What are traditions and why are they important?
In Ms. Joaquin's family, they have a tradition of placing candles on every window sill on New Years Eve. While the tradition started with real wax candles, the tradition has changed to use battery-powered ones (it's safer that way!). In her Filipino family, it is believed that candles light the way for good luck to enter the home at the beginning of the year. It was a tradition that her grandmother passed on to her mother, who passed it on to her.
Some families have traditions where they go to a special restaurant on their birthdays or have game nights every Wednesday. Whatever the tradition, it's usually meant to celebrate time together.
Community Event - Glen Grove Ofrenda
If you want to help organize, please contact Ms. Joaquin at mjoaquin@glenview34.org.
Family Movie Night: Fiddler on the Roof
There are many stage productions of this musical as well as the famous 1971 movie version of the musical. The play is about a family trying to keep their Jewish traditions while the world is changing around them. Fiddler on the Roof is known for its famous songs like "If I Were a Rich Man" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" and a dancing with a bottle on top of one's head. As this month, there will be three Jewish holidays occurring, watching this movie will be a good opportunity to learn more about Jewish culture and learn a few new tunes as well!
Rated G
Community Blurb #2: Representation & Affirmation
By Ms. Joaquin
Our library is a growing place for all to have windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors - books can mirror our lives, be windows into worlds and lives that are new to us, or be doors that allow us to have a new experience. When I was a kid, I once borrowed a book on electronic music history and how to make electronic music - I was so inspired and amazed that I wanted to be a DJ at one point in my teenage years! It became a window and then a sliding door into something I enjoyed - making music.
Now, what does that have to do with community? We, as a diverse community of learners with access to books and movies from school and local libraries, have opportunities to have these windows and mirrors that can affirm or represent our lives. Representation is when you can see yourself in books and other media - you see someone like you. Affirmation, however, goes a step further - media that affirms your identity and shows that you may have many parts, but the parts make the whole picture.
For example, there are books like My Thirteenth Winter by Samantha Abeel and El Deafo by Cece Bell, both of which are written by authors with disabilities. Samantha Abeel wrote about growing up with dyscalculia, a learning disability in math, while Cece Bell based her story on her childhood and growing up with deafness. Both books affirm identities of people for whom their disability is an important part of their identity, but also have many parts to their identities. Abeel grew up as an aspiring writer while the character Cece in El Deafo enjoyed putting on her mother's makeup and watching television with her siblings. These stories are mirrors for those who share aspects of their story.
We want to affirm every member of our community's experience and we are lucky to have a growing collection books to do so. With more books, we have more windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors - we have more opportunities to share our own stories with others.
For more ways to have windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors, check out the link for Project World Kid Lit Month. They have a Bingo card challenging young people to read books from all over the world and suggest 10 ways to celebrate World Lit Month.
