Slice of Life: Reflecting on John Schu's amazing presentation

 

  It's Tuesday, and Tuesdays are for slicing.  Anyone is welcome to join us through Two Writing Teachers, slicing, sharing, and commenting on other slices! 

  

As I walked down the hallway toward the gym, I was a little surprised to hear so much cheering and shouting. The school was excited to be hosting John Schu for an author visit, but in my experience, even in a not-so-acoustic gymnasium, the volume level of author visits is not too high. 

Here's what struck me when I walked in: the joy. 

I know that Mr. Schu is famous for stories, and I have loved his books. (If you haven't read the Gift of Story, I highly recommend you purchase it before finishing this post because it is all about the different ways that books can impact people. ) Any person who makes it his mission to help kids see themselves, stand up for themselves, and find the book that changes everything for them is a hero in my world. 

After watching John Schu present, he's even more of my hero. I have never seen ANYONE animate a gymnasium full of third-sixth graders in the same way. Every hand was up every time he suggested he might want a response. Every child read with him. Even non book-lovers-- because he made it safe enough for everyone. He gave out books, he gave out plugs for Target, and most of all, he gave out passion. When he asked for yells, kids gave him yells, but when he was quiet, every eye was on him and every mouth was closed. 

After a while, I studied him. What did he do that impacted the audience so much? He told stories, for one. By the end of the presentation, we knew many important events and people in his life. He also had a slide presentation, and he shared pictures of his home-- his porch, his favorite chair, his staircase, his kitchen table... he brought us into his life. He provided clear expectations for all of us to participate in his presentation. "I'll read the black regular print, and you read the fun print, as well as the onomatopoeia," he instructed. We were all happy to join him reading a picture book because we knew exactly what our role was and how to do it. Even when we messed up and didn't come in right on cue, he gave us another chance. "Hold on," he said a few times. "You can do better than that." And we did. 

For the rest of the day, I felt the joy that John Schu radiated because he loves books so much and every word of his presentation made every person in the gym know it. What an amazing thing to present with that much joy. What a gift of story and passion.