From: Karen Cruze <kcruze>
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 10:32:20 -0500

Reading Miriam's post reminded me of my 6th grade self. That year, 1969/1970, was turbulent in so many ways for those of us hitting middle school in a suburban town near New York City. I had the most wonderful teacher, though. She was young and idealistic and soft spoken. In the afternoons she drew the shades to soften the light in the classroom and then read to us from books that took us far from our white, middle-class world. Most memorably she read a biography of Harriet Tubman and the book
"Black Like Me." These were books I likely would not have come to on my own, despite my parents' and my liberal world view. For myself they offered a wider understanding of racial issues. For my classmates the books might have offered their only exposure to others' experience. Mrs. Reed was important to me and I was heartbroken when her husband's job took her to Japan, though I was happy she wrote to me about her new cross-cultural experiences. I would hope that teachers today might provide their students with the same type of experience. Can you imagine someone reading aloud books about gay life? Wouldn't it be brave and wonderful?

Dreaming of a better world, Karen Cruze Northbrook Public Library Northbrook Il.
Received on Thu 21 Apr 2005 10:32:20 AM CDT