Mascot by Charles Waters and Tracie Sorell
Three out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Book in verse.
Six different points of view. All in the same English class. They are given the assignment to debate the school mascot. The mascot in question is a native american, they are the Braves. Each student has their own opinion and some feel very strongly about this matter. The book follows the students throughout the school year as the debate spills out of the classroom and into the community.
This was a little hard for me since my school recently went through something similar. We used to be the Chiefs. I was a little surprised when I first started at this school to see the images of a native headdress around my school. It was also odd to wear t-shirts with the same headdress. I knew a few teachers refused to wear the shirts, but nothing else was said. A few years back, someone must have said something because suddenly, we were asked to vote on other possible mascots. This caused some friction in the community. “Once a chief, always a chief” was being shouted. Some people in the community still say this to this day. I remember people being upset, and as a teacher, there wasn’t a lot I could do. I had no power over any of this. It seemed to some that the teachers were pushing this when I believe it was student-driven. Reading about all of the shouting and arguing in this book reminded me of the stress my school experienced in years past.
Literary Coffee 