MULDROW \u2013 Cherokee Nation citizen Cobie Grace Graham recently released her first children\u2019s book, \u201cI Thought I Was a Bad Kid,\u201d focusing on fostering empathy and understanding for children who are misjudged in the classroom.<\/p>\n
The Christian Faith Publishing children\u2019s book is a fictional story that revolves around Trudy Buckman, a young boy who was labeled a \u201cbad kid\u201d before he starts third grade. The story follows Trudy\u2019s third-grade year and includes reflections from him as an adult.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Cobie Grace Graham, Cherokee citizen, has come from a long line of educators and has been motivated by her family\u2019s dedication to young people\u2019s education.\u00a0<\/p>\n
COURTESY<\/p>\n
Graham\u2019s inspiration behind the book came from God during her first year of teaching. She said she began to see many students who thought of themselves as bad, and she wanted to change their perceptions about themselves and the teachers they encountered.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI come into contact with students every day in my own classroom who have this perception of themselves,\u201d Graham said. \u201cIt could come from past experiences, from their home life or trauma related events. What I say to these students and what I would say to all students who see themselves as bad kids is this, \u2018you are not a bad kid. In fact, you are a great kid with so many talents and strengths. The choices you make are sometimes bad choices, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t make better ones.\u2019 I also always be sure to tell them how much I believe in them and love them. Sometimes, we as teachers might be the only ones who tell them that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although Graham\u2019s experiences were different from the character in the book, she said it was eye opening to take on the perspective of how it feels to be a student who does not feel understood or feel misjudged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Among all the drafts, editing, illustrations and proofreading, the project took about two years from start to finish, even though it took Graham only 10 minutes to write the book.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favorite part was getting to bring the book to life with the illustrations through the help of my team at Christian Faith Publishing,\u201d Graham said. \u201cI also had the privilege of working with two wonderful publishing specialists. Everyone on the whole team was always so helpful and really made the experience fun for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham hopes the book will influence young people to see that they do not have to take on negative perceptions that some people try to put on them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope the book will inspire them to see that if they are making some bad choices, it is not too late to change,\u201d Graham said. \u201cThat it is never too late for them to turn their lives around for the better. I also hope this book encourages them that there are some teachers out there who love them and see the good in them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n