Sing Out

Once a week I listen as first graders read to me at a public school. They're children who need additional practice reading. I always benefit from additional practice listening. I don't have an official title; I'm a volunteer. 

We read in a large square-shaped hallway between the first-grade classrooms at a little table and sit in little chairs. Once I went into the literacy lab with a couple of kids, but we were politely asked to leave. Two girls I know always want to go to the school library to look for books, but usually another class is in there. We don't want to disturb them. So we stick to the hallway.

Aleah is a first-grade bon vivant who reminds me of a butterfly. She needs to flutter. Fluttering works out a lot better in the hallway than in the classroom. You can get a drink of water, select a book from a little display, and exchange pleasantries or barbs with boys returning from the boys' bathroom. Aleah reads pretty well, but we still meet occasionally because we're friends from last year.  

When I bring in a book of poetry, Aleah sings the poems. Recently she sang a couple of poems from Mary Ann Hoberman's The Llama Who Had No Pajama. I had picked out some easier works ("Birthdays" and "Ducks"), but Aleah wanted to read some others, too. With its tricky internal rhymes, "Brother" was harder for her, but she did enjoy figuring it out. ("I had a little brother/And I brought him to my mother/And I said I want another/Little brother for a change...")

After she finished I asked Aleah if she had any brothers. 

"Mmm hmm," she said.

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Two step-brothers and..." She began to count on her fingers. She stopped at 30. 

"30 in all? That's a lot," I said. 

In a confidential tone she said,  "Some of them aren't born yet."

Comments

[tanita]

This child needs her own series.

I, too, have brothers who aren't born yet. They're kind of like friends I haven't yet met...

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

Tanita, she is such a delight! She DOES need her own series.

[Susanne Drazic]

What a cute moment in time. Thanks for sharing and for volunteering your time. I did a lot of volunteering when my son was in elementary school.

[Elaine Magliaro]

I love your school stories. How wonderful that Aleah enjoys singing poems. That Hoberman "Brother" poem is a favorite of mine.

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

Thank you, Elaine. I'm glad you like these stories! When Aleah got to the "bother" part, she said, "ooooh, it looks like 'brother'!"

I promised I'd bring a book of songs next week. Aleah wanted to read & sing some songs. That sounded like fun to me, too. She would be an awesome star of a children's book series.

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

Susanne, volunteering at schools is fun, isn't it? I feel like I'm privy to the most interesting conversations!

[adrienne]

I love these stories.

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

Adrienne, thank you! Your comment made my day.

[Elaine Clayton]

Oh my gosh, this is the kind of thing I live for. That is the most beautiful thing ever, children have their lights on and make each moment so rich. I believe her, too. She's got spiritual brothers on the way (maybe they'll all come to the planet soon and make the world better like their sister does). THANK YOU for being there for the children and for passing on this wonderful wisdom of Aleah!!!!

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

Elaine, thanks for your nice comments! My experiences listening to the kids as a reading buddy have been wonderful; I so enjoy the little conversations. The children really do make my day on my weekly visits!