Throughout history, the written word has both inspired and frightened people because language has the power to shape meaning and our reality. With the recent ban of one of the first graphic novels in Western literature, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, in Tennessee, U.S., we witness the unsettling force books continue to have on readers even in the 21st century. And yet, stories are the foundation of every world culture, and we must continue to strive to have stories told in the interest of cultivating open-minded, inclusive, and ethical communities.
The week of March 21, ISBe Secondary Students celebrated Literacy Week by engaging in a variety of activities ranging from expertly hilarious attempts at tongue twisters to guessing childhood books of teachers to writing stories per House / Grade level across the secondary school. A few classroom doors transformed into book jacket covers and the bell resounded in the halls, calling everyone to drop what they were doing and start reading. What became clear very quickly was that we have a group of talented students who like a good challenge and we might have some budding novelists to boot.
The highlight of the week, it has to be said, was Mr. Blansear’s curated collection of poetry readings in languages ranging from Hindu and Iraqi Arabic to Dutch and Russian and a variety of English to Macedonian and Italian, to name just a few. The real beauty of this project was that the poems were read by teachers and students, brining our ISBe community truly together over a shared appreciation of the written word.