Shaila Abdullah

Reading Rockets Teacher Appreciation Award

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Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated during the first full week in May, with Teacher Appreciation Day falling on Tuesday, May 8, 2007. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, Reading Rockets asked the online community to write in and tell them about the teachers who make a difference in their lives.

I nominated Jessica Fiedler, a teacher from my daughter, Aanyah’s preschool for that award. I was informed today that she was chosen to be the award recipient. Jessica is one of those rare individuals who has the unique talent to spark young preschoolers’ imaginations and help them develop creative thinking. She makes every child feel special and empowered. She helps children think of how best to resolve disputes amongst themselves and it amazes the young ones when they are able to come up with a solution. She has an amazing drive and a deep-rooted ethical sense.

Reading Rockets is an award winning site that offers effective teaching strategies and promotes reading comprehension, language arts, literacy, fluency, phonics and phonemic awareness in children.

Congratulations, Jessica!

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Nirali Magazine Features Beyond the Cayenne Wall

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Nirali Magazine, an online magazine that reflects the identity and interests of South Asian women all over North America, featured me in their April Issue. Staff writer, Nakasha Ahmad examined the stories in Beyond the Cayenne Wall and attempted to integrate it with my life as an immigrant, a woman, a wife, and a mother. According to reviewer Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon, “Shaila’s book has pulled back the ‘exotic’ cultural curtain aside for a brief moment and directed the Western gaze on the unexamined life of South Asian women.” See: If These Walls Could Talk: Shaila Abdullah’s debut book opens a window on life as a Pakistani woman.

Silent Auction of Beyond the Cayenne Wall

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Julie Hamsa is organizing a silent auction for a nonprofit called Nothing But Nets and will auction off signed copies of Beyond the Cayenne Wall.

Nothing But Nets is a foundation started by sports columnist Rick Riley and partnered with the UN, which buys bed nets to prevent the spread of malaria in Africa. Malaria is the leading cause of death of children in Africa, 3000 kids die each day. However, a mere $10 buys a bed net for a family, which can be used for 4 years! Using bed nets cuts malaria transmission 90%! All money raised goes directly to the foundation, so each $10 buys one bed net.