giving thanks

I just LOVE IT when a new lesson plan comes together, and the classroom’s got that electric energy because the kids are learning…today was my second visit to that East Harlem school, and the kids were just great—their sankofa postcards were dangling from the ceiling and they dove into the activities I had prepared, working collaboratively with no problem.  When the visit was over and the students went down to lunch, their amazing teacher revealed that half her class is made up of special ed. kids…but THEY don’t know that, and she doesn’t distinguish between the way she treats any of them…and the result is, they ALL do their best to excel!  Just a great group—I was on a high for hours afterward.

As we come up on Thanksgiving, I’m mindful of all the wonderful opportunities that have come my way this past year…I couldn’t do what I do if I weren’t literate, so I hope you’ll consider making a small donation to this very worthy cause.  You may already know Girlgriot; she writes a fantastic blog and works tirelessly to teach her students at an alternative school/community center in the city.  She’s also a member of WE LEARN

Women Expanding Literacy Education Action Resource Network—the only national organization dedicated to promoting women’s literacy as a tool for empowerment, equity and social justice.  Forty-one percent of adult women in the US read below the level of functional literacy.  Women’s illiteracy impacts many aspects of our communities, and yet it continues to be a hidden issue.  Many feminist/womanist organizations, for example, are unaware of this fact and miss the opportunity to take on women’s literacy as a cause.  WE LEARN works to support women’s literacy development and to bring this critical issue to light for the larger population.

I hope you’ll consider making a donation to keep this great organization alive; you can go here to do so securely.

Want to give NYC kids a book of their own and a chance to meet the author?  Then give to Behind the Book, the awesome organization that sponsored my two visits to East Harlem.  They buy a book for EACH child in the class—for many kids in these low-income schools, it’s the first time they’ve ever owned a book of their own.  Over the past few years I’ve been moving toward a non-consumption Christmas…it’s my favorite time of year, and for me, it’s not about the shopping or the mostly useless stuff you’re left with at the end of the day.  It’s about the spirit of giving and being mindful of the resources we have and those we can spare/share.  I urge everyone to find a cause you really believe in and help them spread the Xmas spirit all year long…