Thank You, Teachers!

Today is National Teacher Day. Great teachers do so much more than pass on knowledge about certain subjects. Somehow, they see what is inside their students and make a connection that inspires young people to work hard. They help them see the possibilities for both the present and future. Here is our tribute to some of the teachers who made a difference in our lives. (And be sure to leave a memory of one of your favorite teachers in the comments!)

Heather Kindseth, Creative Director: My favorite teacher was my Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Botke. She was the sweetest person I ever met and always had a smile on her face. She was full of encouragement, and it was obvious she truly loved being a teacher, making sure everyone in the class felt a part of the group, liked learning, had the help, and support they needed throughout the day. Thank you, Mrs. Botke!

Christianne Jones, Managing Editor: My favorite teacher was Mrs. Schorn, who taught band and choir (from 5th grade on). She wore cool red glasses and funky clothes and had more energy and patience than anyone I’ve ever met. We always got to play the coolest pop songs in pep band and had the best homecoming field shows. Plus, anyone who’s willing to listen to 5th graders play instruments deserves a special award.

Bob Lentz, Art Director: One of my favorite teachers was my fifth grade teacher in Litchfield, MN: Mr. Buschette. I was in fifth grade in 1987, which is the first year the Twins won the World Series. Mr. Buschette would play the day games on the radio during class! The best part, though, is that he would quiz us on baseball terms and somehow tie the call of the game into our English and math lessons. Awesome.

Emily Harris, Graphic Designer: Linda Brooks taught me photography and senior art seminar in high school. She helped me realize that my love of art could be more than just a hobby.

Donnie Lemke, Managing Editor:

My favorite teacher is, Amy Lemke—my wife. She teaches early childhood special education, spending each and every day preparing young students for a bright academic future. (And she still has the patience to deal with me each and every night!)

Ali Deering, Editor: My favorite/most influential teacher ever was Ms. Pryor. I first met Ms. Pryor in the fifth grade. I lucked out and had her as my homeroom teacher in eighth grade. I still remember being SO excited when I got my room assignment. She taught eighth-grade English and literature. I already love English and writing, but she really encouraged and furthered my interest in it. She also introduced me to some of my favorite books (The Outsiders and To Kill a Mockingbird). She was, without a doubt, the most dedicated, caring and overall best teacher I ever had. I was SO lucky to have her — I probably have her to thank for the fact that I'm an editor today.

Beth Brezenoff, Managing Editor: I was a good student, so I pretty much liked all of my teachers, with a few notable exceptions. But my very favorite teacher was my fourth-grade classroom teacher, Ms. Danielson. I'm not sure why, but I remember coming home from my first day of school that year gushing about her. She had pretty hair. Maybe that's why. I also remember that she did more to reinforce self-esteem based on internal qualities than any other teacher since — which was very important in fourth grade.

Julie Gassman, Senior Editor: It is hard to pick a favorite teacher, so I will choose one who did the impossible: In sixth grade, Mrs. V made diagramming sentences one of the most fun things we did in class. She divided us into two teams, led by captains. (Being a clumsy bookworm, it was definitely the only time I was chosen captain for a competition. The contest was judged on speed and accuracy. The team came out on top won two pieces of candy for each team member. But there were no losers, because the other team each got one too. Thanks to Mrs. V, diagramming sentences is still my idea of a good time.

Kay Fraser, Art Director:

I will not forget my seventh grade teacher, Macarone. I helped write the school play. After we finished writing it, she asked me to help during tryouts. I read one part, while the people trying out said their lines. After having casting tryouts for a week, Macarone decided I was the best person to play one of the main characters. I was an introvert, so I FREAKED OUT. I didn't want to. But she insisted I give it a shot, so I did. It was the first play I wasn't behind the scenes. I did just fine; I even enjoyed it. I wouldn't have acted or sang in front of people if it wasn't for her. Thanks to Macarone! She was one in a million.

The Graduation Party

Last weekend, I went to my hometown to visit my parents. My dad is a retired high school math teacher who still coaches tennis at the local high school. Saturday afternoon, we came inside the house after enjoying some sun by the pool and there was a message on the answering machine. It was from one of the graduating teenage boys on the tennis team. The message went somewhat like this, “I’m calling from my graduation party and I really hope you can make it. I told my mom to send you an invitation and I hope she found your address – if she didn’t I’m sorry, but I’m really hoping you can come. Mr. Nelson (the other coach) is here and a bunch of the guys from the team. We’d really love to see you.” And the message went on with an address, etc. My dad never received an invitation, but immediately took a shower and got into his car to attend the party. Personally, I was really impressed that an 18 year old boy would care enough to call his tennis coach to make sure he attended his graduation party. That’s the thing about teenagers, just when you think they don’t care, they throw you a curve ball. Even though it may be challenging, continue to be coaches and mentors – it really does make a difference.

