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school visits

AppearancesThe Writing Life
October 30, 2014

Happy Halloween: Cool stuff I saw this week

Welcome to Thomas Dale High School? It's odd that I like high school visits as much as I do - especially since I loathed my own experience. But what can I say? I run into hilarious librarians, teachers who dream up good projects, and (most importantly) amazing young people all over the place. Here's some proof.  These are some shots I took today of my shared day at Thomas Dale High School and Meadowbrook High School, both in the Richmond area.   Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass re-written as a picture book by TD high school students! Great way to study impact of audience on writing style... Don't be fooled. They aren't mild mannered librarians... ...they are zombie lovin' biblio-freaks A truck loaded with an English teacher's requested titles at Meadowbrook HS. So many diverse voices! Winnie the Pooh recycled into a new art form at Meadowbrook Loved the inky black on this one...   Abstract! The library team at Meadowbrook HS.    
Meg Medina
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Appearances
June 13, 2014

Author Visit or School Book Experience?

On Wednesday, I did my last school visit of the 2013-14 school year at Stonewall Middle School in Manassas, Virginia. They're author visit gurus over there, rolling out the red carpet with so much attention to detail that I didn't really want to come home. (Sorry, Javier.) On the drive back to Richmond, I got to thinking about the many great times I've had meeting teachers, kids and librarians this year - and how much I've learned about how they build collections, how they connect with their staff, and how they have to navigate budget cut threats all the time. I feel really lucky to have met so many inventive, non-shushing, hilarious Bookish Ones this year. What I especially loved about Wednesday at Stonewall, though, is that it was a "best practices" event for me. All the best parts of school visits were rolled into one. They pulled together an author visit so that it wasn't just a giant assembly. Instead, they created a book experience for the kids and teachers that stretched beyond the single day that I was there. So, in honor of the amazing job Stonewall did yesterday, here's a little cheat sheet on School Visit Greatness, with a special thanks to Linda Mitchell, Hope Dublin,Laurie Corcoran, and Diane Hilland  who hosted me so expertly. Good planning: I despise paperwork, but I have to admit that it helps keep things straight. Linda Mitchell contacted me early (an October email about a visit in June.) We were clear on what…
Meg Medina
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AppearancesThe Writing LifeUncategorized
February 26, 2013

A True Bienvenidos

A warm welcome! I spent a wonderful morning at Good Shepherd Episcopal School visiting with students from Pre-K through the eighth grade. It is so exciting to find schools like this where  the students are so obviously honored and loved. Favorite comment: On hearing that my tía Isa was actually a terrible driver:  "Your next book should be Tía Isa Goes to the Emergency Room." Three best questions: Do you ever find that you accidentally put pieces of one story in another story? How do you know if your idea should be a book? (With a worried look.) Is your tía Isa still driving on the streets? Most touching event: Chef Sue (who cooks homemade from organic produce every day for these sweet kids) made me "lechon" (pulled Cuban pork), white rice and black beans, so that I could enjoy un buen almuerzo. We even had merengues for dessert.  (A big hit. "Yum! You got this cookie right," said one of the third graders.) A Cuban feast for school lunch! Chef Sue! Best slang I taught them: ¡Pin Pan Pun! (rollaway bed) Happiest coincidence: Señora Cardounel, the  Spanish teacher, is from Cuba, too. We chatted in Spanish and swapped lots of stories. I hope she'll visit me soon. The fabulous Mrs. Dysart Thank you, Ms. Dysart and all the lovely faculty and students at Good Shepherd! If I had to go to school again, I would want to go to a place just like Good Shepherd.
Meg Medina
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AppearancesCommunity work
December 3, 2012

School visits: An Open Book Literacy Foundation

Back to DC, one of my favorite cities, this time thanks to An Open Book Children's Literacy Foundation which gives Title 1 schools in the District access to books and authors. (Feeling charitable this season?  They make an excellent choice for your philanthropy.) So, it's second graders and eighth graders for me today. I think we'll make our own "Tía Isa" cars out of foam with the younger ones, since this gives me a chance to channel my inner craft geek. (I can't help it. I love office supplies and the smell of Elmers Glue). Thrilled also to start a new Hope Tree in the DC area with the older guys. Raymond Education Center, here I come! What color would your car be? Where would you want your car to take you?
Meg Medina
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Appearances
May 16, 2012

Do children get cuter than this?

I visited Colonial Trail Elementary School last week. It's nestled behind a behemoth mall, but don't be fooled. This school is a gold nugget in western Henrico County, and fourth grade teacher Tiffany Graves goes out of her way to bring literature alive in her room. Looking forward to thinking of ways of working together next year! Look at this good looking bunch. Fourth graders in Ms. Graves class
Meg Medina
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