Just like you
I’ve been studying the amazing author-illustrator Donald Crews. One of the big reasons he pursued art was due to a teacher who believed in him. About that moment in time, Crews said:
The opinions of outsiders usually make a stronger impression than relatives.
Yesterday I received a very special book in the mail. A wonderful teacher from a school I visited at the beginning of December sent me a little book full of letters her classroom of kids wrote to me. As I read them, I teared up over their kind words and incredible art and laughed at their genius jokes.
Though most were excited to join the Pee Friends Forever Club (“PFFs Forever!” one girl wrote), one kid strongly asserted that he “did NOT want to be my PFF.” And I’m glad he did.
One girl wanted to be an “author and illustritor just like” me someday.
When I was a kid, I never saw an author or illustrator in real life and it took me until my late 20s to finally realize it was an option. Even if this little girl ends up going a different direction, the fact she might explore her own storytelling voice with some extra confidence means the world to me.
I’ve been daydreaming of doing school visits for years, and now that I’m finally doing them, they are even more amazing than I ever could have imagined.
Thank you to the teachers who take the time to give their students the space to write a letter to an author. Who support their students’ voices. Who create opportunities for their students to engage and explore.
You are making a huge difference in my life and in the lives of your students.
And who knows, you might be inspiring a little future Donald Crews ;)