Environment Stories that Challenge Greed In previous posts, I have talked about using picture books as a way to help children develop greater eco-consciousness. The first step is to connect kids with nature, but the lessons shouldn't stop
Environment Picture Books that Teach us to Value Nature I have been struggling lately with when to start teaching my young kids about the ecological crises facing our planet. My son is a curious four year old and is starting to ask
Environment The Failings of Climate Change Fiction Young adult and middle grade fiction are useful tools for teaching about tough issues. Problems like the refugee crisis or poverty are difficult and stories are important to help us better understand these
Human Rights Anger is a Gift Anger is a Gift, by Mark Oshiro, tells the story of Moss Jefferies, a black Latinx teen, and his activism against police brutality at his high school. Traumatized by the murder of his
Education How to Be an Antiracist How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi, is an essential book for people who want to better understand how racism is embedded in our society and how we can work more
Human Rights White Rose White Rose, by Kip Wilson, is based on the true story of Sophie Scholl, a member of the German resistance during World War II. This novel in verse tells the story of the
Gender Crush I am not a big fan of romantic comedies. I find the characters in these types of books or films often engage in manipulative behaviour. The resulting relationships rarely strike me as particularly
Canadian No Fixed Address Maybe you have seen the signs before. A child in your class does not bring a lunch to school. They rarely seem to wear clean clothes. They often seem tired and have difficulty
Environment Drawdown - Climate Crisis Solutions and the Classroom As I write this blog entry, it is the early hours of the morning in Winnipeg and the Climate Strike is underway on the other side of the world. Early reports suggest the
LGBTQ Rainbow and Pride Picture Books This blog has recommended a number of books that include LGBTQ characters, particularly books geared for middle years students. For students who are LGBTQ, who are questioning, or who have LGBTQ family members,
Environment Don't Panic: Big Solutions to the Climate Crisis Today's blog post is about the climate crisis and I'd like to preface everything by saying Don't Panic. It is easy to get overwhelmed, but solutions do exist that can help us address
Human Rights On the Come Up On the Come Up is Angie Thomas's follow up to the hugely successful The Hate U Give. It tells the story of sixteen-year old Bri, an aspiring rapper who aims to make it
Indigenous Two Novellas on Reconciliation A number of children's books examine what happened at residential schools and their immediate impact. Rarer are books that focus more specifically on the journey towards reconciliation. For this reason, I was pleased
Human Rights Other Words for Home Stories are important tools for promoting empathy and understanding of others. It is harder to divide the world into "Them" versus "Us," to dehumanize the other, when we understand
LGBTQ Moon at Nine Earlier this year I was asked to read Moon at Nine, written by Deborah Ellis. Our school inherited a number of copies and my principal thought they might be a good fit in
Indigenous This Place: 150 Years Retold This Place: 150 Years Retold is an ambitious project that aims to retell Canadian history by centering Indigenous perspectives and experiences. With over a dozen Indigenous authors and artists, the graphic novel anthology
Indigenous Surviving the City Surviving the City, written by Tasha Spillett and illustrated by Natasha Donovan, tells the story of two girls dealing with the dangers of growing up Indigenous in Winnipeg. When main character Dez's grandmother
LGBTQ Maiden & Princess Last week, I was reading Daniel Haack's Prince & Knight to my three year old. When we reached the last page, where the two main male characters get married and live happily ever
Education White Fragility and the Canadian Classroom Four months ago, I finished reading White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo. Appreciating this excellent book, I opened a tab to create a
Education Teaching with the World on Fire Warnings about climate change have been around for years, but increasingly it feels like a problem no longer in the remote future. Living in Manitoba, climate change has been a problem we see
Indigenous Path to Reconciliation A few weeks ago I attended the Manitoba Adolescent Literacy Summit and listened to author David Alexander Robertson's keynote entitled the Path to Reconciliation. It was a highlight of the conference, as his
Education Open Letter to the Manitoba Education Review Commission Dear Commissioners of the Manitoba Education Review, This week, I attended the first Education Review Workshop at the Caboto Centre in Winnipeg. I began the workshop feeling energized. I was in a room
Education What Kind of Citizen? A key purpose of education is to prepare students to be good citizens. Few people would argue with this statement, but what does it mean to be a good citizen? What kind of
LGBTQ Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World As a middle school teacher, I have tried to fill my classroom library with books that are representative of LGBTQ students' experiences. I have collected a variety of books relating to trans youth,
Gender Books about Poverty and Abuse Recently I read two books that have striking similarities: The Benefits of Being an Octopus, by Ann Braden, and Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell. Both books feature main characters who are living