Teresa,

I love that one of your methods would be to introduce a book from your own culture to your students. I feel that this is an extremely important, but often overlooked step in creating a safe environment because you are essentially modeling to students your pride in your culture and allowing them to realize that their differences are something to be treasured and shared, and not hidden away. This, in conjunction with giving each student an opportunity to share about their culture allows for the classroom to develop a personality and uniqueness that is not seen in many classrooms. Additionally, students are shown that not only does their personal history and culture matter, but that it is actually part of the history that they learn about in books. History becomes a tangible thing to apply to their own lives as opposed to a faraway concept and facts to memorize.