Once I realized that With Grace was turning out to be a fairytale, I did not resist it...but I did do my best to subvert the tropes of the genre.

One of our favorite authors, Gabrielle Yetter, has a new book that we're delighted to share with our wandering educators. Entitled Martha the Blue Sheep, it's a story of fitting in - or not, of taking care of those in need, of good deeds and celebrating life. It's a lovely tale, beautifully and colorfully illustrated by Daro Sam and Monnyreak Ket. It has much to teach us about acceptance, helpfulness, and diversity. Read it with your kids, and then find (or be) your own Marthas in life.

My hair looks different, my backpack is always open, and I have a medium brown complexion. I'm sun-kissed. I am kissed by the sun. Now, if you live in Boston or in Medford, where I go to Tufts, and you saw me walking down the street, you'd probably make nothing of it. 

I was waiting for the ferry from Montevideo to Buenos Aires with my friends a few weeks ago. A long way from Boston. I was charging my phone when a kid walked up to me and asked in Spanish "Why are you brown?"

"You're brown all over. You look like soil."

Stephane is a junior at Tufts University currently studying International Relations and Community Health. She is passionate about global health and community health interventions. Between perfecting her ramen noodles recipes and studying for exams, Steph is interested in the role that peace and security plays in women's health and their educational pursuits. Currently, she is studying abroad in Santiago, Chile and traveling to other South American countries. When she is not watching Netflix, she’s most likely eating Nutella.