Spring Weeding

Even on a day off, there’s no getting away from books. Yesterday I volunteered at one of Minneapolis’s inner-city schools. A teacher I know there needed help moving into a new classroom – just across the hall from his old classroom. He taught 4th grade this past year, and next year he’ll be teaching 3rd graders, so he asked me to help him weed his book collection, pulling out anything that might not be appropriate for his younger readers. Weeding is such an intense, personal chore. You’re confronted with dozens of difficult choices with each book you pick up. And just because I love a particular book – for example, he had a copy of Rumer Godden’s exquisite The Mousewife – doesn’t mean 3rd graders will share my enthusiasm. Now I know what librarians have to go through. My friend had bought most of those books himself over the years. Many of the books were tattered, had ripped covers, or had handwriting scrawled on them. They had been touched and opened and read by hundreds of little hands. These were books that had become part of children’s lives, at least during those hours they spent in my friend’s classroom. These books meant something to all of us – to the students, to my generous friend, and finally to me, who had to choose what to keep and what to discard. The Mousewife is now sitting on a shelf in my bedroom.

9 THINGS I LOVED ABOUT IRA (A countdown to a reading explosion!)

9. Words, words, words
Being a logophile and lover of books since elementary school, I enjoy being around words and those who like words – readers, writers, critics, fans. And I get jazzed whenever I’m with a group of people who are as concerned and connected with literacy as the IRA crowd. Sitting at one of the convention cafes with a hot chocolate or walking through the exhibit hall, overhearing bytes of conversations about kids and reading and “reading assessment” and “instructional strategies” made me realize at once that I had found my people.

8. Sign Time
On the third day of the conference I had the opportunity to autograph books at the Red Brick Learning booth. Red Brick is the classroom division of Capstone Publishers, so it was a natural fit for me to sign there and meet with those teachers who actually use my books in the classroom. What a thrill to hear about kids getting excited about the Library of Doom, or one of my Superman stories, or even the book I wrote for Picture Window, If You Were A Palindrome. (I always wished I had one of those names that was a palindrome, like Bob or Otto!)



7. The Red Brick booth
The booth looked great! Colorful book covers, eye-popping posters hanging against the black backdrop, and cool videos playing on a monitor.



6. Jon Scieszka
Yes! I was able to meet him – the Ambassador of Books for Boys. He is one of my all-time heroes. A funny, humble, and creative guy who never stops inspiring people to read and to write. And I like his hairstylist. In fact, I think he and I have the same one.


5. The Food.
Just kidding. Although I did share a lunch outdoors with Joan Berge, the president of Capstone Fiction, on one of those glorious spring Minnesota afternoons. Azure sky, puffy clouds, bright sunshine, and a humidity-free 70 degrees. Like a day at the lake, right?

4. Standing Room Only
I co-presented a workshop on graphic novels in the classroom with Dr. Stephen Sargent from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. Stephan is a brilliant professor of reading and literacy and was a great partner to work with (and had some excellent hand-outs, btw). The two of us had been told to expect between 25 and 30 participants. We had 72! The graphic wave continues to roll!
And I received great feedback on some of our Graphic Revolve retellings, like Swiss Family Robinson. It’s amazing how a even single illustration can provoke so much thought and delight and discussion!
3. Swag
Lots of free posters, banners, books, bookmarks, and giveaways. I had fun handing out our Stone Arch DC Superhero poster and the one on the Power of Reading. The graphic of the four Recon Academy teen heroes looks appropriately high-tech and tough.

2. Invisible Creatures
The one major element of the crowd that you couldn’t see, but definitely made their presence known each day – the kids! That’s why we were all there. To get kids reading better, reading more, and reading for pleasure. There was enough energy and creativity at the Minneapolis IRA conference to explode in a cloud of literacy that would cover the country. I think it’s begun.

1. Blast off!

--Michael Dahl
Editorial Director

Heroes

If you haven’t heard already, Stone Arch Books recently sponsored a contest where students in grades 3 – 6 wrote an entry about someone they felt was a hero at their school. The contest ran thru February 28. Every morning as my computer powered up, I found myself excited to see if there were any entries. Day after day, I checked the mailbox and nothing was there. I wondered to myself “Was this a good contest? Would kids enter?” Then after 13 days of checking that empty mailbox, I received the first entry! It was from a seven-year-old named Emma and it was so sweet. “My Hero. My hero is Ms. Sortino because she will help us everyday. Her powers are: Mind reading, eyes in back of her head, knowing everybody's names in the universe, Super running. She has also got a side kick named Mr. Hagen the Asst. Principal. His power are: Flying, Super Strong, and X-ray vision.”

