Published:
03/08/2011 06:33pm
No Tildes on Tuesday
Appreciating All Heritages: A Direct Link to an End of Bullying
During an era when there is increased bullying in schools, and warranted of our legislator’s continued attention, my children’s chapter book, No Tildes on Tuesday, has arrived at a significant, and crucial time. My book is yet another means for educators (teachers, counselors, social workers), and even parents to utilize in order to engage children in effective, healthy conversations about marginal issues and topics that some, in years past, dared to discuss.
All being said, I would love for my story via my book to be in the hands, and on the shelves of as many children’s (homes, schools and community libraries as well as the nearest bookstores), as deemed appropriate.
Why?
No Tildes on Tuesday is a book that touches on the lives of children who need positive influences, empowerment, encouragement, and self-identity boosters. Since my main character, Isabella, is biracial and has discarded one of her heritages, her grandmother (Abuela) becomes concerned and feels that Isabella needs to learn her father’s first language, Spanish, and should begin learning it ASAP.
At her father’s firm request, Isabella begins her Spanish lessons with her grandmother (Abuela), but the lessons aren’t as easy as she’d hope they would be. When over the weekend grandmother (Abuela) learns that Isabella really isn’t interested in learning Spanish, she speaks to Isabella about her discovery, and then suddenly decides to halt the lessons. Actually, Isabella becomes relieved and silently says, “No Tildes on Tuesday”.
As one can readily surmise from the brief synopsis, Isabella primarily identifies with her other heritage, at first. Follow Isabella on a journey as she avoids one of her heritages, why she chooses to do so, and finally how she comes to grip with her multi-racial life.
I’ve written No Tildes on Tuesday so that I can express to readers the complexities that may arise in children’s lives when they are not introduced and taught to appreciate both their heritages. When children, whether monoculture or multicultural, are taught early in life to embrace not only their heritage(s) and culture(s), but the heritage(s) and culture(s) of others: their school mates, neighbors and associates near and far, it only enhances and builds their self-worth as hearty and powerful individuals who are sure of themselves. Children should not fear loving and appreciating both and/or all of their heritages, or the heritages of others. Perhaps then, bullying will become a record low in our nation's schools.
No Tildes on Tuesday is unique because there is a worksheet entitled: I am a Biracial/Multiracial Person! Let me Share My Attributes with You in the back of it. After reading the book, this worksheet can be used with children in our nation’s schools as a vehicle for positive and meaningful discussion about appreciating heritage(s) and cultural awareness. In fact, this worksheet can be utilized with all students, regardless of their ethnicity. Just remove the title, and make the questions work in whichever setting is best. Students may be encouraged to discuss the personal attributes that they possess, or the positive strengths they have personally acquired over time, plus many more topics such as character building.
Once a child is given the necessary tools to strengthen his or her character, he or she will be strong enough to withstand upsets in life.
Bullying is a problem! Our children are dying and some are afraid to enter the doors of our schools. So what are we going to do?
As a Ph.D., and researcher who has already begun the quest (via school author visits in neighboring schools) of sharing positive strategies in order to help children get through this bullying pandemic, and turbulent time in their lives, No Tildes on Tuesday can prove to give further discourse and perhaps strategies, in what some may say, unusual ways. Unusual, meaning -- legislators are currently mandating other means of handling this pandemic via,
