Checking Out Our “New” Library

Our library reopened last week after being closed for three months for remodeling. Students missed the library and happily accepted librarian Mari Pongkhamsing’s invitation to check out the “new” library at lunchtime. The room has a new floor and rug and a fresh coat of paint, and the new shelves are filled with books. Most of the work is complete, but some remains to be done. We’re still waiting for freestanding shelves that will replace the low cabinets in the middle of the room.

Our library renovation was made possible by donations from Meher Schools families in a Parent Corral fundraiser in April.

With the library now reopening for business, we’ll be sending an eNote to parents of second-through-fifth graders tomorrow outlining our library policies on checking out books to take home. (Books kindergartners and first graders check out stay in their classrooms.)

Telling Stories

I feel privileged when parents share stories with me about situations in their families that are hard to understand. They always contain so much wisdom, and I learn so much from hearing all the complex nuances that people handle. Telling stories is an important way to stop and look at the big picture. Our minds often spin out about problems, and telling the story to another person helps us to look at the situation with a little more detachment.

Psychologist Ethan Cross, the author of the bestselling book Chatter, says, “We can think of the mind as the lens and our inner button that zooms either in or out.” Challenging situations pull us toward zooming in on the details, whereas telling the story helps us see more facets of what’s going on. Cross suggests finding people who can listen to us and help us to frame things from alternate perspectives.

Storytelling within families has an important role in building family cohesion. At family events, people often tell tales that remind family members of their shared experiences and support for one another. “Remember the time we …?”

Children actually build their autobiographies in part by hearing stories about themselves, including their origin stories. This is true whether a mom tells a child about having been pregnant and giving birth or meeting the baby at adoption. Origin stories involve sharing details about what was happening when the child was born, then continuing the plot lines as the child grew into a baby, toddler, preschooler etc.

One of the important storytelling roles parents have is being the storehouse of all the child’s successes. When children are facing challenges, parents can remind them of the times they handled something else in their lives that was difficult. “I remember when you were trying to learn to ride a bike how you fell down and got back up.”

Adults support children the most by being attentive listeners to their feelings and the way they perceive situations. We want children to feel safe telling stories from their lives without being told that their way of thinking is faulty or being handed a solution. Reminding them that they have been able problems solvers in the past boosts their confidence in the current situation.

I collect stories about the ways parents handle difficult situations, and thinking about them together brings a shared understanding of the kinds of events that are prevalent in people’s lives. Storytelling brings communities together as well as families, and our 50th anniversary in February will include stories from current students, parents, and alumni about experiences they had at and our school and the ways the school values helped them to lead their lives out in the world.

Fitting In

Teacher’s New Book Celebrates Each Child’s Unique Contribution

Most children feel at least a little nervous as a new school year approaches. With new teachers, a new classroom, new routines, and often new classmates, many worry about fitting in.

Laura White, a Meher School alumna who taught kindergarten, first grade, and chorus here for 10 years before going on extended maternity leave, has published a book honoring the special gifts each child contributes to a class. Written in rhymed verse and geared to children four to eight years old, it’s called Our Class Needs You!

Laura reads her book to her son James, who will start at the White Pony later this year. (What’s not evident in the photo is Laura’s “baby bump”—James’s brother is due to arrive today!)

“Each child who comes into the classroom has so much to offer, but each in their own unique way,” Laura says. “I wanted to write a book that reflected that, and that highlighted that every child’s special talents and interests are a welcome and important part of the class.” 

Though it was written for teachers, Laura says the book can be a useful tool for parents book too, “for helping a child who feels nervous about feeling included in their new classroom. It showcases the welcoming spirit of inclusion that teachers at our school strive for. If students know that’s what’s waiting for them, I hope that would help them feel less worried.”  

Our Class Needs You! was illustrated by Slovenian artist Alenka Trotovšek, whom Laura met online. The book is only available on Amazon, where it’s garnered nothing but five-star reviews. We have a sample copy in the Office.