Before the campaign was fully underway we wanted to get the input of a teacher from Sam Adams Elementary. Julissa Moonlenear sat down with Courtney Mulherin, a teacher from Sam Adams who serves children from ages 3 to 13, to discuss the impact that On the Same Page Boston has on her students.
On the Same Page is hoping to amass a collection of diverse books for the students. While you may think this is a problem that the school district could solve by itself, Courtney explained “the people are aware that we need more diverse books in Boston public schools however, there are more immediate needs that money gets spent on whether it be transportation or curriculum to align with state mandates and diverse books just keeps getting pushed on the list.”
She said that what she sees as the solution to this problem is referring to the students to ask them what sort of books they want. The hope is to give these kids more of what they want to see, and for a lot of kids this involves having themselves and their family members represented in illustrations and stories.
Courtney talked about the reaction of one child after receiving books from one of On the Same Page’s previous advocacy campaigns. She remembers “a little boy who said this woman is wearing a scarf on her head like my mom and it was the first time he had seen his culture and family represented within a book,” this touching moment showed “the books are very meaningful for the students and helps self-esteem to see themselves in the books.”
For this campaign, we are focusing our efforts not just on books but also on games for families.
Julissa asked Courtney how the games will be impacting her students. Courtney explained that there is a literacy gap in some families, which does not allow for children and parents to bond by reading a book together. She also shared that “a goal of our school has been to encourage families to have meaningful time together not on technology not in front of the TV but time spent together talking either in their native language or in English and I thought games were a great way to encourage this.”
On the Same Page aspires to help bridge gaps in the BPS system. We want to provide children with the materials to see people like themselves represented and visible in the world around them. We also want to expose children to experiences and cultures different from their own, so they may develop an understanding and appreciation for others. We want to help children connect with their families through reading or playing games. Most of all we want to help the next generation succeed by providing them with new materials. By donating new or gently used books and games you can help us achieve these goals.