…changing the world, one reader at a time.
I’ve been reading Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in our All-About-Me World, and it has me feeling so inspired and engaged. In one chapter, author Dr. Michele Borna discusses how making caring a part of a child’s identity (“You are a child who cares!”) and creating a family motto (“The FitzHenrys are kind and generous.”) […]
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“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or […]
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Transitions are tough, ya’ll. Especially when you’re five. This year, I’m trying something new with the transition into library class. We’ll meet in the doorway, count down together, and make time for a one-one-one greeting before we make our way inside. Because all the wonder, love, and magic in the world can’t reach you if […]
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This article was published on Nerdy Book Club on June 24, 2019. You can read in its original format here. I stood in the middle of the room and listened to the sound of more than 20,000 pennies clinking and jingling around me. To my left, a fourth grade student helped her first grade buddy to […]
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Happy Pride Month, my friends! It’s June, which means that Pride celebrations are in full swing – there are rainbows, commercial collaborations, and booklists everywhere you turn. In February, I shared a list of picture books popular in our library that celebrate gay families, and I was so moved by your responses. Thank you – […]
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Design Thinking: Empathize ➡️ Define ➡️ Ideate ➡️ Prototype ➡️ Test ➡️ Share And the final step… CELEBRATE!!! 🎉🙌🎉 4th graders installed their 3D printed Braille signs into their permanent homes in the nonfiction section of the library today. Students used the design thinking process to create this accessible signage in hopes to make our […]
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The “Leveling the Playing Field” Quest, led by eighth grade student Jack Dozier ’23, has been a force in the Learning Village this trimester. Designed to answer one main question, How Can We Level the Playing Field for Children in Charlottesville?, Dozier and his Quest-mates decided to spend their class time raising money for Bennett’s […]
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How many dollars are in more than 140 pounds of donated change? 💰💰 Thanks to our amazing St. Anne’s-Belfield School LS math team, we came together as a community as a community to find out! We’ve spent weeks fundraising for Bennett’s Village, and the big moment is finally here! As a grand finale, fourth graders lead first grade […]
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Each year I push 4th grade students to use the design thinking process to create a lasting and meaningful contribution to their library. In past years, we’ve used graphic design to create new signage that’s more accessible to young readers, and interviewed kindergarteners to create systems to help them find the books that they […]
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Last week, almost 200 members of our school community gathered to celebrate one very special thing: family! Families come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties, and this last event in the ’18-’19 Family Fest series was the perfect reason to come together and celebrate them all! I designed this program to highlight the diverse, unique, […]
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