Meagan Bridges-January blogpost

Kids are naturally curious. If you’re a parent you know this, because your kids ask…so…many…questions. Educators know this too, and really anyone who is around children knows. Kids are curious and they ask a lot of questions. We also know that they are not always the most polite or thoughtful. They often say what they are thinking, with no thoughts given to how another person might receive it. Like today, when a second grader looked up at me and told me I was having a bad hair day. Thanks so much. This combination of curiosity and readiness to say or ask whatever is on their minds means that children are inclined to have invasive curiosity. We know that most people mean well, and curiosity is not meant to harm or make others feel left out. Yet, invasive curiosity does just that – it makes people feel left out or unwelcome or like an outsider. Sometimes invasive curiosity is completely offensive.  As an adult, I appreciate being explicitly taught how to ask questions of others that make them feel comfortable, and seen, and cared for. Learning that asking, “what’s the story of your name?” is better than asking, “where are you from?” was eye opening for me. It is a lesson I’ll always remember. As classroom teachers, we have the responsibility to do the same for our students. There’s nothing wrong with saying, let’s ask a person we are just meeting this (instead of that!). Of course, using picture books to help us model positive curiosity and responsible decision making is always a good idea. 

The Suitcase, by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros, is a great book to help with these topics. I love the discussion questions in the back:  “As the new arrival sleeps, the other animals discuss him and his suitcase. Do they ever all agree? How do they come to a decision about what to do next? Have you ever been in a situation where a decision was made to do something you felt was wrong? What would you do differently?” These questions are a great way to help children think about how they can make responsible decisions. What I love about picture books is that they are perfect for any age. My second grade classroom had a rich discussion around these questions, and when I was looking at the book at home, my own 8th grader saw it and exclaimed, “The Suitcase! I love that book!” Her librarian read the book to their class, and they had their own talk about it. Picture books bring people together and make information accessible to everyone. Including important SEL topics such as these.