Celebrating International Dot Day
The story of The Dot inspired International Dot Day, which is on September 15th annually. This day was started by teacher Terry Shay in 2009 in the hopes of promoting creativity, bravery, and self-expression based on the themes in the book. Just a quick search of the hashtag #dotday will show classrooms all over the world demonstrating how they have “made their mark” in a unique way through the creation of a dot.
The Dot written by Peter H. Reynolds is the story of a young student who is not confident in her ability to draw. The teacher capitalizes on the strong emotion of the student. She provides just the right amount of firm encouragement for her to “make her mark, and see where it takes her”. This pay-it-forward message not only helped the student work past frustration but her teacher’s unwavering belief in her ability to succeed helped her to explode with creativity. It empowered her to do more than what was expected. It changed her attitude, confidence level, and moreover, I’m willing to bet it changed her life course.
Today during Art Class, 3rd Grade was able to participate in the live Dot Event hosted by author Peter H. Reynolds. Peter invited his twin brother, Paul, to the live stream as well - our 3rd-grade twins, Maci & Mica, really enjoyed that!