(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT – Mar. 28, 2024) — Famed children’s book author John “Mr. Schu” Schumacher visited Don Haskins PK-8 School on Tuesday, March 26.
The Illinois writer spoke to dozens of children and teachers during his three-day visit to El Paso. Schu, who is also a librarian, travels across the country in hopes of inspiring young children to read. During his visit to the Haskins campus, Schumacher talked with the children about his favorite books and, in return, the students shared their favorite books with him.
“This is important to me because my soul is fed when I spend the day working with students,” Schumacher said. “I hope when the kids leave after my meeting that they’re inspired to read the books that we talked about, and I also hope that they’re inspired to pick up a notebook and start writing their own stories.”
Schumacher said some of his favorite parts while touring the country is finding out how each student was impacted by his visit.
“A student once came over to me and she talked to me about her anxieties and how when I was talking, she was motivated to write poetry like I do,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher is the author of “This Is a School,” “This Is a Story,” and “The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of Reading Life.”
