My instinct is to reassure the kids we talk to. I feel like telling them, “Some things are issues that only grown-ups can deal with. There’s only so much that kids can do.” But I’m learning to bite my tongue as Jennifer passionately teaches the kids—and me—about the true power kids hold.
Authors N.H. Senzai and Shannon Hitchcock had never met before, but in the summer of 2018, they decided to write a book together. They’ve stopped by TeachingBooks to chat about how their story came to be.
"Never before in my life have we needed mentors who could show us the path back to kindness and connection, compassion and hope. Even amid the sickness and meanness of a broken world, animal teachers promise us hope."
"...By creating the character of a kind, honest and supportive gorilla, the boy has someone he could share his feelings with and ask questions about death."
Stopping to smell an orange or closing our eyes to notice a spring rainfall are things everybody can enjoy and learn from – no matter our age.
How to Live on the Edge was inspired by a combination of questions that materialized in my mind six years ago, after I discovered that I had a BRCA gene mutation. [...] The following questions spun in my mind...
Discussing about race in the classroom can be uncomfortable for some teachers but provides a powerful experience for all [...] Just like teaching about race in the classroom, you have to start at the base and build a foundation.
As we worked to complete the project, we always had in our minds the many students we’ve met — students who have moved us and changed us with their strength and vulnerability.
Tackling what frightens us and discovering things are not as scary as they seemed is one thing; finding out that our worst-case scenario is indeed at hand is another. That is when courage asks something deeper of us.
The inspiration I felt leaning back on the brilliance of the original book, even as I forged new, unexpected writing paths forward, afforded a world of creative possibility and play that enchanted me as I wrote the book.
