Notes From Public School - Day 100

Today was the 100th day of school.

Wow.

In some ways it seems like only the 10th day.

In other ways it already seems like the 1,000th.

Does time ever do you that way?

Well, it was a good 100th day in Room 414.

We’re reading the illustrated book Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and Bryan Collier.

Do you know that book.

It is as beautiful, ingenious, wonderful and courageous a book as she was a beautiful, ingenious, wonderful and courageous person.

I loved the moments I stopped reading.

Just as music is found in the spaces between the notes, so wonder is found in the spaces between the pages of a great read aloud.

I stopped reading after these words -

“You better make it easy on yourself!” Blake yelled.

“Why do you pick on us?” Mrs. Parks asked with that quiet strength of hers.

“I’m going to call the police!” Blake threatened.

“Do what you must,” Mrs. Parks quietly replied. She was not frightened. She was not going to give in to that which was wrong.

There was a profound wonder in the silence.

These kinds of moments make teaching fun.

“What do you think ‘quiet strength’ is?” I asked.

I love questions.

At first, my students were at a loss for words.

We are all used to the idea that ‘strong’ means ‘loud.’

Then Cintia answered in her quiet, strong Honduran voice, “I think it means your words are powerful.”

“I think it means you fight, but fight nicely,” said Josiah in his loud, sincere voice.

As a class we went on to talk about how we can confront bullies - whether they be people or laws or customs.

“We can be like Rosa Parks,” I said “And look the bully in the eyes and quietly, strongly say, ‘No. No person is better than another. No.”

Later in the day, as we were waiting on the last bus and car riders to be called, I was standing outside my classroom door with Daniel and Jhoan.

Daniel looked up above the classroom door and saw I picture I placed there of a Black kids hand holding a sign that says 14th Amendment and has “No person is better than another” across the front of it.

“Hey,” said Daniel, “I’ve never seen that picture before. That’s what you’ve been teaching us this year.”

It was one of my proudest moments as a teacher.

When a student ‘sees’ and ‘understands’ - well, that is what teachers live for.

Thanks Rosa for showing us the way.