I was asked to present to fifth and sixth graders (around 75 students between both session) and knowing I had two Fairfield University softball players, I decided it would be best to play with Kwame Alexander's Coretta Scott King-Award Winning middle-grade novel Black Star. It was easy to ask kids how many fingers fit into a glove. FIVE. How many fingers on a hand that pitches and throws. FIVE. That's ten. They brainstormed ten items they could write about...we used Kwame's brilliance as models (and a little of Jerry's...because, well, the artist thing) and Wola! We had a workshop.
Also learned from the Principal that she was so excited that the kids were cheering on the workshop during dismissal (it was a 1/2 day) and at parent/teacher conferences. I was told the kids thought it was a hit and now they want to read all the books I highlighted for World Read Aloud Day.
It's hard for me, an educator, to see the turn against diversity, inclusivity, and equity in all things United States. In the schools I've worked in, and with the teacher force I cherish, this trifecta has been best practice for literacy instruction. We need the books where our students can learn about their histories, their cultures, their livelihoods, and the traditions of the U.S. Constitution (the good, the bad, and the ugly), so we can help future adults to bring forward a better nation and a social responsibility for showing the rest of the world what democracy is truly about.
I am super proud of the two young women who joined me, jumped into the craziness of a Crandall workshop without missing a beat, and who were willing to celebrate their student-athleticism with the young people.
My heart was filled once again. It is in classroom spaces, working with kids of this nation and their teachers, that I feel the greatest joy...the truest understanding of humanity. It can be beautiful.
Not pictured in the photo above are the faces of young people desiring to learn, to read, and to write. They were all on board.
