May is Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. AAPI Heritage Month is celebrated in May because in May 1843 the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the US, and … Read More
WITS Summer Books Highlights 2023
An essential part of the WITS mission is to help students build at-home libraries and foster a love of reading outside of the classroom. Through the WITS Summer Books initiative, … Read More
The Books That Shape Us
I recently moved. The new place is a bit larger, which means proper book storage is possible. The bookshelf has been built, and it’s mostly empty. I don’t own many … Read More
Resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023
Looking for an activity for your student to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Try one of these resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Read along with WITS!In 1963 … Read More
End of Year Reading List: Nonfiction
As 2022 draws rapidly to a close, I find myself thinking about the reading goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. There are some successes (for … Read More
Increasing Teachers’ Access to Books
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
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
Juneteenth 2023 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
