Roberto Germán [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Our Classroom. In this space, we talk about education, which is inclusive of, but not limited to, what happens in schools. Education is taking place whenever and wherever we are willing to learn. I am your host, Roberto Germán, and Our Classroom is officially in session. Welcome back to our classroom. Today I'm joined by Inbal Elan, who writes from the heart, and we're gonna get into it because she has a picture book that I want to unpack. Has experience as an educator and recently transitioned to a librarian. 12 years as a first grade teacher and currently working in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is wonderful because I'm from Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Roberto Germán [00:00:58]:
So— Love to connect with my folks from New England, but in particular, love to learn from others. Imbod was born in Canada, raised in Israel, studied education, and spent time in classrooms around the world before finding a home in early literacy. And she creates books that help children feel cared for and valued and that invite them into the joy of reading. And again, we're going to be unpacking one of her books today. excited to learn more from Ibad and get into her book, The Wise Get in Trouble. Welcome, Ibad.
Inbal Alon [00:01:43]:
Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here and to learn from you as well.
Roberto Germán [00:01:47]:
Oh, it's my pleasure. It's my pleasure. Well, we'll go ahead and jump right in. Looking through your book, I want to start with Naomi.
Inbal Alon [00:01:59]:
Mm-hmm.
Roberto Germán [00:02:00]:
And this character Naomi asking her teacher a really simple question, uh, why do we need to? Right? Which we hear a lot from little kids. Why, why, why, why, why? Uh, and the teacher doesn't answer. And Naomi eventually lines up backwards. She's, you know, kind of withdrawn. And I, I, I love the moment because depending on the adult, Naomi could be described as curious. Or defiant. What were you hoping adults would wrestle with in that scene?
Inbal Alon [00:02:35]:
Yeah, so I, you know, I think for me, like, at the beginning of the school year, right, there's so many, like, routines and expectations that we're trying to teach kids. And sometimes it, it just starts to feel like we're just teaching them all the rules, right, of like— which is necessary, and I completely have, like, you know, I understand that that's necessary when we're setting up classroom communities, but sometimes it just feels like, you know, this is how you line up and this is how you do this and this is how you do that. And I think kids sometimes get a little lost in the sort of like, why do we need to do all of that, right? And that why is really important to them because then the rules don't feel like just another set of rules that they have to pay attention somewhere, but they could feel like there's a purpose behind them. You said it perfectly. Sometimes in the moment, you're rushing to meet your school schedule, you're 5 minutes late to your special. In the moment, that could feel for a lot of adults and for other kids too, defiance, right? That curiosity sort of feels like it's defiant or it's getting you in trouble, you know, and it's— I think kids internalize that when we are always just like, you know, get in line, don't ask questions, like, why aren't you listening? And over time, they kind of get the message that somehow being curious is, you know, is getting them in trouble. Which is interesting because, you know, Curiosity is super important for learning. So I think the beginning of the school year is a really important time to sort of think about how we build those routines and expectations and community with sort of like a sense of how do we also nurture curiosity, because that's going to be what motivates kids for the rest of the year.
Roberto Germán [00:04:41]:
Yeah, absolutely. And there's something deeper happening in the story than just adults. allowing, um, than just telling adults to let kids ask questions. And, and we see even that Naomi eventually seems to lose some of her wise, and, and you write that without them, the world didn't sparkle.
Inbal Alon [00:05:08]:
Mm-hmm.
Roberto Germán [00:05:08]:
What do children lose when they begin to believe that their questions are inconvenient Or unwelcome?
Inbal Alon [00:05:16]:
Yeah, I mean, I, I think they do. They start to lose that desire to learn things. You know, it's, it's kind of like if you're getting the message that why something happens, or like the reason behind things, is just something that people aren't willing to share with you, then they start to lose that natural curiosity that they have as little kids, right? Little kids are always sort of curious about the world around them, you know, why, what are we doing, how are we doing it, when, you know. And I think if we socialize them as they get older to sort of believe that that relentless curiosity is somehow, you know, defiant or annoying, or, you know, like that there's only so many questions that people are willing to answer, um, then they kind of, you know, they develop, um, a sense that they basically need to like censor themselves a little bit, right? Like that, that there's only so much of their questions that adults are willing to, or other kids are willing to accept. Um, and I think they lose that natural curiosity because like anything else, you know, it's, it's a muscle. And if you don't practice it, then it, it sort of goes away. And I think, like, particularly, you know, I, I thought about reaching out to you after I saw your— one of your last episodes, which was about AI and some of what AI is contributing and changing to in education. And I think there's a real risk there, right? Because if, if learning is finding the answer, then AI can do that in like seconds, right? And kids kind of lose that muscle, that practice of being curious is not just like finding an answer, it's the process of learning.
