I just finished reading The Help this week. Super book & at the recommendation of my SIL, I watched the movie trailer online. Jackie watched with me & started asking about it. As I gave her a rundown of the book/movie, she says, "That's just like the book I'm reading, Dear America: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson" and she proceeds to tell me stories about Dawnie being the only African American child in the town white school in Virginia in the 1950s. It amazes me that she not only enjoys reading these books, she also retains the information & can retell specifics in the book. We had a 20 minute conversation sharing stories about the books we're both reading & I keep thinking to myself that this child will start 3rd grade in just a few weeks. I once taught 3rd grade in Highland Park, MI. When we had Black History Month & started talking about segregation, my children didn't believe me that I was white. "You ain't white Ms. Whelah! You just light skinned." Unfortunately, most of them were not at the reading level as my 3rd grader either. (I had kids who were promoted to 3rd grade just because the teachers didn't want to deal with the parents anymore...understandable--to a point-- when you have had to get a restraining order against some of them!)
Again, my little red head continues to amaze me--what an adult conversation we had this morning. If I'd allowed her to have her own cup of coffee, I would've felt like we were old friends chatting at the cafe! I know she's dreading school starting again, but I can't wait to watch her continue to grow & learn. I just love it!
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