…changing the world, one reader at a time.
Since our schoolwide conversation about Black History Month, the kids have been curious and open about discussing race and differences. Here’s a lesson, inspired by middle schoolers, that I shared with my K-4 students last week, if you’d like to see. Last week, I was talking to my middle schoolers about what they […]
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How do you best prepare your students for discussions about race, ability, and other human differences in your classroom? The conversations in the library since our community Black History Month discussion have really been remarkable. I’ve been so impressed with the way that students have opened up and asked questions out loud that they’ve previously […]
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[This message was originally shared in front of a live group at Lower School Chapel on Tuesday, February 11, 2020. Miss Smith is a kindergarten teacher who identifies as a Black woman, and I am a teacher librarian who identifies as a White woman. We collaborated on this chapel to help answer some of the […]
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This week we asked our group of 5th grade Peer Mentors: What does the ideal 4th grade graduate look like? What does every 5th grader need in terms of skills and knowledge to be successful when they begin middle school? Here’s what they created: In case you can’t read my handwriting, here’s a few off […]
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February is Black History Month! The image above is this year’s display outside of the library, which I created with Ms. Smith, kindergarten teacher and one of my all-around favorite humans. The silhouettes belong to strong and proud little members of our school community. Their names are sure to be on walls like this someday! […]
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How can we talk about child hunger without pity, stereotypes, or making students uncomfortable? Our food drive is going strong this week (check it out here!), and students in the Lower School are excited. But in my work with kids, I’ve realized that they don’t always know who or what they’re helping, or why people […]
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Hi! My name is Sarah, and I’m on a journey to become a better Antiracist. I’m not an expert. I am learning. Have you ever heard or read Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s moving walkway theory? “I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport. Active racist behavior is equivalent […]
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A message from 7th and 8th grade students in the the How Can We Help the Hunger Crisis? Quest: “After watching that video, you know that 1 in 5 children in America doesn’t have enough to eat. But did you know that right here in Charlottesville, the number is 1 in 6? 57% of children […]
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How do we know if we like something? How does it make us feel? What happens in our bodies, on our faces, in our minds? Developing an identity as a reader means learning what you like and don’t like. But my work with social emotional learning has taught me that before we can start sorting […]
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6th graders are beginning a long journey into using stories as mirrors and windows , a concept that is invaluable to know (you can learn more about it here, or by researching the work of Rudine Sims-Bishop) but so tricky to teach. Sixth grade English teacher Mr. Passmore and I decided to start at the […]
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