ABSTRACT
This case centers on a high school English Special Education teacher’s experience teaching basic reading skills with culturally responsive pedagogy to three female students. At first, instruction included 50-minute scripted lessons: the teacher introduced a sound, directed students to echo it, and concluded with a passage containing words with that sound. The material felt dull, and the slightest pause in instruction served as an excuse for everyone to chat. For months, they went through the motions of repeating “a-u says /aw/” if it meant they could put the pencils down to talk. After learning her students read To Kill a Mockingbird in their English class, the teacher asked about the plot and representation of Black people. This prompted Nivia, a Black student, to share, “I wish we read and spoke more about race in school.” Initially defensive, the teacher asked, “Didn’t you discuss racism before?” She explained she wanted more. Something about Nivia’s plea woke her teacher up. Slowly, she began questioning the curriculum and the way she enacted it. Abandoning the scripted lessons, she taught reading using the book Dear Martin. The case describes this decision and how the students, both White and Black, were affected by the novel.
