A Sacred Space

“Ginny loved reading circle,” begins George Ella Lyon’s The Pirate of Kindergarten.

But she wasn’t the only one loving reading during UT Southern’s second Lynn McKee Erwin Conference on Children’s Literature. More than 200 kindergarten through fifth grade teachers from Southern Middle Tennessee explored the joys of reading and the impact of children’s literature in education.

“Poems and stories are companions, windows and teachers,” Lyon says. “They broaden our minds, deepen our hearts and tell us we are not alone. Nurture a child’s love of reading, and you give them a gift for life. That’s what this conference is all about.”

The conference began when Ronnie Erwin wanted to honor his wife, Lynn McKee Erwin (Southern ’66), after her death in 2019. Lynn Erwin, an elementary school teacher, believed teachers can change the lives of children, her husband says.

In a 2021 meeting with UT Southern Vice Chancellor of Advancement Evan Beech and UT Southern Provost Judy Cheatham, Erwin shared his desire to continue his late wife’s passion. Cheatham (Knoxville ’79), who previously served as national vice president of literacy services for Reading Is Fundamental, suggested the idea of the children’s literature conference.

“I know all too well the issues with access and opportunity to books and other reading material, especially in rural communities and communities with a low tax base,” Cheatham says.

Erwin agreed to Cheatham’s idea.

“This conference is my way of continuing the conversation that my wife started,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to share her passion for teaching, her ideas and her dreams with a wider audience.” Cheatham recruited the UTS Grissom School of Education faculty as well as students in the teacher education program, and they began to plan.

During the conference, educators heard from authors, talked about reading and learned about the publishing and writing process. They also were treated to a book room to preview about 4,000 books, as well as presented with 12 hardback books, including two they chose. While the conference celebrates reading and elementary teachers, it also provides professional development with opportunities for K-5 teachers to participate in a collaborative “deep dive” to study the Universal Design for Learning and reinforcing K-5 teachers’ knowledge and skill bases.

Crystal Harris Coleman, who attended the 2023 conference, applauded it. “Taking home free books is a wonderful benefit, but it doesn’t beat getting to meet the authors and literacy professionals,” she says. “I learned so many things that I have been able to use in the classroom this year.”

Erin Crisp, director of Grow Your Own, the Tennessee initiative to address Tennessee’s teacher shortage, says, “If the five-minute conversation teachers have in the hallway between classes is like a piece of chocolate, a whole day spent together to hear authors, discuss literacy, imagine a better future for our students and walk away with new books is the whole box of chocolate. Time together in the world of words and stories is a gift.”

A gift that was born of love.

“For me, the conference was a sacred space,” Erwin says. “I hope attendees will find joy in Lynn’s story while carrying on her love for others, for teaching and for encouraging those little ones to be more than they ever thought possible.”