Meet Susan Wagner of Tubman Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
by Matthew
January 27, 2022

Meet Susan Wagner, librarian of 26 years and our host at Tubman Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

We can’t wait to meet her ourselves in November of 2022, when the Busload of Book Tour winds through our nation’s capital.


Susan was kind enough to spend a few minutes letting us know about her school, her colleagues, and her students.

WHAT GETS YOU OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?
Finding the right book for each student!

WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL MASCOT?
Toads (really).

WHAT IS SOMETHING FUN ABOUT YOUR STUDENTS?
They really embrace being Tubman Toads.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES IF YOUR SCHOOL HAD MORE FUNDING?
More resources for food, more books in homes, more community social service support.

WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE BETTER UNDERSTOOD ABOUT THE CHALLENGES FACING TITLE I SCHOOLS?
Title I schools struggle to meet student needs because there is often little or no outside support, compared to what schools in better income areas have from their families and communities.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL MAKES YOU PROUDEST?
Tubman is truly a community of caring, committed learners and educators.

HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR SCHOOL WILL BENEFIT FROM THE BUS TOUR?
My school is very diverse and has a large percentage of second language learners. Very few of our students own any books… Having a book of their own will mean a great deal to them.

We can’t wait to meet Susan, her colleagues, and the rest of the Tubman Toads later this year. Thank you all for helping us fill the bus with books for each and every one of them.

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The Busload of Books Tour is a year-long project to promote literacy and raise awareness of the challenges facing our nation’s public schools.

Author/illustrator duo Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr (that’s us) and our four kids will spend the 2022-2023 school year traveling the country in a school bus/tiny home, visiting Title I schools in all 50 states (plus DC), and giving away 25,000 hardcover books to students and teachers from underserved communities.

As we travel, we will be blogging, vlogging and posting frequently to social media. All of our content will be appropriate for bringing families and students along on our ultimate road trip.

The latest on Instagram:

The Daily Minute: 11.28.23
In which Robbi lets us peek into her process, which no longer includes great heaps of sugary snacks.
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The Daily Minute: 11.27.23
In which Robbi will be drawing all night on a deadline, and Matthew is heading to the sleeping loft.
...

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Slow start over here this morning. ...

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The Daily Minute: 11.16.23
In which we take a soggy tromp through Tilghman Neck.
...

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Whoever you are, take your seat on the bus!

Our adventure is your adventure. Our country is your country, too. Follow along with us!