From Book Box Daily, The Scholastic Reading Club Blog
By Heather Scott
In the middle of a meeting earlier this school year, the conversation turned to our favorite teachers. A third grade teacher was a favorite for one staffer. Another chimed in with the memory of learning to read with her grandmother, who had been an elementary school teacher. Someone else mentioned that Mr. Slinger, from the Lilly books by Kevin Henkes, was far and away her favorite teacher.
After a little more reminiscing, Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Reading Club, wondered aloud about the favorite teachers of our author and illustrator friends. Many of us had heard stories at the annual IRA breakfast, at author presentations, and in the pages of books. Some of us had cried with Ruby Bridges in New Orleans while she talked about Barbara Henry and her courage. A few of us had heard Brad Meltzer talk about his ninth grade English teacher, Ms. Shelia Spicer and how she changed his life. All of us were familiar with Mr. Falker, the teacher who recognized Patricia Polacco’s dyslexia and helped her learn to read.
Surely there were more stories out there, but could we gather them?
Over the following weeks, we did. We reached out to authors and illustrators we know and love to ask about their favorite teachers. When we conducted interviews, we made sure that childhood teachers were part of the conversation. Illustrators drew us wonderful pictures. Authors wrote moving tributes. Without exception, the answers we got were remarkable.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing these stories, images, and videos with you. And we hope that you’ll take the time to let the teachers in your life know just how much you appreciate the work that they do.
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Show your love for teachers this Valentine's Day with this printable card from Scholastic Reading Club
Scholastic Reading Club