After that day, the entries came flooding in. I was amazed at how well kids could articulate the “super powers” of their everyday heroes. Most entries were written about teachers (especially gym teachers), librarians, principals, and custodians. But there were others written about the bravery of a fellow student battling leukemia, a best friend that stands up for herself and doesn’t succumb to peer pressure, a reading teacher that has helped a student progress from level M to level R, and a seeing-eye dog named Licorice that helps a student find her way. I wish I could share all of them with you. As it came time to pick the contest winner, I pored through the entries over and over again. How were we going to choose? We narrowed it down to 50, then to 15, then to 5 and then finally to our winner, Hakeem. Hakeem is a special ed student at the Nathanael Greene School in New York. He wrote an entry about his teacher Mr. Brown.

“My teacher Mr.Brown is visually impaired. That not what makes him a hero. It is because he takes public transportation everyday with Stanley his dog to school. That is why he is a true everyday superhero. In our class we had a project of being blindfolded and trying to find our way around the class it was hard for me. In our school it is hard. Being in special education, we learn to recognize our disabilities. Mr. Brown don't what to take access-a-ride to work being driven from his house to work. I feel sad he can't see the beautiful things around. That bothers me. To ride the train to East NY in Brooklyn is chaotic and not the safest even for people who do not have a disability. The travelling in the snow and ice with Stanley make him even more courageous. Mr. Brown is my pick for our school superhero. He could serve as a superhero for all.”

Thanks to Hakeem for sharing this with us and to all of the kids who recognized the heroes in their lives. (Who's the hero at your school? Share in the comments.)



Shannon Zigmund
Marketing Manager, Fiction
Capstone Publishers

Books kids fight for.

Librarians and teachers, warn your principals! We’ve heard more than one report lately of renegade groups of students refusing to leave their principals’ offices unless the administrations agree to fund the purchase of the entire Stone Arch Books catalog. We’re working on our Fall 2008 catalog now, so there’s not much time before there’s a whole new collection of books that students will fight for!

In the meantime, you can direct your kids to www.stonearchbooks.com (where, if you’re not currently receiving our catalog, you can also sign up to get on our mailing list). Consider this your fair warning—let that catalog (or any of our high-interest, kid-friendly books) slip into your students’ hands, and you can’t be held responsible for the results!

We love hearing anecdotes about kid reactions to our books—please comment if you have any! And if your students need a better way to communicate their feelings about books than storming administration offices, we’re always looking for kid reviewers—click here for more information.

Educators at NY Comic Con

At the Comic Con convention recently held in New York City, I noticed a surprising change. During the preview hours, before the general public is allowed in and when people with professional tickets wander the floor, the folks crowding the aisles weren’t only collectors and artists trying to hunt down some exclusive, Comic Con-only action figure or hoping to corner one of their idols for an autograph (the likes of Stan Lee, Joe Kubert, and Neil Gaiman were in attendance). Rather, their numbers had been infiltrated by librarians and teachers. They were hoping to either build or add to a graphic novel collection. They were also searching for the latest trends in comics.

Along with the big names like Dark Horse, Marvel, and DC Comics, many independent publishers were represented at the convention. And it was at the booths of these smaller publishers, such as Stone Arch Books with our ever-popular “safe graphic novels” message, that the true treasures were found. People were especially thrilled about our Graphic Flash books, which are a hybrid of sequential art and traditional paragraphing, and also have curriculum appeal with their historical fiction stories.

Of course, once the preview hours were over, the aisles of the convention floor filled with Manga characters, Strom Troopers, and an assortment of superheroes, along with aspiring artists willing to show their portfolios to just about anyone involved in the publishing business. That’s typical fare for a large convention. But I was pleasantly surprised to see the professional crowd include those who matter most to us, the people who help kids reads: teachers and librarians. It’s a sure sign that the literary merits of graphic novels are being embraced as their popularity grows.

If you feel like you missed out by not making it to the New York Comic Con, don’t worry; there are several other large comic conventions yet to be held this year. The largest international convention is the San Diego Comic Con, July 24th – 27th. Stone Arch Books will be there—we’ll give you more details as we get closer, but we hope we’ll see you—and other teachers and librarians—there!


--Blake Hoena
Production Manager, Stone Arch Books