What is good is that I leave my house much earlier than usual, so arriving to campus to see that a box with my name was left in the English office made me very happy. It was Nelson Beats the Odds, a graphic novel about Nelson, a young man labeled with dis/abilities throughout his life, only to pursue beyond his school's labels to find himself as a high school, and then college graduate. Nelson is the little engine that could and the author, Ronnie Sidney, is a pro-kid, youth-advocate who also serves as an award-winning author, therapist, entrepreneur, social worker and professional speaker. Kwame Alexander turned me on to his work a few years ago and his books have been sitting on my desk waiting for the perfect opportunity to be used.
This year, CWP-Fairfield received funding to expand our traditional Invitational Leadership Institute to pursue more special education teachers and mainstream educators who have students with learning dis/abilities in their room. I knew of the academic texts I wanted to use, and then reached out to the author to see if he could send me a class set of his books (I paid, of course - good thinking, writing, and craftsmanship deserves to be paid). My graduate student who is working for me this semester is taking a special education course and I shared the book with her. She read it and asked, "Can I take a copy of this for my son?" I obliged, but kidded, "Can you give it back when he's done? These are for teachers!"
I'm really excited to see how our 5-week summer institute goes this year with its special edition of focusing on teaching writing to all students. We have phenomenal presenters lined up, incredible workshops on the horizon and a number of fantastic books to share with teachers, including Nelson Beats the Odds.
As I put together the teacher bags for orientation this week, I couldn't help but think about how excited I'd be if I was selected for this opportunity. I came home in the evening, too, and did an initial report to our funder where I stated: it's hard for kids to beat the odds, even if sometimes they can do it on their own. Kids like Nelson need to learn their superpowers and to have hope invested unto them through their teachers. THE SUPERPOWER OF HOPE is our theme this year and I can't wait to see where teachers take their writing, inquiry projects and conversations.
We have 21 superheroes enrolled in the institute with 100s of youth following behind. I'm thrilled, however, to add the writing and leadership of Ronnie Sidney to the conversation and hoping, too (fingers crossed), he'll be joining us for the Saugatuck StoryFest this September.
Teachers are only as strong as the writers who craft the stories we're able to share. Here's to Nelson and to all of us hoping to make the journey and pathway a lot more successful for kids trying to overcome their labels. Here's to fighting against a system that leaves many kids behind.
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