October 1st kicks off Banned Books Week and before you start seeing this as a holiday that is confrontational, take a few steps back and rethink how you view this week. While the connotation does present a us versus them mentality, a better view of this week should be considered.

Everything we experience in our lives, including events, shapes new understandings of others views. The following events/experiences have made a huge impact in connecting the ideal of literacy together:

Steve Inskeep visiting our High School – The power of meeting opponents half-way despite their views and stands.

Traci N. Todd visiting Phillis Wheatley – The ability to reach and educate students on aspiring, creative, artistic individuals they might not be aware of in history.

The Lewes History Book Festival – Presenting authors and topics that cause people to contemplate, be aware, and question. Mr. Tessein and the History Book Festival Board continue to reach out and grab interests of so many, often before they realize they will be drawn in. Priceless.

Latinx Kid Festival – Students able to communicate directly with Justin Sotomayor, key Latino illustrators and authors, and receiving and sharing advice every Friday during Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Delaware Humanities – Supporting avenues of education that inspire creativity, ingenuity, and opportunity.

Browseabout and Biblion bookstores – Bookstores that continue to represent their shelves and commitment to the community IN the community.

Delaware’s October 13th Librarian Professional Development – A chance to share, create, and advocate for how we can continue to grow literacy in our state.

Delaware Association of School Librarians – One of many organizations interested in providing opportunities of literacy in our state.

Everylibrary.org serving as an umbrella of what we want to achieve on a larger scale in librarianship, education, open-mindedness, and diversity in learning.

Banned Books Week – A chance to discover and learn what is out there that might cause fear in adults, and how children are drawn to view and bridge to connect youth and adults together on issues today.

Classes – students and teachers able to contribute via podcasting, attending, contributing, representing, Ms. Wagar, Ms. Shiley, Ms.McGill, Mr. Truitt, Ms. Kirkland, to name a few, are the first to enable such opportunities to occur and spread to others.

If you take all of the above, and combine them, you see a cornucopia of ways that all individuals involved can connect how literacy and diversity of approaches can indeed combine organizations, individuals, and institutions together for one very important cause – widening the scope of our minds, conversations, and experiences.

Mr. Inskeep and Ms. Traci N. Todd activated enthusiasm and history when it came to viewing what school can and should be like in learning about themselves and their place in history, as well as taking on diversity and embracing it, not fueling it.

Interwoven connections

The Lewes History book Festival, in coordinating Mr. Inskeep and Ms. Traci N. Todd, through Jen Mason, the shop owner of Biblion, and Browseabout Books as book suppliers and definitely community bookstores, rise to the occasion to allow experiences to come to our school. They supplied over 100, ONE HUNDRED, books to students involving them in the History Book Festival. The Delaware Humanities,,under the leadership of Michele Anstine, supports and underwrites events like the Lewes History Book Festival knowing we all have shared relationships to provide to our state, young, old, and future generations. We all have something to contribute and share and should have places to do so (be it a podcast, a school library, a public library, a festival, or in a coffee shop in our community). In between the upcoming Lewes History Book Festival, streaming in our school library every Friday has been the Latinx Kidlit Festival. Connections between ALL authors, ALL genres is so important, and even more so during a current physical festival in Lewes and the Hispanic Literary Festival during Hispanic Heritage Month, bringing ALL heritages together during MANY different events during many different days tis week and month. Our forward thinking Woodbridge administration leadership continues to recognize the role faculty, library media center, and schools play in encouraging thinking outside of the box and allowing diversity in learning to shape future learner. Professional Development Days enhanced thanks to Alyssa Moore, Susan Cordle, Thomas Gavin, the Delaware Department of Education, and DASL, in promoting our October 13th PD allow all librarians, administrators, Department of Education and more to weigh in on how to advocate for their librarian position and find avenues for enhancing/education the public of the exciting things taking place IN school librarian, and instilling certified librarians to work with public librarians in our state. Organizations such as EveryLibrary.org and Delaware Association of School Librarians continue to promote how as a state, we can interact with other states in sharing ideas, ways to meet individuals that think contrary to our views, and provide opportunities for all to grow and bring out the truer meaning and purpose of Banned Books Week.

Anyone can be adversarial at any moment. Is it the most productive path to addressing values? I would say no. Before addressing any number of issues you might differ on with anyone, BEFORE you attach a negative connotation to the title Banned Books Week, think about what opportunity exists starting today, until October 7th, that you can learn and apply EVERY DAY. The above list of priceless events occurring in and out of our libraries, communities, and schools is only a one week look at what is possible ALL year to individuals willing to come together, in the most divisive of times, and bring levels of positive motion forward we can all contribute to, and benefit from. I hope you also will make a determined effort to find out how you can also continue to bring literacy of all sorts to everyone around you, as we move forward this next week and month with some exciting opportunities – that is what school libraries, public librarians, librarian advocates in all organizations, and parents and students can do when they come together – despite their views and stands.

Thank you to everyone involved who continue to show what can happen in and out of physical spaces to widen the views of our minds every day. Making connections and finding ways to tie us together, rather than separating us through action, speech, and literacy should be our goal. Examples of funding our nation to keep the government moving forward, meeting halfway on reducing disappearing school librarian and libraries, preventing disappearing open spaces and land, educating youth on how they can take environmental leadership roles, reducing detrimental impacts on our environment, and improving immigration challenges, ALL involve literacy. We have so many youth that can help solve these problems, along seasoned community members, to waste these opportunities could be our own downfall. Let’s try to make this week be one out of 52 that we can find ways to make positive change in the issues we might not see eye to eye on.

The author / NPR announcer Steve Inskeep stated, there is a different between sympathy and empathy. Lincoln used the difference between these two wisely. (A Must listen to how Lincoln addressed opinions and views of others, looking at others as “deplorables.”) I LOVED this. Also, the author Jeff Shaara mentioned it is not right to judge individuals of past years on the culture or views that might not match today. VERY good quote to think about. Think. Connect. Inquire. Create. Share. Literacy. Meeting halfway – it is all connected and able to be connected. We can too if we allow it. I have heard that many hate the fact we have so many “National” Days. I get it, but, it gives every day a chance for us to connect in some way on something we all share. I like that.