December

My Footprints

This text expands students’ perceptions and understanding of the diversity that exists in families and builds a foundation for all students to feel acknowledged and valued in our learning spaces. Discuss the impact of bias and stereotypes as it relates to gender and family composition. Highlight the ways Thuy's moms connect with their cultural heritage to address her emotional needs.

This text was purchased by our District's Equity department and gifted to all NTPS elementary teachers in the District, to include in our curriculum.

From the Publisher: Every child feels different in some way, but Thuy feels "double different." She is Vietnamese American and she has two moms. Thuy walks home one winter afternoon, angry and lonely after a bully's taunts. Then a bird catches her attention and sets Thuy on an imaginary exploration. What if she could fly away like a bird? What if she could sprint like a deer, or roar like a bear? Mimicking the footprints of each creature in the snow, she makes her way home to the arms of her moms. Together, the three of them imagine beautiful and powerful creatures who always have courage - just like Thuy.

Questions for families to discuss:

Why does Thuy have that reaction when asked about her day? Have you ever not wanted to talk about something that bothered you at school? As your adult, how do you think I should respond if you don't want to talk about something that is bothering you?
What is courage? Where does your courage come from? How can we practice courage?
What would you do if you heard another student making fun of a classmate about their race, their family, or their gender? Have you ever experienced that before?

Learning Goals:

For the Month of December, we are focusing on family diversity and creating safe spaces for all students to share information about their lives.

Students will develop positive social identities based on their membership in multiple groups in society. (Identity 1)
Students will express pride, confidence and healthy self-esteem without denying the value and dignity of other people. (Identity 4)
Students will respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and will exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way. (Diversity 8)
Students will respond to diversity by building empathy, respect, understanding and connection. (Diversity 9)

Go here to learn more about the Learning Goals, The Social Justice Standards

Listen to the story

Learn more about the Author

More resources for families:

The book is available to purchase here.
Resource for Adult learning: https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/08/walking-through-hailstorm/discrimination-against-lgbt-youth-us-schools

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