Don’t even ask me what is up with all these blogs about shoes but I actually have some more to tell you. Two stories.

First of all, I read with one of my students who are in the first grade, Ashanti, and the book she was anxious to read was titled: Hello Shoes! By Joan Blas. Even though I wore my shoes to work, ( if you didn’t read the two previous blogs you will be a little loss concerning the shoe situation) I did get a chance to talk to the children about people all over the world who don’t have a pair of shoes to wear because they are poor. After talking to them about how hard it is to find a pair of shoes around the house, I asked them why is it possible that other children as young as them in other parts of the world don’t have shoes at all.They concluded that the reason was because they don’t have a floor. Not once did I hear the word poor. But they tired their best to describe the huts in North Africa and the shacks in South America. They knew that having no shoes had something to do with not having a house like theirs. Just to think, having a pair of shoes means status. Privilege in some countries. And here, in America, it is more a norm, to the point that to have a certain type of shoe means something.   

Children EXCITED to leave school

Two days in a row its been a high level of motivation at the library

the children are doing their homework and are having a fun time with each other

not many distractions.

getting along

Two days in a row we ran out of time

the library closing before we having a chance to do just one more subject.

I’m encourage, they are motivated.

two days in a row.

Hey,

I just wanted to blog about the kids before I went out tonight.

They are off this week so they are pretty happy they don’t have that much homework to do. I am happy also but can’t wait for them to get back in school. Everyday it seems they need something to do so they start trouble with one another instead of being nice. I try my best to stay out of their little dramas.

One good thing that happen is they all started a new chapter book. I wish there was a way we all could read the same books. Its kind of difficult reading 3 or 4 different books at the same time with 10 kids. But I think they are all learning responsibility when I don’t read the entire book with them.

I realize today that I have to make sure I treat them all the same. I was accused of having favoritism. Which I know I don’t have. But I have to make sure I don’t.

I got two new students: Kelly and Kathy. Who are sweet little girls. Smart too.

The books we are reading are: Hello, Mrs. Piggle- Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, Clementine’s Letter by Sara Penny Packer and Rules By Cynthia Lord. Each child has to write down words and phrases they don’t understand and talk about each chapter after they read it. I am thinking about what I should do after they all finish each story….that can be another blog…

Okay, I better be going now!

Today I had so much fun with my students. They all had projects to do on people – women who inspires them. I guess it is in celebration of Women History Month. Most of them picked singers. They had a half day so I came to the library early to meet them as planned.And they all came early ready to work on their project.

I brought my own supplies from home and helped them each with their project. It was also report card day so not all of them were very happy. A parent even came to make sure her son was really doing his homework. I hope she does that more often. They (the children) have a tendency of being serious only around report card day. Today he was near to tears. He’s reading a book by Louis Lowery  titled Anastasia on her Own. I hope he finishes the entire book.

One student got kicked out of the library for eating. She got caught by the librarian. I guess they are cracking down on the kids. I felt a little sorry for her though. I thought kicking her out for the day was pretty harsh. But they gotta learn. I hope she finishes her project at home. Those who didn’t finish their project at the library went to the Chinese store in the neighborhood to finish up. I must say they never been more excited and determine to finish their homework.

In a country where education is highly valued and nearly everyone attends public schools, this private system benefits primarily members of the upper class and provides one of the foundations for the old- boy and old- girl networks that will be with them throughout their lives.

– G. William Domhoff

Since I have been volunteering at the library, I have notice myself in some of the children situations, I saw my friends from grade school acted out again by the children I teach, I see the same tricks and hear the same insults and promises  that children give to one another. It seems my childhood is flashed before my face at times. Today I felt as if I was in sociology class. Only thing, it was real life.

Hi Miss Lilly!

Hi, Children. How was school?

I said to no one in particular. All the children seem to be in groups. I didn’t know who to go to first. The children sitting to the far left made eye contact and were smiling shyly at me. They were in uniform with their books still in their backpacks. They were doing what we all do, sneakily eating candy.

Hi.

Hi, Miss Lilly!

Miss Lilly, I don’t think I know you. Do I?

No, hun. I don’t think I ever saw you before.

After meeting my students friend. I talked to them about starting their homework.

You all already did your homework?

No.

Then-

Miss Lilly, how come you looked mad when you first came over here?

I am not mad. I was just watching you. Watching this here bare table without any books.

Okay, we gonna do our homework!

Indeed I was watching them. I was watching all the children in the library. I notice a huge separation between the students who attends public school and those who attended private school. Granted that they all go to different schools, both schools are not to far away from each other and most of the students are neighbors who know each other; yet, they barely talk to one another.  They often sit at different tables and ignore each other. Even though I try to get the children to interact with each other when doing their homework, it is hard for those from the private schools to be kind to those from the public schools and vice versa. They are all in the same grade for the most part and some may understand the material more than others but no one wants to be humble. As if to make my observations more vivid a known bully from the public school walked up to me while I was talking to the private school children.

