PPBF: Draw The Line

So this week had me feeling nostalgic and left me longing in a familiar way, taking me back to my first days and months of retirement two years ago. Only I didn't really retire, just moved into my encore career. Still, there was a big hole in my educator heart because I missed the energy of empowerment.

I love school so much, and this week I was really missing it.

I'm missing strumming our kids into their day on my ukulele,

{especially when they'd bring theirs to play with me}!

This was my last day at Whitcomb, though I didn't know it at the time.

I miss the huge hugs, 

the sweet smiles, 

the hardy high fives.

I miss the read-alouds and the students' reflections.

I miss the eye contact and the caring connections.

I miss hearing, "Hey Mrs. Gruener, guess what?"

I miss the camaraderie with staff; Zoom meetings are fun,

but they're just not the same. At all. Not even close.

I even miss the tears and the conflict.

I know, weird, right?

Enter today's magical, wordless PPBF.

Title: Draw The Line

Author and Illustrator: Kathryn Otoshi

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Birth Date: October 10, 2017

Suitable for: ages 4-8 (and beyond!)

Themes: conflict, boundaries, friendship

Brief synopsis: When the line that two boys are drawing gets crossed by a back-to-back bump, conflict quickly ensues. Can they work together to close the widening gap that their anger causes?

Opening pages: 

Resources:

Check out a review from the Nerdy Book Club {here}.

Read an author interview {here}.

Take a gallery walk through the pages with Phoebe {here}.

Learn about the 4-step CARE plan for conflict resolution  {here}.

Teach students to resolve their own conflicts {here}.

Why I like this book: Well at first I wasn't sure I cared for it, because of my fixed mindset that a book needs words! But, it came to life in a magical way when I decided to let the experts ~ my students ~ decide how good it was. And we could hardly get through it in a 30-minute class period because of the incredible conversation it sparked. The illustrations tell the story so beautifully, but they also allow for so much interpretation; we were able to glean point of view, experience perspective, and feel so much empathy for each of the two artists in conflict as their chasm grew. This is a diamond in the rough that you won't want to miss.

After reading it, consider setting up a Conflict-Resolution Labyrinth.

In our Peace Labyrinth, each person in conflict stops at the number to:

1. State your side the problem.

2. State your feelings about the problem.

3. State the other person's feelings about the problem.

4. Brainstorm all problem-solving options.

5. Choose the best solution.

Sometimes the best solution is agree to disagree,

and that's okay. The most important thing here is

to share the feelings that underly the experience.

To listen to one another. 

To really hear what they're saying.

And to feel what they're not saying.

You don't have to paint a labyrinth to get the benefit of

walking through conflict. Just put your steps on the

floor or the wall and invite your students to walk toward peace.

Check out this Kathryn Otoshi masterpiece and add it to your cart (if it's not already on your shelves). Then head to Susanna Hill's blog for her review of Bloom along with today's other PPBF picks.

Heading out now to my school for our

Teacher Appreciation drive-thru luncheon.

So grateful to our PTA and our school leaders.

Have I mentioned how much I love and miss school? 😉

Happy weekend, dear reader.