We were all on the same page-almost

by jodi marneris

March 2023--I was recently in line at a store wearing a sweatshirt a friend gave me that reads: “I’m silently correcting your grammar.”

A woman behind me laughed and we discussed the reason behind it: my lifelong jobs as a newspaper reporter, public information officer for a high school district as well as a local municipality and as a writer in a college’s marketing and communications department.

The woman, whom I’ll call Karen (well, because that’s her name) is a retired teacher and volunteers at the schools. She suggested I give volunteering some thought. I told her I would think about it—and I did. A slight panic came over me—what if they ask me to help with high school math? <insert shudder> A few days went by and I was still thinking about it so I completed an online application.

I received an email from the coordinator asking me to come in so we could meet. I drove to the school—it’s a large complex with a primary building, middle school, junior high and high school all on the same grounds. Our meeting went well. The needs are many—especially for people to tutor students who for one reason or another have fallen behind and need help to get back on track.

I started this week by reading to three classes—second, fourth and fifth graders--as part of the Read Across America initiative to hone literacy among students. The school I was at chose “Travel” as the theme. Thanks to a great staff member at the local library, I was able to check out five age-appropriate books.

The school did an awesome job decorating the classrooms and hallways. Plus the entryway looked like an airport, complete with the metal detector (it was actually a walk-through used to test temperatures during COVID), and a huge sign informing "passengers" of departure and arrival times.

The first class was filled with fifth graders—one of whom did not seem thrilled to have a stranger come in to read to them. This young lady rolled her eyes (and if you know me, you know how much I love eyerolls—NOT). I crouched down to be at eye-level with her, smiled and simply said, “We’re going to have so much fun.” I do believe she ended up enjoying the visit because soon after the other students were answering questions, her hand shot up a few times, too.

As I read, I would flip the book around to show share the beautiful illustrations. I also periodically asked questions relevant to the passage I just read. Thought this would be a good way to keep them engaged.

One of the questions I asked after reading about a young boy who traveled the world, was, “If you could go anywhere in the whole entire world—by train or plane or ship—and you didn’t have to pay for it—where would you go?” As soon as I finished the question, a young man sitting close to the front shot up his hand. He got a big smile on his face when I called on him. “Ohio!” he shouted out. I smiled and couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he chose the Buckeye state because that’s where his grandparents live.

As the reading continued, we were now “touring” other countries and offering insights into a variety of ethnic foods and culture. I asked if any of the students had ever been to a different country and if so, which. The young lady who had first rolled her eyes smiled and said, “My mom and I went to Canada!” Another student shouted out, “Texas!” A young lady said, “Florida.” Soon several students were raising their hands and were excited to reveal they’ve been to California, New York and even Chicago. With that, the teacher leaned in toward me and whispered, “Hmmm. You asked about countries. I guess I need to work on geography a little more with them, don’t I?”

It was now time to move on to the next class—these students are in third grade and they, too, were a joy. I read one of the same books about Angry Birds visiting all over the world and when we discussed celebrations around the globe, I asked what kinds of things they celebrate with their families. These students were a little chattier—and their answers were longer—much longer. For instance, when one girl was telling how her family celebrates Thanksgiving she went into great detail on all the items her mom puts into the stuffing, which things she loves and which ones she doesn't, and why she doesn’t like mashed potatoes.

I heard about graduation ceremonies, including how one young man’s brother almost didn’t graduate so when he finally did, his whole family went out to a fancy restaurant to have hamburgers.

The students talked about Christmas traditions, what they do on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and how one young man was upset because his dad never lets him light the firecrackers on the 4th of July. “He only lets me play with snakes and sparklers,” he said.

One boy told the class about how he celebrates the Day of the Dead—a day in the fall when his whole family gets together and pays tribute to other family members who have passed. He said they cook the favorite meals of the people who have died, and they tell stories that revolve around the loved ones they’ve lost.

I never finished reading all the books I brought while in that class. But that’s ok. The conversations were lively, and I could tell the students were enjoying being able to share their own stories.

The last class was a group of second graders. They, too, told a lot of their own stories and paid pretty good attention considering their young age. In this class, I was able to read all the books I brought and I could tell the students were enjoying them. Two young ladies next to me listened intently even while one was braiding the other’s hair. I could see the eyes of the girl whose hair was being braided starting to close. Kind of like us adults when we’re in the salon chair.

When we got to the part about weather around the world, many of the students talked about how they or other family members lost their homes in hurricanes when they were living in Florida and how they have snowstorms now in North Carolina. I was surprised by that fact but one young man, who was very animated, assured me they get lots of snow here in the mountains. “It was like two inches high,” he said with his eyes wide open and arms stretched out for effect. I told them about how my area in Michigan had more than 27 inches of snow before Thanksgiving this past fall. Wow—their faces said it all. They couldn’t believe all that snow could fall and we could still get out to the grocery store.

Their teacher said snow doesn’t fall much here, but when it does, a lot of times everything shuts down. It’s a mountain town so roads could be dangerous, especially if temperatures drop and ice forms. Plus, she explained, the area isn’t used to snow fall so they don’t have equipment to handle its removal.

When I turned the last page of the last book, it was time for the children to return to regular schoolwork and for me to leave. At the instruction of their teacher, they formed a single-file line and started to head out of the room. One young lady turned around and walked toward me with her arms out to give me a hug. “Come back again, okay?” I was taken back with emotion and couldn’t really answer at that moment.

But I know I will.

Take it one day at a time...

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