textbooks and how they position their readers

How do you respond to the examples given here -- as a teacher and as a former student?
As a teacher, I value the need to understand the applications used in textbooks and how they shape students' perspectives towards their peers, the subject matter, and the world around them. The concerns raised in the reading about textbooks, like depersonalization and overlooking individual contexts, push me to be more deliberate and strategic in using them. That being said, I aim to complement textbook content with personalized materials and applications that actually matter to cater to diverse student needs.

Looking back at my student days, I remember relying on textbooks for specific aids like bolded terms and examples, which were a great help for homework and clarifying concepts. Yet, a lot of content often went unnoticed. This reminds me of the need for better readability—visuals and clearer emphasis on key points can make a big difference.

In my opinion, I believe that balancing textbook use with other resources is key. Textbooks are valuable, but it is important to go through them and check for their compatibility with students in the classroom. Perhaps you have ELL students who prefer visuals over text, or maybe there are students with dyslexia so they may prefer concise text with bolded and highlighted key terms and definitions. Mixing teaching methods and encouraging deeper engagement with textbook content can truly enhance the learning journey for students.

What are your thoughts about the reasons for using or not using textbooks, and the changing role of math textbooks in schools?
This article goes deep into the realm of math textbooks. It really delves into how these books shape students' perceptions in relation to others and the world around them. Textbooks have their strong points and provide structured content, exercises, and explanations. But there's also a discussion about their downsides, especially in terms of depersonalization as the reading mentions.
I believe textbooks, when used effectively, are a valuable tool for both teachers and students. 

Personally, as someone who looks back on their student days, I often relied on textbooks to quickly find key terms, definitions, and example problems marked in bold. It's a great fallback when class examples slip from memory and helps kick start homework. Yet, it's common to see most of the textbook content overlooked by both teachers and students. This really highlights the importance of making textbooks more readable by including graphics, images, and clear emphasis on key terms. In my view, textbooks could benefit from being more concise and positioned as an optional or additional resource for classes