Jennie Fitzkee wrote in the comments on this post:

“Twenty years ago teachers were getting dolls and puppets of different ethnicities to add diversity to their classrooms. It occurred to me that in Groton, there was no diversity. How could children learn to be accepting of different people? Well, there were old people, those who were not pretty or had injuries. I saw children back away from those people. Gloria was one of those people. If children could look beyond her exterior and and accept her, then I was teaching about real diversity.

Gloria has been to major sporting events, high school graduations, and vacations. She went to the Cape, went to the Red Sox parade in Boston. She has been trick-or-treating as a cow, Minnie Mouse, and a dinosaur. On and on. She’s the real deal. 🙂”

Reblogged from A Teacher’s Reflections:

Gloria joined the classroom today, and oh what a homecoming it was. It’s doubtful Santa Claus would receive such a welcome. After all these years we are still amazed at the difference Gloria makes and how children are drawn to her. It started many years ago…

You see, Gloria is different. She is very shy and loves to wear black. She’s not pretty on the outside, but she’s beautiful on the inside. In order for children to learn about the world, they needed to learn about the people in the world. And that meant introducing them to diversity… to Gloria.

Children don’t even see that she’s a puppet. The word witch is never spoken. It isn’t even a thought in their heads. They see her ‘insides’; that she needs help singing the ABC’s, that she loves Maine, and likes to be read to. That’s what children really see.

Continue reading at A Teacher’s Reflections