Inbal Alon [00:07:19]:
It's, you know, really wanting to understand something deeply and being motivated to do that, not in sort of like a fast way, but in a way that's actually increasing your understanding. And I think we have to create space for that, you know, because what we don't want is sort of a generation of learners that's just, you know, always looking for the most efficient way to learn something, because part of the learning is, you know, the detours and the curiosities and what you find amazing and all of that.
Roberto Germán [00:07:54]:
Absolutely. There has to be some failure along the way to success. There has to be some room for kids to explore. There has to be opportunity for kids to stumble and get back up.
Inbal Alon [00:08:10]:
Yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:08:10]:
And, you know, interestingly enough, this contrast between the adults in, in your book— at school, Naomi asks why. And doesn't receive an answer. Yet at home, her mother actually invites her to go outside, look at leaves, and find some questions.
Inbal Alon [00:08:29]:
Yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:08:30]:
What can educators learn from that difference about protecting curiosity rather than simply tolerating it?
Inbal Alon [00:08:39]:
Mm-hmm. Yeah. And this is— you mentioned, like, this is one of my favorite pages in the whole book, like when mom takes her outside. trying to reignite her curiosity. I just— I think parents are their child's first teachers and caregivers, and families, people in community with kids. And I think the difference is that you have that close one-to-one relationship with a child, and I think you're really able to nurture their curiosity because you understand. you understand the child and what motivates them and what interests them. I think what teachers can get from that, and I think many good teachers do, is building those relationships and finding that moment of connection where you can slow down and really listen to a child's curiosity or feelings or whatever it is that they need to connect with you.
Inbal Alon [00:09:49]:
And that's where, you know, the real learning happens, and it's where we build trust with kids. And, you know, and that's when they buy in because they feel seen, they feel valued, and they know that they could be their sort of full selves. And I think that's where, that's where we really win kids over and the best kind of learning happens. And You know, for me as a teacher, it was sort of fun to write this because I think so often we think of teachers teaching kids, and we do, but I, you know, but in the story, I think, you know, Miss Rose also learns a lot from Naomi and is able to sort of learn from that experience and to, you know, to change something that benefits all the other kids in the class too. So, I think it's that relationship is a two-way relationship between kids and their teachers, you know, the same way that kids have relationship in their families. And I think it's an important one to think about.
Roberto Germán [00:10:53]:
Absolutely. I know one of the things that I appreciate about the Naomi character is that her curiosity isn't always convenient. She doesn't just ask questions when adults are ready for them. Do you think we sometimes say we want curious children, but what we really want are curious children who ask questions at the right time and in the right way? And, and what happens when curiosity disrupts what we had planned?
Inbal Alon [00:11:32]:
Yeah, and I think that's a real tension, right? And I sort of feel for everybody in this situation, right? I know teachers are under a lot of stress, you know, to meet schedules and curriculum pacing guidelines, and I think it's something that's, you know, obviously important, but I also think we need to balance it, right? Like, if we want school to be a place of deep learning, then we have to allow space in school and the schedule and also physically for kids and their teachers to create authentic connections and to connect and to have some unstructured time. Because yeah, otherwise we're just expecting kids to file in line and only ask the things that connect to the lesson and, um, at the right time, and, and we lose something in it, you know. And it's, um, it's interesting because later on in life, you know, it's the people who ask the tough questions that nobody wants to hear that are, you know, the innovators and the changemakers and the activists and, and, and the people that, you know, that make a difference. And so I think, you know, obviously we have to have enough routine and structure so that everybody is safe at school and we can learn, but I think we really need to think about kind of creating space where we're giving kids that opportunity to be in the leadership of like what they want to learn and how they want to express themselves. Because those are things we value, you know?
Roberto Germán [00:13:19]:
Absolutely. Absolutely. I want to revisit the moment that Naomi begins losing her whys and the world no longer seems to sparkle in the same way.
Inbal Alon [00:13:32]:
Yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:13:32]:
When you think about children who enter school full of questions and then somewhere along the way stop asking, Mm-hmm. What responsibility do we have as educators to make sure they leave our classrooms with more curiosity, not less?
