All it Takes is the Right Book
BEF NEWS
All it Takes is the Right Book
Friday, July 23rd, 2021
What happens when students choose thought-provoking and relevant books to explore? That is precisely what Southridge High School was able to discover with their BEF-supported World Books project. The result: connections are built and a lifetime of learning is underpinned.
This year was especially important to get books into the hands of our students while at home during distance learning. BEF funds helped Language Arts teacher, Sarah Blattner, purchase 61 books with authentic, worldly voices discussing social justice themes and connecting to class interests. A sampling of books included: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, and Darius Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram.
Following a class discussion, one student decided to read Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay. The book features a male lead, from an immigrant family and follows the main character’s journey to research a tragedy that happened to his cousin in the Philippines.
This particular student was previously completely disengaged from learning; he was not passing any of his classes and did not show up to Zoom. Through one-on-one chats Sarah was able to build a relationship with him, that strengthened further while discussing his chosen book. She learned he was dealing with a challenging family situation and connected with the book on several levels. Partnering with his community mentor, Sarah guided vibrant discussions between the three of them, addressing the book’s many parallels to her student’s life.
“It only takes one book matched with one kid, and it’s magic,” explained Sarah. “My student was connected to school and my classroom community because of this book. Thank you for this opportunity.”
Thanks to money donated through BEF’s crowdfunding site, Beaverton’s Choice, we were able to connect our community to the classroom, providing Southridge Art Lit students an experience to further their academic journey in a way that went beyond traditional school funding.
