OTT 269: A Read-Aloud That Reframes Thanksgiving and Belonging

What if the most meaningful lesson in a noisy month is the quietest one? I share the story of a short read-aloud—Molly’s Pilgrim—that shifted my classroom from scattered to centered, and why one complete book can spark more empathy and insight than a week of themed activities. 

November often pushes teachers into survival mode: short weeks, sugar crashes, and last‑minute crafts that fill time but not hearts. I walk through how a single, well-chosen chapter book reframed Thanksgiving around identity and belonging, and how one child’s whisper—“That’s like my grandma”—opened the door to a deeper conversation about journeys, culture, and home.

You’ll hear a simple framework you can lift tomorrow: light pre-reading prompts that invite personal connections, gentle pauses during the text to name feelings and evidence, and a post-reading reflection that turns insight into action. I talk candidly about the trend toward excerpts and quick hits, and why finishing a complete story builds stamina, joy, and a shared sense of accomplishment. Instead of politics or platitudes, I focus on language that honors nuance and humanity: a pilgrim as a seeker of home, identity as an asset, and story as a safe place to practice empathy.

If you’re tired, overbooked, or just craving calm, this is your reminder to trust the power of a good book. Let the room breathe. Let the story do the heavy lifting. Then tell us what happens when your students see themselves on the page. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a teacher friend, and leave a quick review—your notes help more educators find a little quiet and a lot of heart.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

Molly's Pilgrim Companion Resource

Molly's Pilgrim on Amazon (Affiliate Link)

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening & Episode Setup
• 0:45 November Chaos in Classrooms
• 2:00 Why One Read-Aloud Matters
• 3:10 The First Molly’s Pilgrim Moment
• 4:30 Identity, History, and Belonging
• 5:30 Practical Next Steps & Resources
• 6:40 Closing Encouragement

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Welcome to One Tired Teacher, episode 269. The Thanksgiving read aloud that changed everything. Hey, I know it's November, and you're like, oh my goodness. But have you ever read a book aloud and then something just shifted in the room? Maybe the energy quieted, the conversations deepened, and you realize this is what teaching is all about. That happened to me the first time I ever read Molly's Pilgrim out loud in November. It's not flashy, there's no talking turkeys or goofy sidekicks, but it changed the way I thought about Thanksgiving, identity, and what it means to belong. And it changed my kids too. And today I want to share that story and how this little book can bring real heart and humanity into a season that's often loud, messy, and rushed. Hope you stick around.

SPEAKER_00: 1:01

Welcome to One Tired Teacher. And even though she may need a nap, this teacher is ready to wake up and speak her truth about the trials and treasures of teaching. Here she is, wide awake. Wait, she's not asleep right now, is she? She is awake, right? Okay. From Trina Deborah Teaching and Learning, your host, Trina Debori.

SPEAKER_01: 1:25

Hey, so let's be real. November gets wild. We've got the sugar highs from October. We've got shorter weeks. We've got classroom feast requests. Oh my goodness gracious. That's one of the main reasons I was so happy to leave first grade was because we didn't do feasts in second grade, thankfully. But it's really easy to feel like we're barely holding on. And often the content gets lost. We toss in fun Thanksgiving books or last-minute crafts just to fill the time. But what if we slow down? I know that sounds crazy, doesn't it? And what if we used one story to make a real impact? That's what Molly's Pilgrim did for me. And I want to say that there's like so much research going on right now about the fact that our kids are not reading books, real books, and that we've got principals asking teachers to just read excerpts or share excerpts or do short stories or whatever. And I, it makes me so depressed. I'm like, we are not building strong readers. We're not building kids who love reading. We are not teaching them how to have the joy of starting and ending a book. And that is a tragedy. And it's no wonder this is coming out in colleges and coming out in like polls about reading as adults. It's because we only read them short things and like fast little whatever, or it's like an excerpt from a book, that doesn't give you the whole book. Molly's Pilgrim is a really short chapter book, so it's not super long. It doesn't take weeks and weeks. It just it's it's perfect for this time of year. And I remember the first time that I pulled it out. Actually, I had to borrow it. I had to borrow it from my teacher friend who had like a whole class set in fourth grade. And I'm like, I'm gonna read this in second grade, and I really want to borrow, and so I did. But when I first got it, it was uh like on a quiet Tuesday, and it was one of those weird November days when everyone is a little antsy, and I didn't expect a lot. I looked, it looked like an older book, the cover felt dated because the covers were dated, and they were it they were really old from her old collection of books. I didn't end up getting a newer copy that looked so much more current from Scholastic, and that was like, you know, that was different. But but by the middle of the story, my class was totally silent, like they weren't making any noises, they were like waiting, they were holding their breath while I was reading. And when Molly's mom makes her little clothespin doll, at that tiny moment of cultural pride, I had a student whispered, That's like my grandma. And I was like, wait, she is a pilgrim. It sparked something. It's not just about history, it's about seeing each other. And we ended up having one of the most powerful conversations of the whole year. Now, there's a lot of back and forth between what we should teach, what we can't teach, are we giving them biased information, blah, blah, blah, blah. So much of that. I personally feel like we have to learn from our past, and we get to learn from our past, and we get to understand how people came from different places. And I think that can be a beautiful thing. It makes us all different. And we don't have to go into like the politics of it, but we can go into like the things that make us who we are, and we can celebrate that in our classroom. So, why does this still matter? Why am I telling you this? Because I know that November can feel chaotic, and I know that you are tired. And I think I spoke about, I know I did, about feeling like this was the time of year that I got sick. Like every year I was like, oh my goodness, here we go. It's either before Thanksgiving or it's before Christmas, and it's always during those holidays, and it was just it's because everything caught up to me at this time, and I think it feels like that for teach other teachers as well, and I think it even feels like that sometimes for kids. So it's it's something, it's it's sometimes that we forget small moments can really have the most meaning. Molly's Pilgrim isn't flashy, but it's the kind of book that sticks. It reminds our students and us that everyone's story matters, that identity belongs in the classroom, and that sometimes a quiet read aloud can do more than a whole week of activities. Now, if you're looking to take it one step further and you're like, oh, I need like some questions that go with it. I might want to do an activity before we read and during our reading time and after. I do have a simple companion packet for Molly's Pilgrim. And it makes it so easy to turn the story into a meaningful project. Think about reflection prompts and identity connections, and yes, you know, even a little fun little drawing craft. And I'm gonna link to it in the show notes. But as always, the story stands on his own, on its own. You don't need this resource, it's just there if you need it, but you don't. If you want to just do the book without it, that's totally fine too. So let's talk about what stories can do. Don't underestimate the power of a good book, especially when everything else feels noisy. Molly's Pilgrim changed how I saw Thanksgiving and how I saw my students. And I hope it might do the same for you. Thanks for being here. You've got this. Until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.