Listen. Connect. Empower.

Stories are powerful.  I am a librarian so that is not so unexpected from me.  What is powerful about THIS story is the way a book, a conference, two librarians, two authors and 6,000+ miles intersected to bring me to today.  Today, I tune into one of my favorite podcasts,  Lifelines: Books that Bridge the Divide , hosted by  Ann Braden  and  Saadia Faruqi  to hear MY story.  My story is intertwined with Todd Burleson's as we adventured to and through the United Arab Emirates.  I am humbled to be a guest and to have the opportunity to share pieces of a growth journey and my reflections on learning from other cultures.  The first pic of my trip. The book that connects these stories. The painting we discovered on Day 1 of our journey that began a conversation with Saadia Faruqi. I had the honor and privilege to present with Todd Burleson at the ALA Conference in conjunction with the Sharjah International Book Fair (Unite...

I love World Read Aloud Day!  For the last 6 years I connected my classes with classes around the country (and sometimes beyond).  I start planning in November/December and eagerly anticipate sharing books and stories with new friends.  These friendships have grown into other collaborations and I look forward to this event every year.  This year took on a life of its own, however.  I decided to take a quieter "stay at home" approach. We celebrated World Read Aloud Day during our library times and as a school.  During library time, students were invited to read aloud in several ways: On whisper phones to themselves. To each other with books small and large. To stuffed animals (or have stuffed animals and puppets read to them). As a school, we celebrated together.  Our Reader Leaders planned and hosted a simple school-wide assembly.  At our assembly, our Reader Leaders interviewed several staff and students. One student interv...