Recently, I've been thinking a lot about education mostly because I am pursuing a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. Because of this, I've been doing student teaching at Sibley Elementary. I've been reflecting a lot on my education and how I felt in the 4th grade and Kindergarten. It makes me think of what I went through at that age. I remember vividly that it wasn't easy spending my first few years in a school with a majority of white students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Most days I was attacked. If not for my weight, then for my skin tone, and if not that than my hair texture. Those first few years instilled a lot of doubt and insecurity within myself. Moving to the Southside of Chicago and going to a majority Black, underfunded public school wasn't the easiest transition either.

It was a really hard time for me, and I remember feeling out of place in any school. My coping mechanism became writing and reading in those times, and they still are to this day. I have to thank my parents for showing me those outlets of expression. I remember the first book that really stuck with me when I was in 3rd grade and starting my life in an extremely uncomfortable place for me. The book was called Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. It was basically the reverse Mexican adaption of Cinderella. While the book was kind of dark for a 3rd grader, I remember it giving me the power to be strong. That book was followed by a slew of others that opened the world for me. It was a lot like the Wardrobe for me. Behind each book was a hidden passage to the rest of the world and different times.

Now, you're probably wondering what any of this has to do with the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Recipient, Abdul Wright. Well, he recently had a talk at St. Olaf. While there are many things that stood out to me during his speech, one of the things that resonated with me was he need to show his students that there are places beyond North Minneapolis. That there are places further than where they live and that they should make it their business to see it. The way he is able to ensure that they see through the coats in the Wardrobe is through books. It stood out to me because reading books like The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid by Khaled Hosseini, Bound by Donna Jo Napoli, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, The Diary of Anne Frank and even comics like Scott Pilgrim changed my life. They made realize that there is always something more to the world, and I will forever be grateful to the authors and educators who make those books available.