Originally published in TEACH Magazine, September/October 2025 Issue
By Ruth Duran
As they enter the classroom, students’ eyes are drawn to the bins that are stacked by our class library. They’re filled with brand new comic books that have been gifted to my 6th graders—a class made up of general education students, some students with special needs, and English Language Learners. Quite the eclectic group!
My students come from diverse backgrounds; many of them are of Hispanic/Latinx descent. As they sift through the bins looking for whatever comics will catch their attention, I notice they’re asking and comparing: “Who’s this superhero? What’s their superpower? Is it a guy or a girl? Where do they come from?” In short, they want to know: Which of these can they connect with?
Ruth Duran has been a public school teacher in the Bronx, NY, for the past 19 years, with a BA from New York University, MA from Pace University, and EdM from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She has also devoted her career to empowering multilingual learners and students of color by creating engaging learning opportunities that bring education to life.
