March 6th was World Read Aloud Day. I’ve been reading non-stop with my
teachers, so this day couldn’t have come at a better time. It was a great way to start
transferring the knowledge the teachers have been receiving to the
students. For many teachers, it was
the first time they had read a children’s book aloud to their class.
Unfortunately, there is not a reading curriculum in The
Gambia. There is simply an English
curriculum. Children are not
taught to make predictions, to analyze text, or to make connections. When I finish a book with my teachers
and ask what they want the children to learn from the text, they often offer me
a summary of the story. I’ve been
digging deeper with my teachers by having them look for the lessons and morals
in books.
Recently, a friend sent me The Giving Tree by Shel
Silverstein. As I read through the
story and tried to produce a moral, I decided to search the Internet to find
out what others thought. I was
surprised to find that it is an extremely controversial book. For those of you that have not read the
story, I will offer a quick summary.
A young boy goes to play on a tree everyday. The boy loves the tree and the tree
loves the boy. However, the boy
grows older and soon he no longer wants to climb the tree’s trunk or swing from
its branches. The boy has other
wants and needs. First, he wants
money. So, the tree offers her
apples to sell. Then he
wants a house, subsequently, the tree gives him her branches. He wants a boat to travel the
world. She gives him her
trunk. The tree gives and gives
until she has nothing left. The
boy returns when he is old. All
the tree has to offer is a place to sit on what's left of her, her
stump. Fortunately, all the boy wants is a place to sit. The tree
is happy and the boy is happy.
Critics say the boy in the story is greedy and ungrateful. I don't see it like that. I agree with the light-hearted
readers. Many have declared that the story is about unconditional love. Readers related the book to a mother's love for a child. I see the story of love. I can relate to the text
because I experience that love as a teacher. As a teacher you give and give, and all you want in return
is to see your students grow and flourish.
I’m delighted to say that I have been giving to my teachers
and they are doing just that. In
the past 2 weeks, I have sat down and read 41 books with my teachers. They are making connections between the
texts and finding morals. More
importantly, they’re passing on their knowledge to their students. On World Read Aloud Day, I had 8
teachers say thank you in the best way ever by reading to their students.
