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Conversation With Author Hena Khan

All of our voices matter – this is the takeaway that author Hena Khan emphasized in today’s Conversation With. Hena is an author of children/young adult books. While she has written books on a variety of topics for publishers, her personal works tend to focus on Muslim kids in America, with themes of finding who you are, family relationships, and friends. The students have been reading Hena’s book Amina’s Voice, a novel about a Muslim girl in middle school grappling with fitting in and her changing relationship with her best friend. 

When Hena was a kid, she read many books from her local library in Rockville, MD. However, she was never able to see herself in the books she read; none of the characters were like her. A child of two Pakistani immigrants, Hena would write a family newspaper she called the Khanicles. Looking back as an adult, she noticed her newspaper never touched on the parts of her family that reflected her family’s culture. When Hena had a son, she wanted him to grow up with what she didn’t have – books that represent people like him. Hena said, “When people are ignorant about things, they can be easily mislead with misinformation… I believe in the power of stories to show that people aren’t that different”. 

As always, the TCS students asked some probing, insightful questions. Many students thanked her for writing the book, because they wouldn’t normally be exposed to this kind of narrative. They also discussed the publishing process, what it’s like financially to be a professional author, and the experience of having your story edited by others. Hena expressed that when she was young, she thought that writing was easy for people who are good at it. She used to be sensitive to the feedback she received from teachers. Now, she welcomes criticism. “I want people to make my work stronger,” she said. 

The conversation wrapped up with the students reading excerpts from their own creative writing. Many students told her that while they don’t love to read, they do love to write. “I’m so inspired that so many of you said you like to write, and that you have the confidence to say that…. The world needs all of our stories,” Hena said at the end of the session. Thank you Hena Khan for showing us a narrative we don’t always hear, and for the reminder that each of us has a story that deserves to be told!

Community Welcomed at First Sponsor Meeting

Last night we welcomed everyone to the first sponsor meeting of the year. Students, parents, and sponsors filled every chair in the main classroom. We started the evening by inviting everyone to share how they feel the year is going so far, and we heard a very positive response from new and continuing community members alike. 

The meeting first delved into the details of TCS academics. Mr. Tom answered questions about what the students are graded on, how often grades are published, quiz and testing policies, and the importance of homework. 

Attendees were also treated to a first-look of the TCS Student News, typically published on Fridays. TCS Student News is a great way for families and sponsors to keep up with what is going on around the school, from birthdays to speakers to special projects. Watching the TCS Student News every week is a great way to support the student’s hard work, too; it is 100% student led, from the research and script to the filming and editing!

We also took a moment to recognize everyone who has signed up for providing lunches so far. We have been very successful with filling this semester’s calendar with lunch volunteers and it wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated community members – thank you! 

Our next big event, happening in a month on October 12th, is the 3rd Annual Bull Roast. Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Dave Bayer, handed out flyers and solicitation letters to be distributed at local businesses. The Bull Roast is our biggest fundraiser of the year and it is very important that we have all hands on deck to prepare. There are many ways to help. You can buy tickets for students and your family, advertise the raffle tickets in your workplace, give the solicitation letter to your favorite local businesses for donations, and hang the flyers around your neighborhood. 

The next sponsor meeting is October 17th at 6:30pm. Thank you to everyone who attended last night and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon!

Mr. Eduardo returns as P.E. teacher

No matter your previous strengths and weaknesses, we want you to give your best effort. This lesson, a common theme throughout all of our courses at TCS, was at the heart of the first Physical Education class of the year. To start the class students got to know Mr. Eduardo, who is serving another year as our volunteer P.E. teacher. 

The first activity the students did was a twist on the classic game of tag. After the game, Mr. Eduardo gathered everyone together. “I don’t care how good you are, or how good you think you are, which is not the same thing by the way. I want to see you try your best,” he told the students. The second half the class was spent practicing soccer skills with fun, creative games. 

During the class debrief, Mr. Tom discussed how P.E. improves all three aspects of health that the students learn in health class- physical health, social health, and mental/emotional health. Improvements to physical health may be obvious, but if you watch, you can find evidence of social and mental health improvement as well. 

Socially, P.E. helps bring the students together. Tyleiah said, “it helped me bond with the new students in a different way than in the classroom”. 

Mr. Tom and Mr. Eduardo wrapped up the class by emphasizing that the goal of P.E. is to help students who aren’t usually active learn that you don’t have to feel embarrassed or nervous about physical activity. Thank you Mr. Eduardo for helping the students be healthy and well-rounded!