Current Shawnee Students Comment on "Our Shawnee"
90 current students at The Academy @ Shawnee read "Our Shawnee" before writing personal narratives of their own. Here are some of their comments about "Our Shawnee" (courtesy of their teacher Rachel Louise Mills):
“You can learn from this book about imagery, the importance of specific details, and how important your language can be.”
“Our Shawnee reveals what can lie beneath polite smiles, what happens behind closed doors, in our minds."
“We really aren’t that different from students at any other school but everybody looks down on us. If people knew the stories of these children they would learn we have a lot to say that we can’t say out loud.”
“This book has inspired us to write about things in our neighborhood and school.”
“Compared to other books we’ve read, ‘Our Shawnee’ stands out because it’s filled with true stories and all the battles people face and accomplishments they make.”
“I learned that anyone can write a ‘good’ story if it has meaning.”
“Our Shawnee is special because it gives outsiders the most realistic perspective looking into our world that most citizens do not know or truly understand.”
“Good writing doesn’t have to be from a spectacular book. Anything from people’s hearts can make moving and breathtaking pieces.”