Not all children in Charlottesville have the same opportunities, and they ALL deserve the chance to read and play. We’ll be spending the trimester building Little Free Libraries, working with Bennett’s Village to help make an all-abilities playground a reality, and scheming up other ways to make Charlottesville a safe, welcoming, and fun place for everyone. I am endlessly inspired by my students (and the young man leading this Quest is a force to be reckoned with). I can’t wait to see what they can do.

Our new group met for the first time today. In our hour together, we shared what made us sign up for the Quest, what really piqued our interest and made us feel passionate, and the skills that we bring to the group. Next we watched Ian, a beautiful short film about playground inclusivity that has won international acclaim (I’ll link the video at the bottom of the post, if you’d like to watch). This video really tugged on our heartstrings and helped us to think about how it would feel to be a child who just wants to play!

After learning more about the Little Free Library movement and about Bennett’s Village, we shared our big ideas and dreams for making Charlottesville a more inclusive place.

As we shared our ideas and dreams for making Cville a more inclusive place, we realized that we don’t know the right terms to talk about children with physical and mental differences, their relationships with their peers, and special resources that help them.

Words matter, and students decided that it’s important to them to use inclusive and respectful language as they plan. If you have any insight into the most inclusive, respectful, and preferred words and phrases, can you help us learn? You can contatct me or leave a comment below. Thank you!