Heroes and Positive Stories: Who We Elevate Matters

The Common Thread

Walk into most classrooms and you’ll find stories everywhere.
In the books on the shelves.
In the historical figures studied.
In the examples used to explain ideas.

But there’s a question we don’t always stop to ask:
Whose stories are being told as stories of success, and whose are not?

Because in education, the people we position as ‘heroes’ quietly shape how students see themselves, and what they believe is possible.

What do we mean by ‘heroes and positive stories’?

This isn’t about creating unrealistic role models or ignoring complexity.
It’s about balance, visibility, and intention.

An inclusive curriculum should:

Highlight achievement, innovation, and leadership across all groups
Include everyday success stories, not just exceptional figures
Show people as active agents of change, not just shaped by adversity
Elevate individuals, and avoid grouping or stereotyping people

An inclusive curriculum understands the multi-dimensional histories and stories of people.

When students repeatedly encounter certain groups only through struggle, it sends a subtle but powerful message about who succeeds, and who doesn’t.

The problem: some stories are repeated, others are restricted

In many curricula, representation exists, but it is unevenly framed.

You might see:

Individuals from groups primarily taught through historical oppression or injustice
A narrow set of widely repeated figures
Success stories that focus heavily on overcoming hardship, rather than achievement in its own right

These stories matter, but when they dominate, they create an incomplete picture.

Students begin to associate:

Some identities with power, innovation, and leadership
Others with struggle, resilience, or victimhood

That imbalance shapes perception, often unconsciously.

Why this matters for identity and aspiration

The stories students encounter help answer key internal questions:

Who succeeds?
Who leads?

When students see people like themselves consistently represented through positive, varied narratives:

Their sense of possibility expands
Aspirations feel more attainable
Identity becomes a source of strength

At the same time, all students benefit from seeing a wider range of people in positions of influence:

It challenges assumptions
Broadens understanding of success
Builds respect and curiosity

Mirrors and windows!

Moving beyond a single narrative

A richer approach:

Includes scientists, artists, story tellers, leaders, thinkers, and innovators from diverse backgrounds
Shows multiple pathways to success and reframes what ‘success’ actually means
Reflects the full complexity of human experience

What this looks like in practice

Building this into the curriculum doesn’t require a complete redesign, it requires thoughtful choices.

1. Audit the stories you elevate

Ask yourself:

Are certain groups only represented in limited ways?
Do we show a balance of experiences?
Do we show local, regional and national examples of success as well as international?

This often reveals patterns that weren’t intentional but are impactful.

2. Broaden the definition of ‘hero’

Include:

Local and contemporary role models
Individuals from a range of professions and socioeconomic backgrounds
Stories of collaboration, not just individual achievement

Not every hero needs to be world-famous to be meaningful. Success has many dimensions!

3. Embed, don’t isolate

Positive representation should be built into everyday teaching, not reserved for specific events, assemblies or months.

This makes inclusion feel normal and consistent, rather than occasional.

4. Be careful with framing

How a story is told matters as much as which story is told.

Consider:

Are individuals positioned as leaders and creators, or only as responders to difficulty?
Are we reinforcing or challenging stereotypes?

Small shifts in framing can significantly change impact.

5. Include student perspectives

Students often notice patterns adults miss.

The Global Equality Collective is an excellent place to start and has wonderful tools for gathering voices as well as research on inclusion and belonging!

Common pitfalls to avoid

Even well-intentioned approaches can fall into traps:

Tokenism: adding limited examples and moving on
Over-reliance on the same figures: limiting representation to a few familiar names
Stereotypical narratives: repeating simplified storylines
Imbalance: showing some groups only through challenge, others only through success

Inclusion is most effective when it is consistent, varied, and authentic.

What you can do tomorrow

If you’re looking to take a first step:

Review one upcoming lesson or scheme and ask: Who is being positioned as successful here?
Reflect on whether students are seeing both achievement and diversity

Small, intentional changes accumulate over time.

Final thought

The curriculum does more than teach content, it communicates values.

It tells students:

Who matters
Who contributes
Who succeeds

So it’s worth asking:
Are we showing a world where success looks the same, or one where it truly belongs to everyone?

Because when students see a wide range of people achieving, leading, and thriving,
they don’t just learn about the world,
they begin to see their place within it.

Heroes and Positive Stories: Who We Elevate Matters

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