About

A Message From Ms. Abena Ntoso

Writing is difficult. So is reading. But practicing these two things on a daily basis creates so much potential for learning and growth, which in turn allows us to improve our lives and the lives of others around us.

This academic year has been challenging. It is our first year back to 100% in-person learning after spending an entire year and a half doing our best to make it through a pandemic. Despite the many challenges, we have been showing up and doing our best every single day, supporting one another through the difficult times and celebrating victories large and small. Little Thoughts, Big Meanings, is the culmination of our literary efforts so far this year.

Contributors have studied works by a wide variety of classic and contemporary authors—from Fyodor Dostoyevsky to Pablo Neruda—and have written in a range of genres including literary interpretation, poetry, reflections, and even essay proposals for TED talks. The common denominator is that we all practiced literacy skills that help us grow; we asked questions before, during and after reading in order to broaden our perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of the world around us; we explored our thoughts and ideas in our journal writing; we discussed our interpretations with one another and asked each other questions; we experimented with literary techniques and studied grammar to improve our skills in both creative and professional writing; we shared our writing with one another and offered insightful positive feedback. In short, we used reading and writing to help us improve our literacy and our lives.

In Little Thoughts, Big Meanings, we share some of the work that has helped us to expand our literacy skills. More importantly, this work has allowed us to question, explore, imagine, communicate, create, collaborate and grow. We hope that in exploring some of our thoughts and ideas, you will also be inspired to practice these skills and enrich your own life.