Human connections are deeply nurtured in the field of shared story.
—Jean Houston
Cool Kids Snapchat Thread
“Mom, if you were to look at Snapchat, it would be a lot easier for me to stay in touch with you,” Jordan said during our first dinner in Seattle.
I finished chewing my bite to give myself some time to consider my response. I’ve purposely taken a large step away from social media, and if I were to return, Snapchat would not be my preference.
In the pause, Jordan continued. “It’s not like you have many followers. You could just use it for me, and maybe Sam and Hannah.”
“Do you think you could set it so it lets me know when you send me something, but I don’t get a bunch of other notifications?”
“No problem,” he said, popping three fries into his mouth and wiping his hands on a napkin. “Here, give me your phone.”
I sighed, and he chuckled. “I know you hate phones during mealtimes, but we’re almost done here. Let me get it ready for you.”
“I don’t like Snapchat, either,” I mumbled.
This made him chuckle more. “But you love me,” he chided.
After a crash course in Snapchat from Jordan, I had a thread called “Cool Kids” with all three of the kids and me.
“Why does everyone keep sending random pictures?” I asked.
I received a series of random pics: a box of Cheez-Its from Sam with the caption “snap”; a spreadsheet on the computer from Hannah with the caption “snap”; Jordan’s gym shoes on the bus with the caption “snap.”
I sent back a photo of my laptop and our dog, Luna, curled at my feet with the caption “Snap?”
I instantly received a series of snaps with encouragement—memes, emojis, and more snaps with text banners of personalized encouragement.
“You just send random things?” I asked.
The general consensus was “Duh. That’s a snap.” I rolled my eyes and questioned whether the Cool Kids Snapchat thread was a waste of my time.
A few days later, Hannah snapped, “We need to get Dad on here.”
Jordan nominated Sam to get Andy on Snapchat.
Sam responded, “Oh dear.”
It’s been just a handful of weeks, but I’m discovering there is an art of storytelling through our snaps. I’m given the gift of seeing the world through my family’s eyes. I’ve been delighted by the way they continue conversations when I ask questions about the random (and oftentimes bizarre) snaps they send. I’m impressed by the connection we’ve established because of the regular communication.
Perhaps that’s why this week’s articles are sitting so close to my heart. They are about expanding the way we see the world and learning to have a deeper understanding of others’ perspectives.
This week we look at the importance of expanding our thinking—plus more, as always!
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Stephanie Affinito proposes that one step toward anti-racist coaching and teaching is through carefully selecting the books we read and recommend to teachers. This article was first published in 2021.
Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart challenge us to select more inclusive texts so all students feel as though they belong. They offer six suggestions to help us examine our bookshelves, thinking, and curriculum. This article was first published in 2022.
In episode 368 of the Brown Ambition podcast, Tiffany Aliche is joined by Lacey Robinson. They discuss Lacey’s book Justice Seekers and bond over their passion for education and children.
Are you looking to engage with a community of instructional influencers? Join me on LinkedIn to continue conversations from the Big Fresh and connect with other educators who are just as smart and funny as you are.
In this course, Stella Villalba teaches us how to discover, honor, and share student stories throughout the school year. With special attention to English learners, Stella walks educators through a process to intentionally honor the past and present of all students.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Gretchen Schroeder shares a powerful approach to reading response to help students consider their positionality in a scene. Your identity, your thoughts, and your experiences influence the way that you relate to a text. This is your positionality as a reader, and it’s important to consider your positionality within a text, because it explains how and why we come to certain conclusions as we read.
Stella Villalba guides us to expand the counter-narrative texts we use in our classrooms. Counter-narrative texts challenge the stereotypes often seen about a group of people, and counter-narrative texts celebrate the joy and resilience of a community. Stella provides a list of critical questions that allow us to deeply explore texts, as well as suggestions of books to read.
In this video, Christy Rush-Levine confers with Omar, who is reading The Rock and the River. The book is a fictional account of a tumultuous time in civil rights history, considering protests through a child’s eyes.
In this video, Gigi McAllister presents a guide to her fourth-grade students to improve talk in reading trios.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
We live in a world where connecting seems easy with social media, and at the same time it can feel impossible and overwhelming. Mandy Robek offers nine ways to begin connecting with a larger community.
Matt Renwick reflects on the traditions and rituals that strengthen a school-wide literacy community. Now is a great time to set a new tradition in motion at your school!
In this Coaching Minute, Heather Rader explains why starting meetings on time is crucial for the learning climate.
Quote It:
If you want small changes in your life, work on your attitude. But if you want big and primary changes, work on your paradigm.
—Stephen Covey
That’s all for this week!
