I Am Every Good Thing
“I am not what they might call me, and I will not answer to any name that is not my own. I am what I say I am.”
“I Am Every Good Thing” by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James is the second book they created together. The first was titled, “Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.” Both books are a celebration of Black culture. This one is a wonderful antithesis to the messages we often read and see in the dominant narrative about Black people and children. All children can relate to this story as it is a perfect set of affirmations of the awesomeness of children.
Books like these are needed for so many reasons, but one we’d like to focus on is the message that many Black children receive: you are not good. This message is carried out in school systems in America and reinforced using police officers. Black children are literally policed more in schools than other children. There are countless stories of young children handcuffed for temper tantrums and sent to juvenile detention centers for having negative emotional reactions that are typical in childhood.
According to a study done in 2016, Black students in American schools make up 16% of the student population, but represent 31% of all students arrested or referred to law enforcement, and yet there is no evidence that Black students have higher rates of misbehavior. Even more upsetting, Black students are 3 times more likely to attend a school with more security staff than mental health staff. (You can find that and more here: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249850.pdf).
I personally experienced attending a high school that had police officers regularly roaming our halls - walking past their cars in the parking lot to enter the school was normal to me. However, when I entered college and recounted this to students of higher income levels, and certainly less diverse make-ups, I quickly realized we were not educated with the same assumptions about our goodness and worthiness.
We are thankful for this story that reminds children that they are good. Their feelings are valid and they can demand that we recognize their greatness. Our absolute favorite line in the book says, “I am not what they might call me, and I will not answer to any name that is my own. I am what I say I am.” I this, children are given permission to proclaim their awesomeness and affirm that they are, in fact, worthy of joy, love, and respect. They belong.
Teachers:
This book is recommended for children ages PreK - 5th grade
This book is a great reminder for adults to reflect on the praise and comments we make to our children during instruction. Our words are powerful and oftentimes, unforgettable as students carry those words in their minds into adulthood. No decent teacher purposefully shames a child, but our hidden biases can cause us to offer less praise to some and more to others. Reflection is always a good practice as an educator. We challenge you to record yourself someday and truly listen to how you speak to your students.
What do you notice? Are you expecting more of some students than others? Are you reacting with more frustration for some than others? When you do find this information, work actively against it. It may not come naturally at first and that’s ok. We suggest making a checklist of students who could use an emotional boost - try to see how many times in a day you can find something to praise them for. What you say to them becomes their inner self-talk. It will benefit them in ways that are long-lasting.
Some Things to Think About…
Discussion questions
What makes you great?
How does how you feel about yourself differ from how you think others feel about you?
Does it matter what other people think about you? Why or why not?
Activity Ideas
Encourage children to write their own I am ____ sentences that use the same style of positive affirmations. Display the statements in a classroom or hallway at home with portraits or selfies. Create a space for statements with their images taken by or created by the children that depict the emotions they want their sentences to convey.
Meet the author here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azN5desiTTM&feature=emb_logo
illustrated by Gordon C. James
