My coworker informed me, that when she was young she lived in Atlanta and went to the Atlanta public library often.
There was a library page there named Newt Gingrich- yes- that Newt. Who my coworker admits that all the little kids made fun of him calling him ânewt the nitâ
I was going through our collection, and found a book about growing up on a plantation.
I opened it up and it was filled with racist depictions of âthe slaves really enjoyed keeping a tidy houseâ and âthe slaves were very creative by making all of their own kitchen utensils.â
And suddenly, without warning, completely spontaneously, the book just fell apart in my hand while I was reading it. đ¤ˇđ˝ââď¸
Today I did a storytime at a Youth Center in the city,
All four year olds.
And three of the kiddos were amped when they saw my felt board of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears. One declared âI know this story! Let me tell it!â
And the three of them jointly told the rest of us the story! They did really well- the porridge, the âsomebodies been sleeping in my bedâ
But then, at the end of the story, when Goldie locks ran away- one child added âAnd then a Bee flew in the window and ATE BABY BEAR! Papa bear screamed in horror, and tried to get the bee. But the bee ATE Poppa bear too.
So two tweens were in the library today. And one turns to the other and says âyou know whatâs really gay?â
And Iâm mentally preparing to talk to them about how its not okay to use gay as an insult. And the kid goes âTwo straight men. Thereâs something suspicious about straight men hanging out with each other.â
The other nods and goes âMad sus.â
Iâm like - oh okay thatâsâŚ.fair, I think ?
And then their just openly talking about their trans schoolmate who is non-binary and one asks âhow does not having a gender fall into the gender spectrum? Like how does that work? Youâre absent of gender, but itâs still collectively grouped with the other genders?â
And here I butted in, and was like âwell - you know outer space right? And how the space between planets and stars is a vacuum?â
And he nods and I say âwell if itâs a vacuum with nothing in it- how can it be space if its void? Gender is space.â
Occasionally, teens help me make Tiktoks for my library TikTok account! And after weâre done being goofy I usually give them a little snack-a cup of pretzels or m&ms,
Today, after I gave them snacks, two of the teens proceeded to argue over who should keep the empty cup. The wrestled over it (not aggressively). And wouldnât settle down until I gave each teenager their own paper cup.
One, proud of their trophy, tied their hair in a tight bun, and then slipped the cup over the bun, and wore their new crown.
Title: âA Good Kind of Troubleâ by Lisa Moore Ramee,
Genre: âGeneral Fictionâ
Reading Age: 8 - 12
Summary:
12 year old Shayla navigates her first year in junior high while expierencing a racial awakening. Trying to put the pieces of former friendships, family, interest in boys, all peacefully together under the backdrop of a policewoman on trial for murdering a black man.
Review:
This book is a must read. And I would encourage any and all English teachers to make this a part of their curriculum.
From Shaylas point of view we are introduced to a lot of real world problems - one is sexual assault. At one point in the book a boy grabs Shayla without her consent and kisses her! And in a very genuine and fluid manner we cringe along with Shayla, and follow her as she resolves this issue by enforcing the truth of consent, and the importance of asking before doing- but in a way that doesnât come off as preachy, and imprints positive lessons to young readers about bodily autonomy!
The author has this way of using metaphors in such a subtle yet powerful way. That makes clear that prejudice is wrong, expierences through Shaylaâs own prejudice towards other black students. In real time we follow her unlearning stereotypes and discover how harmful preconceived notions are.
I missed a few posts of you and I am so relieved to see you on my dash. I'm glad you are well and I hope all your loved ones are, too!! I know you don't know me, but I love your blog. You're an awesome librarian and a great person. Thank you.
Thanks! Covid is hard on libraries, but soon there will be smiles again!
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