An open letter from faculty, Patricia Wojtowicz, Education, June 7, 2004

When I first was asked to become part of the Homeland Security Grant on our campus, I didn’t see how it would fit into my Early Childhood Children’s Literature course. The course focuses on literature for children from birth to age eight. The concept of Homeland Security is not necessarily relevant to young children and could be frightening to many of them. However, I decided to give it a try by using the grant theme as the central idea for one of the required course assignments, a thematic children’s book.

Rather than solely using “Homeland Security” as the book theme, I modified it: “Helping Children to Feel Safe in our World Today.” When I introduced the assignment to the students on the first day of class, their overwhelmed reaction was what I expected. Not only were they being asked to write an original children’s book, but they also had to use the assigned theme. In addition, I set the due date several weeks prior to the end of the semester. Many of the students had confused looks on their faces, some flat out objected to being confined to the theme, and almost everyone indicated that there was no way to complete such an extensive project by mid-April. We all left class that first day wondering what I had gotten us into.

As the semester unfolded, we constantly revisited the assignment criteria and compared them to the course content. The students began to narrow down the focus of their books, and the books started to take shape. As the due date drew near, I could sense the excitement that many of them were feeling when they told me about their end products. Some students were still struggling, but I had opportunities to discuss their plans with them individually which seemed to help.

On the assignment due date, students were required to read their books to their classmates. For some this was a scary thought – to read their original work to their peers. We were all feeling a little nervous – including me. Just how would “good” would the books be? How well would they represent the assignment theme? How would they be received by Beverly, the National Director of the Grant, who just happened to be visiting our campus that very day and was scheduled to attend our class?

Despite our reservations, the books were outstanding. Each was unique and had some special meaning to its author. Some books focused directly on 911; others dealt with death. Many were related to issues of safety. But for me the most important aspect was that the assignment verified for me that my students understood major course themes. They “got” children’s literature, and their books were a tangible product that they could share with children. These books were an excellent way to help children learn about how to be safe in our world today.

Dissemination of the books happened in various ways. Some actually read their books at the centers where they are employed. I had some posted on our College’s service learning webpage. One student from Germany shared her book with her mother back home who read the book to her German preschoolers. Several students read their original story to children at our on-campus Child Care Center.

This Homeland Security Grant project was a wonderful way to involve my students in a timely and important social issue while at the same time helping them to focus on children’s literature. The assignment helped the course content come alive for my students in a meaningful way. It also encouraged them to confront a difficult issue in a meaningful way for young children. One student summed up the importance of this assignment, “I really feel like my book can help children to talk about [safety] with their parents. This book promotes family discussion and can help children to feel security away from home.”

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