On February 24th I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at Grasonville Elementary School reading Talking Buddies aloud. I began by sharing this story with the 4th graders as part of their celebration of African-American month. The students were attentive, enthusiastic and insightful. I then went to Rachel Seward’s first grade classroom to read Talking Buddies. We have a longstanding relationship which was fostered by my dear friend Merle Rockwell, who was serving as a Character Coach in Ms. Seward’s classroom. She introduced me to Rachel and we have fostered a relationship based on our shared love for children’s literature. I had a wonderful time with these first graders and learned that three of the students in the class were born in a different country and could relate directly to the characters in the story. Their presence and insightful comments made the visit very meaningful.
“The time that my kiddos and I get to share with Dr. Carol and her stories is invaluable and always so enjoyable. As a first grade teacher, her stories help to fill my classroom library with flexible children’s literature that addresses so many important topics for my students. I always find myself able to use them in a variety of lessons all throughout the year.” Rachel Seward, First Grade Teacher, Grasonville Elementary School
“Once again our school was fortunate to have Dr. Carol Franks-Randall share her newest story Talking Buddies. The students could relate to this story because they have friends who are learning English in their classes. Dr. Franks-Randall not only read her story to us, but also was able to engage the students in a conversation about the making of the book. This delighted the students to learn from a real author how the story goes through many steps before becoming published. We look forward to have Dr. Franks-Randall join us again next year!” Kathy Barletta, Reading Specialist, Grasonville Elementary School
I want to thank Kathy Barletta, Reading Specialist at Grasonville Elementary School for inviting me to read, and Rachel Seward for graciously welcoming me into her classroom.