Last year I had the opportunity to move from teaching 5th graders to a 5/6 and keep half of my students. Having looped several times before, my answer was an immediate and enthusiastic “Yes, please!” Ten-years-old to twelve, just think of all of the changes. Imagine the ownership of learning. The trust.
Today I read aloud Dear Girl by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal. My 6th graders know Amy Krouse Rosenthal (AKR) from I Wish You More, Plant a Kiss, and Spoon, which I read last year. They also remembered her passing, because at the time I shared with them Peter Reynolds’ tribute:
Although I had no personal connection with AKR, I connected profoundly with her story. My dad was 47 when I lost him. After I had endured the raw grief for a while, I emerged as a different person, with different priorities and goals. In fact, that event was responsible for my becoming a teacher. I shared some of that with my students last spring and told them that I hoped they would each make the most of their time here.
When I told them that this new book, Dear Girl, was written with AKR’s daughter, Paris Rosenthal, they got it. They were quiet and serious as I read, eyes intense on every page. Maybe they heard that I was struggling a bit to get the words out. Saw that I was blinking a little too often.
One of my dear girls said, “As you’re reading this I’m imagining them writing it together. And AKR realizing that she won’t be there to tell her daughter these things, and how incredibly hard that must have been for her. A mother’s love and all that.”
"Dear Girl,
Whenever you need an
encouraging boost, remember
you can turn to any page in this book."
I’m grateful to be in this place, with these people. Every.Single.Day. And that was what I resolved, when I emerged from grief, that I would have joy every day of my life. That I would live with meaning and purpose. I had no idea how much love there would be. When I look at my 6th grade girls (and boys), heading off soon to middle school, I’m so full of love for the people they have become. I was choked up thinking of them as I read, hoping these words were imprinting on each of their hearts.
"Dear Girl, don’t ever lose your sense of wonder."
Love this slice!
ReplyDeleteAND I love 6th grade for all the reasons you have described... it is truly a wonder-ful age.
Thank you! You made me realize, sixth graders are elementary’s best kept secret!
DeleteI have that same picture in my classrom.She was amazing. I am going to my library to find Dear Girl.
ReplyDeleteYou won’t be sorry. But beware, the lump in your throat does make reading aloud tricky. Thank you for reading.
DeleteThis one gave me all the feels! What a gift to loop with your students. When I was a high school teacher, I taught all of the juniors and seniors, and I so loved having those kids for two years--and two such important years! I am reading AKR's Textook right now and it's so very good. I don't have Dear Girl yet but will need to order soon! I can't get through I Wish You More as a read aloud without choking up a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how wonderful it would be to get to spend your days with juniors and seniors. Those last two years of high school are full of all of the most intense emotion, possibility, and promise. What a gift you must have been to them. Dear Girl really spoke to twelve-year-olds, though the format/cover makes it seem like a book for much younger readers. But that’s AKR in a nutshell, isn’t it? Operating on different levels for different readers. I also always choke up during I Wish You More. Thanks for your response.
DeleteTamara, this slice made me cry, first thing this morning. Such huge, raw emotion. Such gorgeous, gorgeous writing. And exactly what I hope for my seventh grade reading class. Like you, I choke up when I read I WISH YOU MORE. If I was queen of the world, it would be read at our middle school continuation, because it's exactly what I hope for each and every kiddo. I don't know DEAR GIRL. Clearly a trip to TATTERED COVER is in order.
ReplyDeleteI WISH YOU MORE is pretty perfect for continuation, isn’t it? I’m glad to think you’ll get to visit TC because of my post. Thank you for being part of my SOL journey, Carol.
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ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful. A perfect illustration of the wonderfulness of teaching, of getting to spend day after day in the classroom with lovely people who teach us and learn with us and from us. (The SOLS Challenge always makes me miss the classroom desperately. It may be time to start figuring how to reorder my world so I can go back to teaching!)
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