A student is looking at a shoe while another student looks on from behind

Using Those Shoes to Teach Character Strengths and the Power of Mattering

What if a story about wanting the right pair of shoes could help students think about something much bigger: belonging, generosity, and knowing that we matter? In Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts, Jeremy desperately wants the black high-tops that seemingly everyone at school is wearing. But Grandma reminds him that there is a difference between…