EHHS alumna Justine DeFrancesco, a primary school teacher for Berlin Cosmopolitan Schools, has penned her first children's book, How to Let it Go.
DeFrancesco said the book gave her classroom community the opportunity to talk about the things that frustrate them at school and at home. Students learned that when emotions of anger, sadness, or disappointment arise, the power to move on from such feelings lies within them.
The Ohio native, who writes under the pen name Justine M. Bean, teaches kindergarten, preschool, primary and secondary students. She received a B.S.E. '16, and a M.Ed., '19, in Early Childhood Education from the College of Education, Health and Human Services.
DeFrancesco believes that building social and emotional skills is a main tenet of the early childhood classroom, and it's important that young students take the time and reflection needed to understand themselves and the people they share this world with.
"I remember writing this book after my students returned to school following a long COVID lockdown," she wrote in an email. "As a class, my learners needed a platform to reflect on how to care for themselves and how to care for one another in a shared, socially-constructed space. The conversations my students had surrounding this story brought us together as humans sharing an experience—one that is personal yet universal. This book invites families and teachers to explore their emotions together."
How to Let It Go can be purchased on Amazon. Follow DeFrancesco on Instagram.