YOUR Kindness Needed Now - Please Help Keep A Reading Mission Going

There are times in everyone’s life that are hard.  Difficult periods.  Rough patches.  And this is most certainly that time for the students, faculty and staff of Gomez Heritage Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. 

My sister Sherry is a para at Gomez.  It is an amazing school, full of kids who come from homes with very hard working families, many of whom have immigrated to the United States. They come from homes filled with hope and full of love.  The majority of the students do not speak in English at home.  School is a place where they not only learn subjects like math and art, but they also work hard to develop English as a second language.    

Gomez Heritage Elementary School

Gomez Elementary is FULL of caring, inspirational teachers and staff.  The adults at the school work very hard and are deeply committed to the children they work with.  They see the big difference they are making in the lives of these kids, and that gives them strength to continue through the tough times, like this week.

One of their own suddenly passed away.

Tanya Becker

Tanya Becker, the literacy coach at Gomez, was only 48 years old when she died in her sleep.  I can’t imagine how hard the loss must be for her children, her family, and her students.  She was a beloved teacher at the school, and touched the lives of many students and parents during her nine years working there.

My sister Sherry was understandably upset.  She explained how Tanya was the “sunshine” of the school.  She met the children at the front door when they arrived at Gomez every morning.  She often put her hands into a heart shape on her chest to show the kids how much she loved them.  And it was Tanya who rallied everyone at Gomez to become “Team Sherry” and help her get thru treatment when Sherry was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.   

Tanya and Sherry.  Team Sherry had her back all through treatment.

At times like this it is often difficult to know what to do or say – how to help.  I would like to ask for YOUR ASSISTANCE to do something to keep the mission of Mrs. Becker going, to remind her students of the importance of READING.  In honor of their reading coach, I would like to make sure each and every Gomez student has a new book to read.  I will place stickers in each book reminding them how loved they were by Mrs. Becker and how important it is to continue her mission of reading.    

Can you please help me out with this massive goal?  Gomez serves children pre-K – 4^th grade.  We need 875 books for students, and 140 adult books for faculty and staff, who miss their colleague dearly.  Can you donate a few new (or gently used) books to this cause, or perhaps a gift card to a book store we can use to get enough books?  Is your child ordering through Scholastic at school and willing to share a couple of books with some “new friends” in Omaha?  Can you share this request for help with your circle of friends and family to get the word out??  I would be very appreciative of any help you can give. 

Please email me at:  kindnessactivist@gmail.com (email link here )  for a mailing address to send books or gift cards to.  If you are local to the DC metro area I will happily come to you to pick up whatever you can donate.  I hope to have all books collected and ready to hand out to the students by March 26, 2017. 

Here are some links to online ordering resources:

Barnes and Noble

Scholastic 

Usborne

Walmart

Again, please share this request with others.  The more people willing to pitch in and donate, the sooner those kids will have books honoring Mrs. Becker in their hands.  THANK YOU for reading, for caring, and for helping.

Here is the Gomez website:  Gomez Heritage Elementary School

If you would like a flyer to hang in your workplace, school, or place of worship to help bring in more donations, I have a flyer you can print.  This site will not let me attach files, so please email me at kindnessactivist@gmail.com and I will send you the flyer.  

  

The following is Tanya Becker’s obituary from the Omaha World Herald newspaper:

Beloved Gomez Heritage teacher Tanya Becker was devoted to increasing literacy, 'called everyone friend'

By Marcella Mercer / World-Herald staff writer

Feb 23, 2017 

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Tanya Becker’s office at Gomez Heritage Elementary is a testament to her teaching.

The South Omaha school’s principal, John Campin, said the room is full of notes from students thanking their literacy coach. Sometimes, there’d be messages like “We love you Mrs. Becker” or “Thanks for teaching me how to read,” on her whiteboard.

Becker died unexpectedly in her sleep Monday. She was 48. The cause of death is unknown, said Tanya Becker’s father-in-law, Neil Becker.

Tanya Becker was born in Omaha and lived in the city most of her life. She left the area briefly to earn her bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and two master’s degrees followed, in literacy and academic leadership.

Becker used her education to further that of others, her father-in-law said. For 25 years, she taught at Omaha Public Schools and also served for some time as an adjunct professor at Concordia University in Seward. Then in 2009, she landed at Gomez-Heritage.

Her focus there was increasing literacy in a school where 58 percent of students learn English as their second language. It was a role she tackled with monthly reading nights, coaching for teachers on literacy strategies, and one-on-one work with students.

On top of these responsibilities, Becker organized literacy groups for her students’ parents. At these meetings, she sometimes helped adults who couldn’t read in English, or at all.

But Becker could connect with any student, Campin said.

“Our reading scores increased significantly because of her ability to teach students, teach teachers, teach parents,” Campin said.

Every morning, Becker stood by the doors of the school and greeted students and parents.

“She was always happy and energetic,” Campin said. “She just called everyone friend.”

When the students were smiling, she could be quick with hugs. And when people looked sad, Becker was known to fold her hands into a heart to show she cared.

“She was a defender of people, family, friends, students,” Neil Becker said.

