This I Believe

The past few weeks my students have been working diligently on their This I Believe essays.  Because it is the first time I have taught this unit, I drafted and revised my own version of the essay alongside my seniors.  I challenged them to make their work public by reading their beliefs aloud in class, so it must challenge myself to share mine "publicly" as well.  While it is still (somewhat) a draft, here is the belief I share with my students today....

I believe in books.

More specifically, I believe that books have the power to create an alternate experience which teaches empathy and understanding.


Many of my best childhood memories involve books. As a fifth-grader, my mother took me to the local bookstore, and introduced me to the Classics. Together we selected and read Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I was transported from my Midwestern elementary school life to rural England. While I didn’t fully appreciate the nuances of the text or the implied social criticism, I was able to empathize with the journey of a young woman whose suffering only strengthens her independence and her morals.


A few years later, I tackled Gone With the Wind. Again, I departed my suburban confines for the drama that encompassed the Deep South. My junior high turmoil seemed inconsequential to Scarlett O’Hara’s struggle to find food, find a man, and find her independence from the social constraints of her era. I developed an appreciation for her resourcefulness, and began to understand the fallout of a prolonged war.


My high school English teacher, Mrs. Rubenking, assigned Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha to a classroom of twelfth graders counting the moments until graduation. As I read the text, I subconsciously adopted some of the protagonist’s strategies to reach to sublime peace and understanding. Rather fruitlessly, I attempted to lose some of my selfish, materialistic sensibilities, and tried to find the meaning – any meaning – of life. Most importantly, I learned from Siddhartha that every individual I encounter plays a role in my journey towards enlightenment.


In my professional and personal readings, I still encounter books that teach me empathy and understanding. Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie continuously challenges me to focus on the what I consider the key elements of my life, reminding all readers to, “Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. “ Likewise, Jeannette Walls memoir The Glass Castle taught me about the resilience of children and young adults. It also reminds me, as a classroom teacher, to be empathetic with each student I encounter, as I might not fully understand the experiences they have outside of the school building.


I now have two young sons, and my evening reading often consists of Goodnight Moon, Curious George, and any book that includes tractors or sharks. The books are simple, but the power is the same. I am transported to an experience that is different from my own, and I have the opportunity to learn from the characters I meet. I believe that books have the power to create an alternate experience which teaches empathy and understanding. Just as my mother started that journey with Jane Eyre, my sons and I have embarked on our own literary adventure, accompanied by a cow jumping over the moon and a curious little monkey.


My statement still needs some editing, but it is starting to capture what I feel about books.