A hundred years ago (give or take), before I moved to Colorado, I lived in
Michigan and worked for a public television station. As educational outreach
coordinator of children’s programming, I trained parents and preschool and
early elementary teachers to use PBS programming as an educational tool. I
learned an important lesson at that job. Children learn in various ways and
it’s essential to provide educators with alternative teaching resources,
especially teachers in cash-strapped school districts.
So what does this have to do with geekdom? I want to tell
you about two great alternative educational programs started by comic book
fans. I got excited when I interviewed to help with Denver Comic Con, especially when they
told me that they were the fundraiser for Comic Book Classroom (CBC). CBC is an
after school literacy program that gets reluctant readers interested in reading
through comic books. The students don’t just read comic books; they learn out
to create their own sequential art…that’s a fancy way of saying comics for
non-geek readers. This seven-week program takes the budding artists through the
process of creating a story and the artwork. After it’s all said and done, the
students will get their own table at Denver Comic Con to show off their work and
get to meet and consult with professional comic book artist about their creations.
I’ve always admired teachers who were able to recognize that
sometimes they had to go that extra mile to find unique ways to reach their kids. CBC is in eight
schools this semester, up from our first class last fall. We have three summer
programs scheduled and a waiting list for schools for fall. Everyone involved volunteers,
including the executive director, Illya Kowalchuk. It’s our hope that the
success of Denver Comic Con allow us to expand into even more schools and offer
our curriculum outside the Denver area. But we’re one small program and the
need for this type of curriculum is huge.
So what does a superhero do once he or she runs up against a
tough villain they can’t fight on their own? They team up with other
superheroes. There’s a Kickstarter out there for a great project called The Graphic Textbook. The creator of the
literacy program Reading with Pictures, Josh
Elder, has brought together notable artists, like Katie Cook and Amy Reeder,
with educators to create lesson plans for 3-6 graders. More and more educators
are beginning to recognize the value for sequential art as a learning tool. And
why not? Imagine, as a student, being able to see train A going 60 miles an hour heading
west, while train B… You get the picture. I wish this had been available when I was a kid. I remember kind, old Mr Krietzinger telling me not to worry, girls weren't supposed to be good at math. But I digress, that's another social issue we can talk about later. The
Graphic Textbook is another amazing option for teachers to reach kids. But they
need help to get it published.
The cool thing is Comic Book Classroom and The Graphic Textbook project have teamed up! Comic Book Classroom is providing tickets to the new Denver Comic Con in June as a Kickstarter reward for The Graphic Textbook. And, it just
happens both Katie Cook and Amy Reeder will be appearing there. You can use
your powers for good by supporting two great children’s literacy programs at
once and get to see great artists in the process. So if you're looking for a great destination Con or a great way to spend Father's Day and want to help kids, then check it out (they're over in the the Cool Stuff to Check Out menu)! And if you do purchase the DCC reward, find me when you get there, I'd love to say thanks for supporting a cause that's near and dear to my heart!!!
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