Some of my students from the 2015-2016 school year reading library books about global awareness

I try to be very careful on these topics as I don’t want to share information in a way that would frighten or discourage my students, so I usually take time in advance to prepare what exactly I am going to say.  There are not enough children’s books on these topics, so I often find myself taking books from the library that are for much older children, read the book to myself, and then reword the entire book for my students to better comprehend in simple terms. I find that when real issues are carefully brought to the attention of these youngsters, the awareness humbles their spirits and brings out thoughtful conversation.  This year, I discovered the book Gift Days, a story about a young girl in Uganda who was left with responsibilities to look after her family after her mother died (of a disease that I did not mention, because I did not find it to be a topic that I could reword lightly and I wanted to focus on the positive).  The story is about the girl’s desire to be educated and to go to school while she had no time or money to do so.  She eventually finds a way to educate herself with the help of her brother who took on some of her chores. We had a couple of discussions on this topic that lead to what we are thankful for, how fortunate we are to have the right to an education, and how organizations are helping kids like the ones in the story.  The kids have plenty of questions and we do our best to answer them in a positive and hopeful way.  I just want you to be assured that when I introduce serious topics that can sound scary, I always take a lighter and simpler approach.  Overall, it’s meant to be a humbling experience that helps students appreciate more in their own life.

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