Inbal Alon [00:13:53]:
Yeah. And, you know, in the book, there's like 2 moments. Like, there's this moment where Naomi is just kind of like sitting down, and she's sitting on her hands, you know, to try to keep herself all contained. And I was really thinking, you know, we, we talk so much these days about how, like, it's hard for kids to stay focused and kids don't have the same attention that they used to. And, you know, again, a part of that, you know, we blame on, like, media and how quickly, like, these days kids just, you know, want something to be exciting. Um, but I think we can't change everything about the world around us, right? Like, this is the world that the kids are growing up in now. Um, and so I think part of our role as educators is to make learning, um, be exciting, you know? And it doesn't mean that everything has to be like a performance and, you know, has to have bells and whistles and all the things. But I think one of the most meaningful ways to make education exciting is to connect with kids and to make sure that they see that what they're learning has value and that it has value to them and some of the things that they want to do.
Inbal Alon [00:15:18]:
And yeah, I think, you know, I was at a— I was watching a panel of caregivers talk about what are their hopes for their children for the school year, you know, as part of our return to school. And it was really interesting because a lot of the parents said, you know, what, what they hope is not just that their child learns skills, but that they also learn how to learn and that they learn to love learning, you know. And, and that's the part that I think is, is just as important as sort of teaching them, you know, the how to read and how to do math and all those things, like, is to help them develop that sort of like meta skill of like learning how to learn and learning to enjoy it and figuring out what you're interested in. And yeah, leaving them more curious than when they came in, you know. So yeah, I think, I think the best way to do that is to build those relationships and to really understand kids so you can include what they're curious about.
Roberto Germán [00:16:28]:
Thank you. Thank you. I'd like to do something different and move us into a lightning round, if you will.
Inbal Alon [00:16:35]:
Sure. Yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:16:37]:
So coming at you with 5 quick, quick hitters.
Inbal Alon [00:16:43]:
Okay.
Roberto Germán [00:16:45]:
What's a picture book every classroom should own?
Inbal Alon [00:16:49]:
Every classroom? Um, I love The Rabbit Listened by Dorrie Corfield. It's just a really beautiful book about empathy. Um, I also really love The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, um, about how all of us have a story.
Roberto Germán [00:17:10]:
What's one conversation every parent should have this school year?
Inbal Alon [00:17:16]:
I think A conversation with a teacher every parent should have is, tell me something positive or something that you love or value about my child, because that's the foundation of a positive relationship and it's okay to ask for it. With their child, I think it's sharing something positive or something that was meaningful from their own experience going into that grade. I think it's helpful for kids to realize that You know, the people who have gotten before them have had similar experiences.
Roberto Germán [00:17:51]:
All right, fill in the blank: trust is built through—
Inbal Alon [00:17:58]:
Consistency and feedback.
Roberto Germán [00:18:02]:
Another fill in the blank: friendship requires—
Inbal Alon [00:18:09]:
Honesty and time.
Roberto Germán [00:18:12]:
Last one. One thing adults often underestimate about children?
Inbal Alon [00:18:21]:
Their curiosity.
Roberto Germán [00:18:22]:
Beautiful, beautiful. Well, that's a good note for us to wrap up on. But for those who want to learn more about you, want to purchase your book, want to connect with you in some way, shape, or form, where can they do that?
Inbal Alon [00:18:39]:
Yeah, so the, the best way to connect with me is my website. It's like my name, it's inbalaalan.com, and there's lots of free resources for teachers, for caregivers, about my books. You could also order books directly from me. So Maddie's Towers, which is my other book, is up on there, and then The Wise Get in Trouble that we talked about. And I also have like companion kind of fun things that come with the books. I have friendship cards with Maddi's Towers, and I have a wonder journal that comes with The Wise Get in Trouble. And my contact information is all on the website. So that's really the best way to, to get in touch with me.
Inbal Alon [00:19:27]:
Other than writing books, I also just love books for children. My teammates call me the book fairy because my favorite part about my job is helping every child find a book that they fall in love with. So I love when people write me and say, you know, my kid liked this book and now they're having a hard time getting into reading again. What should we read? I'm like, it makes my day to do that research and to help you find that book. So I hope people reach out and connect. It's, it's a, it's a great community.
Roberto Germán [00:20:02]:
I love it.
Inbal Alon [00:20:03]:
I love it.
Roberto Germán [00:20:03]:
We need more book finders, book connectors like you.
Inbal Alon [00:20:08]:
Thank you.
Roberto Germán [00:20:08]:
Thanks for being here.
Inbal Alon [00:20:11]:
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Roberto Germán [00:20:14]:
As always, your engagement in Our Classroom is greatly appreciated. Be sure to subscribe, rate the show, and write a review. Finally, for resources to help you understand the intersection of race, bias, education, and society, go to multiculturalclassroom.com. Peace and love from your host, Roberto Germán.
