Thursday, July 10, 2008

A Book That Made Me Cry


I just finished reading Waiting for Normal and literally cried!
Read it if you haven't already.

What books have touched you this way? Let me know.

The really good books stay with you for a long time. This one is definitely taking over my brain and my heart. The story weaves itself into my thoughts since I put the book down.

So I have been thinking about how some of our students are "waiting for normal" as they learn. Do our most struggling students wish for things to be normal? Do they recognize that something is different about their learning? Do they connect with people like Soula, Elliot and Rick who give them the courage to keep going? Do our most struggling kids need these kinds of relationships?

How can we help children be as resilient as Addy? Who is in their corner cheering them on, finding their strengths, and celebrating who they are? Mrs. Rivera, the music teacher, Grandio and Dwight were there for Addy.

I will be thinking about this story for some time. It was a mixture of "sad" and "happy" that left its mark.