The Eagles Who Thought They Were Chickens: A Tale of Discovery

The Eagles who Thought They were Chickens chronicles the journey of a great eagle, historically perched at the right hand of the great king in her native Africa, who is captured and taken aboard a slave ship. During the journey between Africa and the Americas, the great eagle lays three eggs before dying as a result of her captivity.The eggs are hatched in a chicken yard and are scorned and ridiculed because they different. Another great eagle is captured. His wings are clipped and he, too, is held captive in the chicken yard. However, being aware of his history, he tells the young eagles of the richness of their culture and heritage.When the wings of the great eagle grow in full, he encourages and inspires the other young eagles to realize their potential and to soar into the clouds.This story offers many parallels to behaviors in the classrooms and on school playgrounds where children are teased by schoolyard "chickens" and bullied by schoolyard "roosters" because of their differences, and, where entire classrooms of children, through clowning or put-downs, disrupt the learning process, changing classrooms from eagles' nests into chicken yards! This story inspires classroom teachers and their students to dream great dreams by encouraging each other to spread their wings.