Career Day @ Collins Elementary School

Had a blast meeting the 4th and 5th graders
Had a blast meeting the 4th and 5th graders

I had a blast at Collins Elementary for their annual Career Day. Sometimes going into a school as a visitor for a program can be a harrowing experience, but the staff and teachers did a wonderful job of coordinating the event and making all the guests feel welcome. I spoke with 4th and 5th graders about my work as a historian. Now, not many of them raised their hands when I asked them if they liked history, but that gave me the opportunity to discuss why history is so important to our understanding of where we are in the world today. Next, we explored the skills that you’d need to be successful in that career: great reading comprehension, research skills, writing, and the ability think critically and ask questions.

 

 

Had a blast meeting the 4th and 5th graders and sharing Junebug with them.
Had a blast meeting the 4th and 5th graders and sharing Junebug with them.

Presenting Kindergarten Teacher Lena Leon with a copy of Junebug for the Collins Elementary School Library.
Presenting Kindergarten Teacher Lena Leon with a copy of Junebug for the Collins Elementary School Library.

One of the tools I have at my disposal for this discussion was my previous children’s book, To Collect, Protect, and Serve: Behind the Scenes at the Library of Virginia. The concept of the “Archival Enemies” and the brilliant illustrations by Les Harper help students understand primary sources and what it takes to preserve them.

From there, we transitioned into a discussion of my second book, Junebug and the Gumbo Garden. I described the story’s plot and the process of writing. As I do with my own children, I reminded them of their own creative power. Most everything we consume – television shows, cartoons, video games, and the like – are the products of someone’s imagination. They, too, have the ability to harness their own creative potential. I hope that little seed bears fruit!

Interested in having me visit your school or youth group? Contact me.