutionary love in our classrooms and communities. Their book is timely, beautifully crafted, and educator friendly.”

— TRACEY T. FLORES, Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy, University of Texas at Austin; founder of Somos Escritoras