I Read to Our Daughter's Class Today!

In a random turn of events, I read two books to our daughter’s Pre-K class this afternoon.

The whole week, they invited dads (or parents) to come read to the classroom, and today it was my turn. I chose to read two books: The first, All Are Welcome, is a beautiful book about diversity and inclusion, with the illustrations featuring people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. It’s a wonderful book reminding kids that, though we may all look different and come from different places, everyone is welcome.

The second book was Corduroy Takes a Bow. It’s part of the Corduroy Universe, but it’s written by Viola Davis! Yes, the Viola Davis, Miss EGOT herself!! It’s a cute book and a fun take on the classic bear everyone knows and loves.

When I walked in the door to her classroom, one of the little girls said, “Anna, your dad is here!” And she looked over and her eyes grew huge as she leaped up and ran over to give me the biggest hug. It was definitely one of those moments you dream about when thinking about becoming a parent one day. I used to love when my mom would come to my classroom, though it only happened maybe once (I am blaming it on the fact that she was a single mother and that we lived 40 minutes away from our Catholic school).

It was so fun to see Anna in her element and be in a setting with that many five year olds. They asked so many questions and told me so many random things in a span of 20 minutes. They all seemed genuinely into the books, which I was happy about, and they each took turns giving me a hug goodbye as I was leaving, which was just about the sweetest thing ever.

If you ever get the chance to volunteer in your kid’s classroom, I highly recommend it. Even though it was short, I had a blast, and I know Anna did, too. Maybe I was a Pre-K teacher in another life?