Favorite Books

I have two children's books that have significance to my philosophy and feelings regarding children and education. 

The first children's book that I love is The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.

I love this book because the sneetches learn that no matter what they look like on the outside, they are all the same on the inside. More people need to learn this lesson. If we all kept this in mind, the world would be a much better place.

The second children's book that I love is written for children slightly outside of the early childhood range, but after reading it, I felt that its message was very important. The title of the book is Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper. This book is a realistic fiction story, written from the perspective of Melody, a brilliant child living with the many challenges of cerebral palsy. I read this book as a way to help understand the perspective of a student I had the honor and pleasure of working with, a young lady who shared many of Melody's challenges. Both Melody and the young lady I worked with persevered through these challenges, making great social, emotional, and academic leaps once her classmates and teachers understood her. I recommend this book to anyone who is a teacher, or wants to become a teacher, students who share their classroom with other students with similar challenges, and anyone with a passion for education or special education. This story changed the way I viewed my student!