Welcome, everyone. Each September, I begin the school year by introducing a few quotes around my classroom. One of the quotes that I feel is the strongest are from the words of Maya Angelou (see above). This year, together, we will explore what it means to have empathy.

• We will accomplish this by reading about characters and their experiences, real or imagined.

• We will accomplish this by writing about our own experiences or the experiences of those characters who only exist in our imaginations.

• We will accomplish this by speaking and listening to one another in order to create a classroom community.