Danné E. Davis’s research while affiliated with Montclair State University and other places

The Jessie Books are a seven-book series complete with a dedicated website. Each book features a 5-year-old girl named Jessie who happens to live in a city with her two moms. Each book features Jessie as an ordinary young girl engaging in familiar, life-enriching activities. Across The Jessie Books, the community of caregivers, extended relatives, and intergenerational friends convey the notion of a caring and loving family. This concept of family is relevant to elementary education in light of the expanding diversity in and around schoolchildren. Increasing numbers of school-age children have lesbian mothers and caregivers, or live in dual mom-headed households. For adults who deem The Jessie Books' narrative beyond the scope of young readers, links are made between the storylines and the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards. Ideally, upon discovery of these texts, their content and integration will be called for and embraced in the elementary curriculum. Copyright © 2016 by the National Association for Multicultural Education.

In recent years, natal males’ assertions of being girls born in the wrong body have been unwelcome in elementary scholastic contexts. Several reasons call for individuals who teach or plan to teach young children to know about boy-to-girl (B2G) performance counternarratives. First, there is increasing visibility of B2G lives among elementary schoolchildren. Second, B2G performance counternarratives have empathetic impact with the potential to reshape educators’ views regarding schoolchildren’s embodiment and sexuality. Third, B2G performance counternarratives are increasingly present in children’s literature. Collectively, these reasons contribute to a “queer-eye pedagogical stance” capable of fostering empathy for B2G perspectives. This discussion on B2G performance counternarratives is the result of a three year examination. The 28 children’s picture storybooks put forth convey a range of B2G lived experiences – some of which feature classroom teachers. Ideally, these narratives – lived and in literature – will position actual teachers to become responsive to B2G schoolchildren in physical classrooms.

Drawing from the notion of counterstories, personal stories that challenge privileged meta-narratives, encounter stories explore experiences that deepen our understandings of others. While recognizing that these understandings are never complete, encounter stories enable people to make connections among marginalized identities while honoring differences. Davis and Kellinger (The Qualitative Report, 19(10), 1–18, 2014) write about how they separately have used encounter stories in their teaching and research as well as for personal growth. With the increasing demographic divide between teachers and their students, encounter stories can be a powerful means by which teachers can reach new understandings of their students.

Many prospective teachers are unaware of the encounters that Black, heterosexual women or White lesbians face. Here, we present encounter stories—individual narratives of poignant encounters and interactions that we have experienced with people unlike us—to identify with and ultimately draw on their experiences. Subsequently, the narratives become data that not only inform our work as teacher educators and scholars but also are used to shape prospective teachers’ understanding of inimitable difference. Despite the heralded affirming visibility of Michelle Obama and Ellen Degeneres, oppressive practices and perspectives against Black women and lesbians continue. Our encounter stories are put forward as qualitative data that goes against the grain and empowers. Further, our narratives challenge the conventional linear written format by intersecting our authentic voices with extant theory. Given the growing diversity in K-12 education, it is crucial that prospective teachers gain meaningful insight of unique, real life experiences, examine those experiences against their own familiarities to recognize sameness amid difference. Subsequently, this recognition will help to situate prospective teachers to meet the curricular and social needs of all schoolchildren.

Many prospective teachers are unaware of the encounters that Black, heterosexual women or White lesbians face. Here, we present encounter stories-individual narratives of poignant encounters and interactions that we have experienced with people unlike us-to identify with and ultimately draw on their experiences. Subsequently, the narratives become data that not only inform our work as teacher educators and scholars but also are used to shape prospective teachers' understanding of inimitable difference. Despite the heralded affirming visibility of Michelle Obama and Ellen Degeneres, oppressive practices and perspectives against Black women and lesbians continue. Our encounter stories are put forward as qualitative data that goes against the grain and empowers. Further, our narratives challenge the conventional linear written format by intersecting our authentic voices with extant theory. Given the growing diversity in K-12 education, it is crucial that prospective teachers gain meaningful insight of unique, real life experiences, examine those experiences against their own familiarities to recognize sameness amid difference. Subsequently, this recognition will help to situate prospective teachers to meet the curricular and social needs of all schoolchildren. © 2014: Danné E. Davis, Janna Jackson Kellinger, and Nova Southeastern University.