There is a lot of diversity in the student body of my school, primarily developmental, intellectual, ethnic, and economic. In general, the kids take the differences among them in stride, but they are not always aware of what divides them.
Today, for example, my classes were reading "Raymond's Run", a short story by Toni Cade Bambara about a little girl nick-named Squeaky growing up in Harlem back in the late 20th century. The task was to find notable details that revealed something essential about the characters and discuss them with a small group. Squeaky tells the reader about another girl who used to be a friend of mine when she first moved to Harlem from Baltimore and got beat up by everybody till I took up for her.
"They live in a tough neighborhood," one student noted.
"I have a connection," added another boy. "There are some older kids in my neighborhood who always fight and threaten us."
"Mine, too," said a girl. "And the police come all the time where we live."
"My neighbor has to call the police sometimes, too," another student told us, "because of teenagers being loud and disrespectful."
The first student's eyebrows got higher and higher as he listened to his classmates. "I never knew how lucky I was to live in my neighborhood," he said. "Nothing happens there."
Today, for example, my classes were reading "Raymond's Run", a short story by Toni Cade Bambara about a little girl nick-named Squeaky growing up in Harlem back in the late 20th century. The task was to find notable details that revealed something essential about the characters and discuss them with a small group. Squeaky tells the reader about another girl who used to be a friend of mine when she first moved to Harlem from Baltimore and got beat up by everybody till I took up for her.
"They live in a tough neighborhood," one student noted.
"I have a connection," added another boy. "There are some older kids in my neighborhood who always fight and threaten us."
"Mine, too," said a girl. "And the police come all the time where we live."
"My neighbor has to call the police sometimes, too," another student told us, "because of teenagers being loud and disrespectful."
The first student's eyebrows got higher and higher as he listened to his classmates. "I never knew how lucky I was to live in my neighborhood," he said. "Nothing happens there."
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