The Gift of Reading Fostering a love of reading is at the heart of what WITS does. At the end of each school year, WITSummer Books sends WITS students home … Read More
Early Childhood Summer Program (ECSP) 2022
WITS programming does not stop once the WITS school year programs are over! During the summer, WITS hosts a pre-kindergarten readiness program called the WITS Early Childhood Summer Program (ECSP). … Read More
Book Bans in 2022
WITS opposes all efforts to ban books in schools and libraries across the United States. WITS approaches our work with books using the “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” philosophy; … Read More
WITS Anti-Racist Book Club: Study Hall
Study Hall, the Working in the Schools’ (WITS) book club, began in 2020 as a collaborative learning space for adult learners to actively participate in anti-racist conversations. Study Hall focuses … Read More
Professional Development for Chicago Teachers – Summer 2022
WITS is excited to welcome all elementary Chicagoland educators to participate in high-quality, teacher-led professional development alongside Rochelle Lee Teacher Awardees! Each summer, the Rochelle Lee Teacher Award offers workshops about literacy, … Read More
Juneteenth 2024 Readings and Resources
Juneteenth is celebrated annually on June 19. On this date in 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas got word that they were free. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth Bill on … Read More
Celebrating WITS Kindergarten
In March 2022, nearly two years to the day that WITS ceased in-person programming at schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kindergarten students sat next to their mentors, opened up … Read More
All Comics, No Capes
When people learn that I read comic books, they tend to assume they are of the superhero variety. While I have nothing against most who don capes, cowls, and other superhero … Read More
How to be a WITS All-star Fundraiser
Every spring, the WITS community comes together to raise money in support of the WITSummer Books campaign. Our Board of Directors, Associates Board, and other community members create peer-to-peer fundraising … Read More
Back to the Office and Back to the Classroom: How WITS Creates Community across Chicago’s Neighborhoods
For 791 days (give or take what you will) we have been working in some form of professional athleisure; repurposing surfaces in our home normally reserved for eating or sleeping … Read More
