| Part of the reason I became an educator is that I am deeply enamored with the stories that we, as human beings, carry within us and the power and connection that exist when we open ourselves to sharing our stories and experiencing the stories others carry. Both of the books that I have been blessed to write through DBC (You Are Poetry and Teaching Is a Tattoo) are basically love notes to these stories, which are literally and figuratively the things that make us who we are. They're also invitations, activities, and road maps that not only ask and empower people to share their own stories out loud and to create opportunities and value in others doing the same. I could not be more thankful that the team at DBC put their faith in me to create these books and put their message out into the wild.
I believe that these books give everyone the tools to not only see every color of the rainbow in others, they also give people new colours to paint with when it comes to telling their own stories. To that end, when I asked an AI program to populate a list of things that come in 7s to help inspire my own Sunday Seven, the seven colors of the rainbow seemed like the perfect palette to create with. So without further ado, here is the colorful Sunday Seven that speaks of stories and asks you how you share them.
Red
Red for me bears an immediate connection to some of my favorite food. I am obsessed with cherries and watermelon. I think there is a special magic in loving them so much because their season is both tied to summer and relatively short and finite in nature. I also love strawberries. There is a lot of deep meaning in strawberries for me as an Indigenous person. We call them odemin - the heart berry - because of their shape and because the plant is constantly giving of itself all season long. Food is as much a symbol of love as cutout red construction paper hearts. Though she has long passed on, I will always carry the smells, sounds, and tastes of days spent learning to cook at my grandmother's side.
My big red question to you is: how are your stories connected to food? What do those moments taste and smell like for you? How do you create new stories and memories through food in your life now? Remember, there is a big difference between eating food to survive and creating a meal experience. How do you invite those around you to your table, so to speak?
Orange
Orange carries stories in two ways for me. Orange is monarch butterflies, as my kids and I have rescued and raised monarchs in our garden for the past several years. I love how much we all learn by getting hands-on, showing care for something so small and delicate, and giving opportunity for metamorphosis and change. I love that butterflies have to almost completely melt down what they were to be able to build themselves into what they need to become. My other orange is basketball. My all-time favorite sport. I played through high school and university, and I cannot explain how many stories I carry in these aging bones of mine. I think it's so great that my associations tied to orange are so wildly different. Orange you glad that we get to have such wonderfully unique human experiences?
My big orange question to you is, what experiences in your life do you consider extremely different but equally important? How do you make sure you get to see a variety of different sides to the people around you?
Yellow
Yellow is tied to bananas for me. Easily my favorite yellow ever. I love bananas in ice cream, cereal, and banana bread. I even love the medicine that you get sometimes, which has a fake banana taste. Just amazing. Since travelling to New York a few times to go hit as many Broadway musicals as possible, bananas are also wrapped into the unforgettable taste of Magnolia Bakery's Famous Banana Pudding. One of the best desserts my sweet tooth has ever experienced.
My big yellow question to you is: how quickly can you search for the recipe and make it for yourself and your loved ones at home? Here's the recipe I use.
I've made it for my kids at home a handful of times now, and it's easy to make, feels like a culinary achievement, and is impossibly delicious. Banana Pudding. Big yellow win. Oh, and if banana isn't your thing, there is a pumpkin spice recipe variation that is just as easy and seasonally spot on.
Green
Green is my personal favorite color because I am someone who prefers to be outside, surrounded by all the green growing things. Gardening in the summer. Escaping into the woods, where there are no places to plug in laptops as often as possible. Plants around the classroom. Kermit the Frog. I love absolutely all the things about green. Many of the best stories that I carry are painted green with the sun shining through tree canopies, and I can't wait to keep on living more of those stories.
My big green question to you is: with so much going on this time of year in buildings, how do you make sure to take the time to keep connected to the natural world outside? How do you make sure that your students and colleagues also keep that much-needed natural connection?
Blue
Blue reminds me of the stories that water carries. As an Indigenous person, my people carry a deeply held belief in the sacredness of water, and a big part of that comes from the belief that water remembers. It carries history and memory. Water cannot be created or destroyed, but we all need it equally to live. This summer, I was lucky enough to take my son, who is passionate about the stories of the Second World War, to the beaches of Normandy. We flew across the ocean, a body of water containing a multitude of its own stories. We stood in the places where water carried brave soldiers, carried moments that changed the course of our collective history.
My big blue question to you is: how do you connect to water? How do you respect and love the roughly 70% of yourself that is water? What stories do you have in your life that are directly connected to water? How do you share them? How do you invite others to share theirs?
Indigo
This section is a shoutout to local book stores. They are more of a backbone of the community than they often get credit for. My local book sellers, Indigo (a perfect name to slide into this list!) has carried both You Are Poetry and Teaching is a Tattoo proudly. They're a Canadian company, and I'm a proudly Canadian educator. They've asked me to come in for book signings and events. They get excited to ask about autographed copies and in-store hype. They love the stories that they carry on their shelves as much as they show love to the people who write them. I mean, just check out how nice this looks!
My big blue indigo question to you is: how often do you physically walk into bookstores, pick up the books, feel their pages and weight, then take them home? How do you support your local both in terms of your book sellers and your school communities?
Violet
Ever since my oldest daughter had a lead role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical in her grade 11 year, the word Violet has inevitably made me think of Violet Beauregard; the kid who blew up like a blueberry after eating Wonka's gum experiment. While Violet's experiment in trying new things ended…poorly, Violet is a reminder to try to eat, explore, and experience new things. This summer's European adventure was full of tries, not the least of which was my first time trying escargot.
My big violet question to you is: what new things have you recently tried as an educator? What new strategies, experiences, and flavors have you honestly been brave and caring enough to try?
And that's 7! Thanks for taking the time to dive into this colorful and reflective Sunday Seven with me. I hope that you'll snag a copy of You Are Poetry or Teaching is a Tattoo (or both!) and use the message and methods, actions, and activities inside to open yourself and your students up to wearing your stories proudly out loud. |
