Yesterday was Carena's last day of first grade. I know it was hard for her to see it come to an end. She had a wonderful year. I could not have asked for more than that. Carena's teacher is incredible. This year she taught the children above and beyond my wildest expectations. They learned about cerebral palsy, through a book called Petey.
Another highlight was a visit from Ruby Bridges. Carena's class read about Ruby Bridges and learned what amazing courage a 6 year-old could have:
In spring 1960, Ruby Bridges was one of several African-American kindergarteners in New Orleans to take a test to determine which children would be the first to attend integrated schools. Six students were chosen; of these six, two decided to stay in their original schools, three were assigned to McDonogh Elementary school, and only Bridges was assigned to William Frantz. Her father initially was reluctant, but her mother felt strongly that the move was needed not only to give her own daughter a better education, but to "take this step forward ... for all African-American children."[1]
The court-ordered first day of integrated schools in New Orleans, November 14, 1960, was commemorated by Norman Rockwell in the painting The Problem We All Live With.[2] As Bridges describes it, "Driving up I could see the crowd, but living in New Orleans, I actually thought it was Mardi Gras. There was a large crowd of people outside of the school. They were throwing things and shouting, and that sort of goes on in New Orleans at Mardi Gras."[2] Former marshal Charles Burks later recalled, "She showed a lot of courage. She never cried. She didn't whimper. She just marched along like a little soldier, and we're all very proud of her."[3]
As soon as Bridges got into the school, white parents went in and brought their own children out; all but one of the white teachers also refused to teach while a black child was enrolled. Only Barbara Henry, from Boston, Massachusetts, was willing to teach Bridges, and for over a year Mrs. Henry taught her alone, "as if she were teaching a whole class." That first day, Bridges and her adult companions spent the entire day in the principal's office; the chaos of the school prevented their moving to the classroom until the second day. Every morning, as Bridges walked to school, one woman would threaten to poison her;[4] therefore the child only wanted to eat pre-packaged food. Another woman at the school put a black baby doll in a wooden coffin and protested with it outside the school, a sight that Bridges Hall has said "scared me more than the nasty things people screamed at us." At her mother's suggestion, Bridges began to pray on the way to school, which she found provided "protection" from the disgusting, hurtful comments yelled at her on the daily walks.
Can you imagine your 6 year-old being so brave? So, after reading and learning about Ruby Bridges, a student in Carena's class went to his mother and said, "I wish she would come to our school." They did some research, contacted Ruby Bridges and she made the trip to Carena's school! Not only that, she met specifically with Carena's class. They sang her a song and visited with her. Carena got a hug from Ms. Bridges and talks about that amazing hug still. We received a DVD with Ms. Bridges' classroom visit on it and it gives me the chills and brings tears to my eyes to see this wonderful woman, who once was a little girl who was so brave, visit with Carena's class.
There were many many fantastic things that Carena learned and experienced for her first grade year. But, I think what made it such a memorable year was her teacher, Mrs. Struble. What an amazing teacher. I will forever be grateful to her for making Carena's first grade year a great experience and one that Carena didn't want to end.
5 comments:
okay your blog entry totally brought tears to my eyes. What an inspirational book. I forget how easy my life is sometimes and the things I take for granted. I love hearing stories about strong people like Ruby Bridges. That was truly an awesome experience for Carena. And what an amazing teacher for bringing that into the kids lives.
Ditto, Ditto, Ditto! Riley was also in that class. Not only did she enjoy all the great kids in her class (Carena totally being one of them) but she learned about LIFE. I loved the lessons that Mrs. Struble taught them because they made them better kids. It wasn't just worksheets but REAL learning too. Ryan and I were so impressed with the understanding Riley gained. I too loved the DVD and I'm glad Riley has that as a memory. Mrs. Struble may be seeing our family again!
(Last night Riley cried because she wouldn't be with her class again--I think she really felt like part of a family--Did Carena feel that way too?)
Carena cried herself to sleep the night before the last day of school. She was so sad. She told me she wants to be in first grade forever. I think the whole class just bonded through all of their experiences. They really were a family. It has truly been an amazing school year.
Wow! That is so amazing. I HOPE Madison and Olivia get that type of teaching in school. Experiences like that are too few in my opinion. That is the kind of teacher kids will remember for ever, not just because of the "academic" teaching, but because of the life lessons as well.
WOW. That's absolutely amazing! What a fantastic teacher. Imagine what it'd be like if we had people like her teaching all of our nation's youth. What a blessing to have had her. Carena is such a sweetheart. I'm so glad she had such a good experience. :)
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