The Teacher Bees Blog

Human Rights

Anger is a Gift

Anger is a Gift [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36142487-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 father by a police officer during

Education

How to Be an Antiracist

How to Be an Antiracist [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40265832-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 proactively to be antiracists. Part

Human Rights

White Rose

White Rose [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39884755-white-rose?from_search=true], 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 White Rose Society, a group

feminism

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 healthy and leave a lot to be desired. When it comes to my classroom library, I don&

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 completing work outside of the classroom. They cannot attend field trips and are not able to bring

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 turn out is amazing, and I am keenly looking forward to participating in the strike here at

2SLGBTQIA+

Rainbow and Pride Picture Books

This blog has recommended a number of books that include LGBTQ characters [https://teacherbees.ca/tag/lgbtq/], particularly books geared for middle years students [https://teacherbees.ca/lgbtq-books-in-middle-school/]. For students who are LGBTQ, who are questioning, or who have LGBTQ family members, it is important to

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 this crisis. That being said, let's dig deeper and

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 big and solve her family's financial troubles. Early in the story, Bri

Indigenous

Two Novellas on Reconciliation

A number of children's books [https://teacherbees.ca/residentialschoolpicturebooks/] 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 to come across two novellas that do just that: When We

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 another group's struggles. For this reason, books like Other Words for Home [https://www.goodreads.

2SLGBTQIA+

Moon at Nine

Earlier this year I was asked to read Moon at Nine [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18854738-moon-at-nine?ac=1&from_search=true] , written by Deborah Ellis. Our school inherited a number of copies and my principal thought they might be a good fit in our

Indigenous

This Place: 150 Years Retold

This Place: 150 Years Retold [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39351184-this-place?ac=1&from_search=true] 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 delves into

Indigenous

Surviving the City

Surviving the City [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41215879-surviving-the-city?ac=1&from_search=true] , 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

2SLGBTQIA+

Maiden & Princess

Last week, I was reading Daniel Haack's Prince & Knight [https://teacherbees.ca/three/] to my three year old. When we reached the last page, where the two main male characters get married and live happily ever after, he asked a question. Not related to why two male

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 [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43708708-white-fragility], by Robin DiAngelo. Appreciating this excellent book, I opened a tab to create a blog post and immediately got stuck.

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 distantly on the news. Hurricanes increase in frequency and severity, glaciers shrink, and coral reefs slowly turn

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 speech challenged me to look at reconciliation in my own classroom with a more critical

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 full of teachers, parents and community members who had given their time to focus on the future

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 citizenship are we talking about? When I was completing my post-baccalaureate degree in Education for Sustainability,

2SLGBTQIA+

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 [https://teacherbees.ca/lgbtq-books-in-middle-school/] relating to trans youth, kids with gay and lesbian parents, and LGBTQ

feminism

Books about Poverty and Abuse

Recently I read two books that have striking similarities: The Benefits of Being an Octopus [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35890044-the-benefits-of-being-an-octopus?from_search=true] , by Ann Braden, and Eleanor and Park [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745753-eleanor-park?ac=1&

Picture Book

Dreamers

When Yuyi Morales first arrived in America with her son, she could barely speak English. Unable to return home and adjusting to life in a strange country, she soon discovered the magic of libraries and the stories they contain. Her stunning picture book Dreamers [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/

Human Rights

10+ Books about Refugees for Middle Years

When I read the news or see stories on social media about refugees, I am distressed by negative representations, stereotypes, and misinformation that surface, particularly when people question their motives. It puts me in mind of the poem "Home [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/let-them-in-where-

Identity

Islandborn

Islandborn [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35631757-islandborn], written by Junot Díaz and illustrated by Leo Espinosa, is a gorgeous book that explores the difficulty in negotiating identity for immigrants. Islandborn tells the story of Lola, a girl who can no longer remember The Island where she was born.