Meet Christina Dankert

We recently connected with Christina Dankert and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I knew I wanted to be a teacher, specifically an elementary teacher. Picture books are a key component to teaching. They provide the opportunity to entertain, teach academic concepts as well as provide a foundation for a strong social emotional awareness with coping mechanisms.

While still pursuing my undergrad and visiting the campus library, I knew I wanted to write a book. I knew I wanted to be part of classrooms to facilitate the learning through the use of picture books. It took years of being in the classroom and also being a mother when I finally figured out that I wanted to write a book about kindness. As a teacher and a parent, we want our students and children to be so many things, to accomplish their hopes, dreams and goals. But, ultimately, we want them to be kind. It is from here that The Kindness Machine was born.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As elementary teachers, we have the opportunity to select inclusive books that support our content and the social emotional well-being of our students. Unfortunately, there are educators who are teaching in states where books are only allowed to be read from a specific list. To all of those educators, continue to provide a safe, inclusive environment for your students and families while shining a light on our beautiful differences that make us unique.

The Kindness Machine is a picture book that is meant to be used as a way to start or continue the kindness conversation in homes and classrooms around the world. The book focuses on not only ways to be kind to others, but also the importance of being kind to ourselves. As adults, we often struggle with being kind to ourselves. If we can start teaching children from an early age to love themselves, and providing a gentle reminder to the adults reading to children as an added bonus, I am sure we can help boost confidence in overall self-love.

It was a joy to create the book with my husband, Chad, who was the illustrator. He was able to take my vision and then go above and beyond my expectations. A picture book is a beautiful weaving of both words and pictures to allow even the little readers and listeners to enjoy the stories.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For any aspiring picture book authors, my three pieces of advice are as follows: 1. Join a writing group
2. Read books/articles, listen to podcasts, attend conferences about writing
3. Write. Write and then write some more.

Your family and friends are hopefully wonderful cheerleaders. However, I encourage you to seek out a writing group, especially writers who are writing in the same genre as you. Other writer friends will be able to empathize with your frustrations, provide actionable advice and cheer you on for every little success, not just those glorious book launches.

To become a better writer, it is so important to continue to read. Read about writing. Listen to podcasts about writing. Attend in person or virtual conferences/webinars about writing. Read books in your genre to see what is out and what is missing.

Finally, write, write and then write some more. Jodi Picoult said, “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” Imposter syndrome is a real struggle on the writing journey. Pick certain days to simply get the words down on paper or on your computer screen. They may simply live there. However, they may be words you come back to, edit, revise and one day launch into the world for your readers.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Time.

As a mother and 2nd grade teacher, there is never enough time in a day. Instead of waiting for there to suddenly be extra time, I encourage you to carve out time each day or a few times each week to do the thing that you love. I love writing. I love sharing my story with students. I love seeing the ah-ha moment that happens at the end of The Kindness Machine when children realize that kindness is their own superpower that they already have. I often think about those special moments sharing the book to students to provide the necessary motivation to carve out time to write more.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Chad Dankert

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