In appreciation of creative teachers

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

But it was just over a week ago that a teacher-student came to me ask what books could I recommend for her to use in a grade 5 class about Thanksgiving.

She knew she was a wee bit late in coming into the Doucette Library to get books but before I could even tell her this, she piped up to say that she thought she could use Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting (823 B886F PIC BK). This story is about a boy and his father living in an airport because the father is unable to make enough money for a home at his current job. Her idea was to raise her student’s awareness about homelessness in Calgary and by extension making them more aware of what they have in their own lives. Brilliant!

Once there, I recommended looking at Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams (823 W6733F PIC BK). This is a picture book is about two Afghan girls living in a refugee camp who become friends when they share a single pair of flip-flops. Again, the classroom connection focused on being thankful for what we do have.

She reported back to me this past Friday that the books went over very well with her students. One student had been unaware that homelessness was prevalent in Calgary.

Mostly I really appreciated that the student was able to come up with a different way to frame Thanksgiving Day with resources that didn’t directly address the holiday. She was the one to extrapolate the bigger idea of gratitude and come up with a book that would support her idea.

For this I’m thankful – she’s on her way to becoming a creative teacher.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.