So Much to Share During Black History Month

During Black History Month, Papa K and I read two books: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Voices from the Underground Railroad. After the readings, Papa K went to the map to discuss one of the many escape routes used by slaves trying to escape up North and to Canada. 

The code word: “We are going to Heaven.”

We shared so many facts with the students. 

Did you know that Harriet Tubman completed the journey from the South to the North and back 19 times to free slaves? She never lost one person and we were all stunned to learn that her first husband was a free man and refused to escape for fear of getting caught. Harriet eventually left him and remarried. 

In my research, I also learned that Slave auctions were held up North, too. So Papa K and I went on a field trip to Wall Street in NYC to see the Slave Auction Marker. It made us sad, but determined to continue in this Literacy War.

We had so much to share this month, but Papa K was still able to find the time to tell the class about his walking stick from Jamaica. He talked about Jamaican music and their delicious, mouth-watering cuisine. 

We took the class a bit deeper with questions about the Jamaican flag and what the colors symbolize. Then we had them write a paragraph with three facts about famous Jamaicans: Usain Bolt, Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley,  Marcus Garvey, and Harry Belafonte.

Loss Affects Even the Youngest Among Us

After the winter break, Papa K and I returned to learn that one of our fourth graders’ mother had passed. Zak was so sad, and so were we. 

I rushed home to find the book The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages. I had read it before and recommended the book to a few friends who did not know how or where to begin the discussion about death with their children or other youth. 

After reading, I asked Zak, did this story help him or make him feel better? His response was “No.” I began to rack my brain, wondering what we could do to ease Zak’s pain.

In an effort to console and help Zak to know that we understood his pain, I shared how my girls, Ana and Julie, were only 10 and 15 years old when their Dad died, so Zak was not alone in his grief. Then Papa K shared the story of losing his mother unexpectedly at nineteen years old. He talked about how he was told that boys don’t cry and he did not for more than thirty years.

After Papa K and I told our stories, many of Zak’s classmates shared stories about their loved ones, even pets, who had died, and how they coped with the loss. 

This literacy session was filled with grief, but we believe helpful at the same time, for the students as well as the adults. We closed by stressing that death is a natural part of life and that tears, grief, and sadness is part of the process. Healing will come but it takes time. Papa closed by saying, “It is okay for boys to cry too.” 

Birthday, Bach, and Balloons

I celebrated my birthday with Ms. Butler’s fourth grade class… 

 I had a cold, so my beloved adopted daughter, Dr. Tanya Malone from PA, read a book entitled Bach, about one of the early great composers. The children learned that you can make musical magic with just seven notes. 

My daughter Juliette demonstrated (see below) with a piece that she composed for The Moth StoryTelling Series. 

Then we had an “Everybody Birthday Celebration.” I made mini pound cakes: 21, to be exact. The students frosted and added sprinkles, adding their own creative touch. 

Then Julie played Happy Birthday while we sang. 

Sending a heartfelt THANK YOU to Julie and Tanya for bringing the book Bach to life and helping Team Kirkwood spread cheer and joy. Last, THANK YOU, RootStock Republic for donating 22 helium filled balloons and sand weights for Ms. Butler and each student!

Inspiring Young Activists and Future Voters

From September to November, Team Kirkwood was busy birthing 4th grade activists and future voters. 

The second book that we read and discussed in the voting series was entitled, “Mama Goes to Jail for the Vote.” This book is a salute to the Suffragists, all 168, including Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul who fought so that women could vote. They sacrificed much, which included vicious attacks and being force fed while imprisoned for six months.

After a long while, they were supported by Pres. Woodrow Wilson and eventually pardoned and released. The victory was the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, which GAVE ALL WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE. The 168 jailed women were awarded a "Jailed for Freedom Pin, 1917.” 

Every election year, please vote to honor those who fought and died so that we can be counted- your VOTE is important!

Introducing Ourselves to Ms. Butler’s 4th Grade Class at Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School!

Our first meet and greet with Ms. Butler’s class was consumed with introductions. We asked the students about their hobbies and what they loved most. Some of the responses were:

• Basketball

• dancing

• my Mama

• rapping

• my family

• traveling 

Papa K’s eyes lit up when he heard traveling- more about that later!

What better way to start bringing books to life than by reading Each Kindness by one of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Woodson. This book was so fitting. 

In Each Kindness, Maya, a new student, joins the class in January. Instead of Chloe and her friends showing Maya love, she is rejected for many reasons, some more obvious than others. One day, they are surprised to find that Maya is gone. 

Now it is too late to show kindness.

Papa K and I began a discussion about regrets. Then we posed a few critical thinking questions:

1. How do you treat a new student?

2. What is peer pressure?

3. Why do you think Chloe was so unfriendly to Maya?

4. Do you know what “hand me downs” are? 

5. Define kindness.

6. What kind deed have you done this week and for whom--parents, siblings, neighbors, even strangers? Why did you do that kind deed? 

As the students prepared to answer question six, we gave each student a small colorful rock and asked them to drop the rock in the kindness bowl  as they shared their act of kindness.  

A few students, one tearful, confessed that they could not think of a kind deed that they had performed. We talked about how it makes you feel when you act out the “Golden Rule.” Then we gave them the assignment to be prepared to tell us of their acts of kindness by the time we returned to read again.

We concluded with each student loudly reciting “The Kind Pledge” by Amy Richins. You could hear it all the way down the hall! 

Then Papa K introduced his walking sticks from his many travels. He talked about his love for traveling and gave each student a picture of his walking sticks collection, including sticks from Egypt, Cambodia, and Jamaica, to name a few. 

As part of our literacy series, Papa K will take the students on imaginary trips during his “Show and Tell” about his sticks. The first stick he brought was his Tennessee walking stick. 

The students enjoyed listening to Papa K’s story and using their maps to locate Tennessee. It was the kick-off for our four book reading series on VOTING: starting with “Lillian’s Right to Vote.”