Hey. Hey. He said tapping me. They were bothering us. Saying things.

Well, what did  – I couldn’t even finish my sentence

That’s because you started first!

Yeah, Miss Lilly. He started first!

Well, –

No! I didn’t! He ran away smiling and screaming. Shut up! He continued. Calling them names.

That’s why my school has better standards than your school! Said a student from the private school table.

The little bully didn’t answer. I am not sure if he even heard him. He was already at the public school children table looking over a kid shoulder at a DSI also sneaking food.

I walked over to the middle table in between both tables which consisted of children ignoring both their public school friends and their private school frienemies. They were a handful of girls trying to finish up their homework.

Hi Miss Lilly. I have lots of homework today.

Well, I notice. Let’s Read.

Hi, my name is Savannah.

Well, its nice to meet you Savannah. What’s Up?

I am seven years old and I can’t read.

What grade are you in Savannah?

The first.

Do you want to read?

Yeah! Can you read this book with me??

Sure, I can.

This is a dialogue I had with a little girl this week at the library.

The fact that she is seven and can not read did not surprise me. I am now used to people not being able to read.

The fact that she was at the library without adult supervision did not surprise me. Children in my neighborhood seem to wander around with great freedom.

The fact that the other children wanted to help her read did not surprise me. I am used to the children at the library having amazing faith in themselves and others around them.

And, I would not be surprise when I see her years from now getting a high school diploma  and a good degree from an institute of higher learning.

Because no matter how hard it seems, the children in my neighborhood just don’t give up.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

I Corinthians 13:11

I held her hand as we both sang together. I looked down into her bright bold eyes and thought, what is going on in this 8-year-old head right now?  She was full of smiles and I could see that she thought something of me.

As we marched around and sang, us in our own world, I couldn’t help but wonder why children would give up their childhood for adulthood. It seemed to me at that moment that childhood was the best thing there could be.

I held up my fingers for him to count with and he put up his so he could shoot my fingers down. Making his hand into a gun he begin his mission to get the answer:

Boom! One, BOOM! Two, Boom! Three, Boom! Four!…

I know the answer!  He said. I drew my breath. Not knowing whether to use this  moment to teach him about the dangers of guns or get upset at the computer gaming system he loves so much. I made sure I didn’t encourage it.  Laughing was the last thing on my mind. But the children around him seemed to understand and laughed with him. They laughed so much, he began to mimic a robot.

As I sat there with her and her brother, they traced the designs on my clothing and couldn’t stop touching the buttons on my hat. I wondered what was going through their heads. But couldn’t wonder for long. I like the buttons on my hat to much to leave them to little Curious George and his sister.

When she came up to me with a bright pink diamond like button and offered it to me to add to the collection to my hat, I couldn’t help but laugh. She clearly thought I put those buttons on myself. Do they look that out-of-place?

“For now we see though a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

I Corinthians 13: 12-13

“If you get to know your learners… you can get them to walk on water, you can get them to do anything.”

Today I spent my afternoon listening to a program on the radio called Mind the Gap: Why Good schools are failing Black Students.  This was my first time listening to this program. It is a documentary by Nancy Solomon who is a profound journalist.

While listening quite a few things ran through my head.  For example, I thought about my upbringing in the Bronx, my childhood experience  in  both the public school and the private school, the way I always felt in school and my personal thoughts I had about teachers and even college professors. Just like love is strong and know no boundaries, you can always feel hate and it hurts really bad when the one who you are suppose to look up to and learn from is not treating you like the others.

I often try to show my students  that regardless of what they do or what happens, I still love them and I want them to succeed. I know how school can be. I understand favoritism and how it can destroy a child on either side of the spectrum.

Miss Solomon’s study takes place in a high school in a suburb in New Jersey. The students seem to be in two worlds, especially the African-American students. They can choose whether to participate in school and get good grades or give over to the ‘thug’ life. One of her main comments was that their decisions to go either way doesn’t start when they get to high school but rather it starts in kindergarten. And this is something I truly believe. It all goes back to how you are treated,  especially students who are easily influenced. It may be hard for them to ever get on or back on the right track. So when you are a teacher, the child’s future is definitely in your hands.

This is why I love working at the library. I am not literally in a classroom; therefore, I am free to show all of my students that I favor them. It is a good amount of boys and girls for all of us to get along and really understand each other. Of course there are days when everyone feels like fighting but in the end, we can all manage. I know that all my students love me back. When ever they get a chance to work with me alone, it’s like a prayer answered for them. When they don’t have any homework and we all can play a game or read a book together, its like a prayer answered for both of us! We have fun regardless. And we all learn. Since I don’t always come across as a ‘teacher’ they are able to talk to me about anything.

Because of how other teachers treated me when I was younger, I know why I love children today. I learned from their (my teachers) mistakes and learned not to take their love and power of teaching for granted. What I learned from them I now use or don’t use.

Yes, indeed, when you learn, you do teach.

check out Miss Solomon at http://nancycsolomon.com/mindthegap/