The marquee outside of the school now shows how much Tanya Becker meant to those she met. Students helped make the sign read “We love Mrs. Becker our sunshine”

Becker is survived by her husband, Patrick Becker; children, Jason and Ellie; parents, Michael and Kathryn Farrens; siblings, Bryan Farrens and Scott Farrens; and father-in-law and mother-in-law, Neil and Paula Becker.

A mass of Christian burial is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.

(Little Free) Library Kindness

Have you ever been taking a walk and come across a tiny wooden LIBRARY in a neighbor’s yard??  I have, and boy was I was intrigued!  I went up and checked it out and learned that they are called “Little Free Libraries”.  They are an amazingly kind trend that has spread all across the country, actually, around the WORLD!!  As of January 2016 there were over 36,000 registered Little Free Library book exchanges – some in every single state in the USA and also in 70 other countries!!!

“Just what ARE Little Free Libraries (LFLs)??” you ask.  Well, first off they look like this:

Classic, simple, elegant

Or this:

Color, wild, and zany

And one of the ones in my neighborhood looks like THIS:

BEAUTIFUL and matches the house!

They are small (usually) wooden repositories for BOOKS of all kinds.  The LFL librarians (also known as stewards) keep them stocked.  And here is the best part – the books are not to LEND, they are to TAKE!  So it is neighbors sharing books with neighbors!!  Isn’t that fabulous??  They function on the honor system – so if you take a book today, it sure would be nice if you brought back a book (or 2 or 3) the next time you are in the neighborhood.  J

Ever since I saw a LFL a couple of years ago I have thought it would be awesome to have one.  We live in an area with a lot of walking traffic and I think if we put up a LFL it would have a lot of users!  Alas, real LFLs do not come cheap…  The most inexpensive one on the website is $149, and if you spend any amount of time perusing the choices of LFLs you will undoubtedly decided you “need” one of the fancier models.  I mean, just LOOK at the “Modern Two Story”!!  

Isn't this a cool design??

The official website explains that it is understood that not everyone can afford to purchase a “real” LFL and makes some great suggestions about repurposing other items and turning them into free libraries.  I may do that someday.

But in the meantime, I am lucky to have a few LFLs within walking distance of my home, so I decided to contact Michael Rhode, a LFL “librarian”,  to learn about why he has a LFL in his yard.  Here is what he told me:

Michael's LFL in the snow!

“First, one has to be a booklover. That leads one down all kinds of paths.  I had read about them (LFLs) in the Washington Post, and thought they were interesting. A few months later, I needed an idea for Christmas so I bought one for a family gift for Christmas 2013. The family may not have completely agreed with the thoughtfulness of the gift. My daughter and I painted it and opened it up in February 2014.  Now that it is up and running I do most of the upkeep and swapping out of the books when something is just not moving. My wife arranges the books so people can actually tell what's in the library.”

Michael and his daughter painting their LFL

When I asked him how having the LFL makes him feel, he told me, “Well, selfishly, it's a way to see new books that other people put in, and to move on books that I don't want. Also, everybody knows it as an Alcova Heights (Arlington, VA) landmark now. In the end though, I love books, and love sharing them, and can't bear to see unwanted books, so it's a feeling of satisfaction.”   

I was curious if users of the LFL left him thank you notes, and he said that they do not, but that many people thank him in person.  And when I asked him to speculate on how his library makes the people who benefit from it feel, he said, “Most people seem to think it’s right neighborly”.  J  I say, if you are lucky enough have a LFL that you frequent in your neck of the woods, take a moment to write or draw a little thank you and put it in the library! 

I wondered how much WORK it would take to run a LFL, and he assured me that once you build one and get it all in the ground, there is not a lot involved.  He explained that the things you have to focus on most are “overflow” – i.e. having TOO MANY books for your library, and having books get “stale”.  He gives stale books to our local county library for their annual sale.

Rain, snow, or sun - the LFL is a good addition to the neighborhood

Of course, since he is so involved in the library, I had to ask him what his favorite book is, right?  He told me, “I read so much that I don't have a favorite book anymore I'm afraid. I'd recommend “The Art of Richard Thompson” of which I'm an editor. As a teen, my favorite was Roger Zelazny's five-volume fantasy story “The Chronicles of Amber”, and that still has a place in my heart.”

I think purchasing, putting together, installing, and RUNNING a LFL for your community is an act of kindness.  It shares not only books, but joy with the neighborhood, free of charge!  But Michael doesn’t look at his library as a kindness.  He said, “Well, I don't really consider it kindness, but it's fun and it makes people happy. Anyone who likes to have a nice chat about reading with someone new on a sunny day should consider putting a LFL up. I love to find a new one, and will often go out of my way to stop by and check them out.”

Thanks for helping the neighborhood have things to read, Michael!  And maybe you have inspired some others to put up a LFL in their yard!!  If you want to learn more about LFLs or see where you can find one near you, visit:  Little Free Library website

Michael, thanks for making Arlington a better place.  You might not look at your LFL as an act of kindness, but I sure do.  I say you are a Kindness Activist!!  Thanks for having a positive impact on our community.