Kathy Stevens, our GI Executive Director for ten years, passed away in 2012, but left a huge legacy in GI work.  Years after her passing, as you’ll see in this blog post, she inspired her son, Mike Roe, to join his wife, Heather, in writing a children’s book, Gracie’s First Day.  The book is for children 3 – 7.  It explores, with them, their first day at school, and the turmoil of emotions they might feel, and the choices they will make internally, both now and in the future.

We hope you enjoy Mike Roe’s blog post today and check out the book.

Gracie’s First Day is a fun, rhyming book for ages 3-7 that children will be excited to read over and over. The story follows Gracie through her first day of school where she navigates emotional responses throughout her day. The book deals with common situations children may encounter throughout their time in school. It encourages children to think about how they respond when things don’t go quite as expected.
So many books teach adults how to adjust our mindset to have a better life. Through Gracie we are bringing those concepts to our youth. Children do not often get to choose what activity comes next in their school day, but they can absolutely choose how they respond to the situations that arise.

The premise is described by success writer Napoleon Hill: “Within every adversity is an equal or greater benefit. Within every problem is an opportunity.

My wife Heather and I have four teenagers in our home. Seeing our own children struggle in their early school years motivated us to share our lyrically inspired twist on emotional responsibility with others.  It can be difficult for children to understand that school isn’t just about facts and figures, but also emotion and learning what choices are available in different situations.

My mother, Kathy Stevens, partnering with Michael Gurian and the Gurian Institute, made it her mission to help teachers reach children in the classroom. She told audiences frequently that her inspiration for teaching was the years she raised me and the difficulties I had in school.  Growing up with ADHD, I not only struggled with hyperactivity, but also with emotional control. I didn’t really understand that I had the choice to have a good or a bad day. My mother showed me that there is always a choice.

As a young man, I loved to read my mother’s and Michael’s books (e.g. Boys and Girls Learn Differently, The Minds of Boys).   I listened to them both speak at schools and conferences passionately about helping children learn.  They inspired me to follow in their footsteps in my own way.

With Gracie’s story, Heather and I show that learning how to cope with emotional challenges in the classroom, and in life, can also lead to better learning. What a magical lesson to learn.
Thank you, Mike Roe

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Amazon Link
https://www.amazon.com/Gracies-First-Day-Heather-Roe/dp/1662937962/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702757022&sr=8-1