More Than Colorful Stories: Reading Graphic Novels to Be a Better Teacher
By Heidi Sackreiter
Microaggressions and discrimination.
Anxiety and finding your truest self.
These are issues felt among many learners in today’s classrooms. As a new teacher, you must realize there is more to the job than simply presenting content and evaluating student performance. You are staying sensitive to the individual needs and complex lives of the mosaic of learners in your classroom. This disposition might not come naturally to everyone, and it cannot be attained by simply listening to a lecture or reading a teaching manual. However, diving into the world of children and teen literature can help you better understand the learners you guide and teach.
Middle-grade literature offers valuable insight into the minds and hearts of adolescents. Unique yet relatable characters encountered in these stories provide an engaging way to analyze child development and factors affecting learners’ school experiences. Graphic novels, in particular, invite readers of all ages to explore the emotional and sometimes heavy experiences of growing up and navigating school and friendships (Forni 2021; Watts 2015). And while graphic novel reading is advantageous for children, there are benefits for adults who take time to delve into graphic novels, too.
Why Graphic Novels Matter in Teacher Development
Graphic novels have grown in popularity, even though they can be mistakenly viewed as “real books” or “not as rigorous” as other genres. They are well-loved by readers, and some have received special recognition, including New Kid (Craft 2019), earning the Newbery honor in 2020 (de León 2020). There are also well-written graphic novels that share touching stories and expose readers to critical topics (Alverson 2017; Forni 2021).
Adults can benefit from reading graphic novels. The color and layout of comics is appealing to audiences of any age and serve as a great way to engage with information and ideas (Alverson 2017). Some graphic novels address serious themes such as race and cultural identity, mental health, violence, and death. The insight in these stories about the lived experiences of youngsters is useful for both future and in-service teachers who guide children and teens.
Future Teachers’ Perspectives on Reading Graphic Novels
To illustrate the impact of graphic novels on teacher perspectives, pre-service teachers taking an Adolescent Development course were asked to read graphic novels to support their knowledge of adolescent physical and intellectual development, and to understand the emotions and experiences of the learners they will soon teach. Pre-service teachers gained exposure to current notable literature selections available to upper elementary and middle school learners, specifically exploring:
- New Kid (2019) by Jerry Craft
- When Stars are Scattered (2020) by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
- Living with Viola (2021) by Rosena Fung
Some moments in these graphic novels might be viewed as controversial or sensitive, but the lived experiences in these novels are crucial for future teachers to ponder. In New Kid, adult readers observe not just feelings of being new at school, but also consider racial bias and how socioeconomic status affects families and communities. Struggling with anxiety while balancing family pressure and cultural identity is shown in Living with Viola. Likewise, in When Stars are Scattered, readers follow characters closely as they grow up and navigate learning in a refugee camp. If teachers want to truly support all learners and make their classrooms inclusive, they cannot look away from the challenges that individual learners might face (Noddings 2005; Ryan et al. 2017). These stories bring to light issues affecting a child’s education, bringing critical awareness to adults with different lived experiences.
The graphic novel reading offered a personal and refreshing method of engaging with theories of human development and imagining how to teach adolescents. Many of these future teachers had not read a graphic novel before this class. Some reported their impressions changed upon reading one as the experience connected their knowledge about human development to the stories and characters. When asked how this helped them as future teachers, they commented:
- “It helped me to understand students better and to not just look at what is on the surface.”
- “Taught me how important it is to check in on my learners.”
- “I learned that teaching goes further than the class material because in my book the student felt like an outsider. I believe it’s our job as teachers to give each student a place and feeling of worth.”
- “Understanding how a new student may feel because I was never a new kid myself.”
- “The graphic novel showed me how culture and diversity are important to students and how students are going through changes in adolescence.”
- “My graphic novel made me realize how teachers can either be an ally for or hurt students of color.”
Impact of Graphic Novels on Classroom Practice
Several pre-service teachers reported that the graphic novels helped them notice and address microaggressions in schools in an informed manner. The stories also encouraged them to open their minds to the socioeconomic and family differences affecting learners’ interactions with peers at school. Overall, reading about the lives of characters cultivated both empathy and flexibility in their teacher identities.
Having a new experience with graphic novels allowed pre-service teachers to see that these books belong in the classroom. Motivating learners with relatable and interesting books is important (Wilkinson et al. 2020), and when adults enjoy graphic novels, they will likely recommend these books to children and adolescents. Pre-service teachers reported they now have a future tool for encouraging their learners to read.
Take the time to build your knowledge about graphic novels and consider what they might teach you. These books are not only worthwhile for your learners. When you explore graphic novels, insight can be gained about the lived experiences of diverse learners, and your understanding of developmentally appropriate instruction and compassionate support could be enhanced. Moreover, reading these stories enhances your own personal knowledge of quality literature that you can recommend to children and adolescents to help them grow as readers and thinkers. Without question, you will gain new perspective on an increasingly popular genre that inspires and informs readers of all ages.
Resources to find out more about graphic novels:
Alverson, Brigid. 2017. “The People’s Comics.” School Library Journal 63 (8): 26-29.
Craft, Jerry. 2019. New Kid. Harper Collins.
Forni, Dalila. 2021. “Literature for Self-Discovery. Looking into Adolescence through Graphic Novels.” Journal of Literary Education no. 5: 124-143.
Fung, Rosena. 2021. Living with Viola. Annick Press.
Jamieson, Victoria, and Omar Mohamed. 2020. When Stars are Scattered. Penguin Random House, LLC.
Noddings, Nell. 2005. The Challenge to Care in Schools. Teachers College Press.
Ryan, Allison M., Timothy C. Urdan, and Eric M. Anderman. 2017. Adolescent Development for Educators. Pearson Education.
Wilkinson, Katherine, Valentina Andries, Danielle Howarth, Jane Bonsall, Shari Sabeti, and Sarah McGeown. 2020. “Reading During Adolescence: Why Adolescents Choose (or Do Not Choose) Books.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 64 (2): 157-166. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1065.
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Dr. Sackreiter is an assistant professor at South Dakota State University, and her support of teacher candidates spans 20 years. She has taught Adolescent and Child Development, Foundations of Reading, Human Relations, K-8 Methods courses, and mentored countless student teachers. |