I was at (a different) Walmart when the shooting happened. I was grocery shopping with my husband and 2 year old. While we were shopping, my husband, who works for Walmart, ran into his old boss who informed him of everything that was happening at a different store in our city.
I would be lying to you if I told you I panicked. "I'm sure they're exaggerating" I told my husband as we were getting ready to pay. I was honestly more concerned about the meltdown my daughter was having over a family pack of Oreos that I refused to buy.
When we got home 10 minutes later, I could not believe what I was hearing on the news. It just couldn't be, not in El Paso. Then I started receiving messages from family and friends, all checking on each other.
Thankful all my loved ones were ok.
Thankful my husband had the day off that day.
Thankful I was home in our safe place with my family.
But my heart was broken. It's hard to put into words how I felt. I felt like the dumbest person in the world for feeling that way. I didn't have loved ones affected by this, everyone was alright and yet I could not get over it. I cried alone many times, so many times.
It was after many tears and moments of anger that I realized I had to do something. I don't have the power to change what has happened. But I do have the power to do something in my classroom.
I don't want to see one of my students on the news in 20 years for something like this.
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
In kindergarten is very difficult to talk about this. You obviously don't. So I decided to make more time for direct anti-racist talk during our morning meeting. We talk about acceptance, loving ourselves, our skin color, talking to others. Students are so ready to learn about all this.
THE TRUTH
The truth is that many times during these talks I have felt like I'm not the right person to be doing it because I'M NOT AN EXPERT. But one of my dear Insta friends once told me "if you wait until you're an expert you'll never start, start now."
So I invite you to do the same. Look closely at the books you're reading. Create meaningful discussions for your students that will touch their hearts. Make sure your message is so strong that it stays tattooed in their brains. Do not wait until you're an expert and you know all about the topic.
Keep learning, keep reading but start now.
This week we read this wonderful book I am Rene the boy. It is about a boy who moves to the United States and is upset because a girl in his class has the same name. After lots of research Rene learns to be proud of his name.
This is a great an easy way to start in your class. After reading, we talked about being proud of who we are and our name. We also used this sheet to write our names and create a self portrait.
You can find it for free here.
I really hope you accept my invitation to begin incorporating these lessons and topics in your classroom. It will make a difference!
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