Kids read!

I thoroughly enjoyed the students from Little Red Schoolhouse. They were engaging, intelligent, thoughtful, mature and had just enough spunk and self-consciousness that I never even forgot they were 12. It was helpful to have them in a semi-formal setting. This allowed for more organized dialogue with an emphasis on turn-taking. We really had a chance to hear all of them and they seemed to take the opportunity seriously. It made me think hard about the differences and similarities between the students from LRS and those from PS 503 where I visited for my paper. These fifth-graders, also intellegent and thoughtful were crowded 25 deep into a windowless classroom with no school library. However, these kids also talked to me about their love of reading and interest in learning about new books. I guess it just goes to show that deep down, despite socioeconomic and cultural differences, all kids are created equal, and with the right encouragement, they also all love to read.