Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1463867
Tales of Upheaval, Mindfulness T I N A A T H A I D E is a 30-year educator who works at Santa Rosa Academy, a newly unionized charter school in Menifee. Her debut as a writer was Orange for the Sunsets (grades 6-7), an award-winning book inspired by her childhood in Uganda. It follows two friends, Asha (Asian Indian) and Yesofu (African Ugandan), who've never cared about their differ- ences until Idi Amin announces that Indians have 90 days to leave the country. As tensions between Indians and Africans intensify, the pair find that nothing seems sure — not even their friendship. Could the bravest thing of all be to let each other go? Athaide has also published Meena's Mindful Moment (grades pre-K–2), a picture book with illustrations by Åsa Gilland. Meena is a rambunctious child whose energy becomes an imaginary character she calls her hur- ly-burly hullabaloo. But when Meena makes a mess, her grandfather teaches her how to handle it with deep breaths and meditative poses. Both books are on multiple outlets online. Athaide offers activity guides and other teaching resources at tinaathaide.com. Bully on the Ballot T R A C Y W A D D L E S W I L L I A M S , special edu- cation teacher and United Teachers Los Angeles member, has written No, Mr. President, That's Not OK! It's a timely, funny children's book with a multicultural cast of children of diverse races and abilities, illustrated by Uroosa Aslam Faiq. It's also a multisubject teaching tool featuring the election process, which tackles social-emotional issues such as bullying and treating other people fairly. Ronald, an overly confident fifth grader, enters the race to become the president of his grade level. He uses bullying and manipulation to win. When he con- tinues to use these same tactics while president, his classmates begin to fear him, causing him to question his leadership abilities. He speaks with his dad and realizes he must become a better president and friend. But how? Available on Amazon and thatsnotok.us. Honoring the Children of the Holocaust I N 2 0 0 8 , Lisa Liss, an educator at Wood- lake Elementary in Sacramento and member of Twin Rivers United Educators, embarked on an awe-inspiring commitment with her students: collecting 1.5 million bandages to honor the lives of children killed in the Holo- caust. In June 2019, they reached their goal. The Bandage Project was spearheaded by a group of fourth graders who called them- selves " Tolerance Kids," and was continued by students over the years. Bandages were donated from classrooms and communities all over the world. Liss and her students would write the name of a child victim of the Holocaust on each bandage. A glass case with the bandages is now on display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, next to the Anne Frank exhibit. Liss wrote a book, Bandage Project, documenting what it took to complete the project and sharing inspiring moments, such as a visit from the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Liss hopes the book will inspire others to make a difference in the world. The book is available from Liss: @lisaliss22 (Venmo) or txpuppywoman22@gmail.com. Visit bandageproject.com. 52 cta.org CTA & You From Within Often educators' creativity spills over into a book, blog, app or other work. We're happy to showcase members' talents. Continued on page 51