Sumiko

I am Japanese and American
I wonder why the hakujin don't like me
i hear the beatings
I see the pain
I want to be treated equal
I am Nikkei

I pretend i own a flower shop
I feel slighted in life
I touch the dry dirt
I worry I won't see Jiichan or Uncle again
I cry when I think about my cousins going to war
I am Nikkei

I understand why hakujin hate Japanese from Japan
I say "don't worry" to Tak-Tak
I dream of owning a flower shop
I try to make the best of life in Poston
I hope one day the hakujin will accept me
I am Nikkei

Harry's Censor

I believe Harry Potter should be allowed in the classroom. I actually believe it should be in every classroom, available to those students who wish to read it. This series is very addicting and encourages kids to read. Why should be deny students the right to read? If a parent does not want their child to read this series then they should be the one to take charge and remove the book from their child’s hands and inform the teacher of their wishes. I completely agree with the author of the article, a child’s parents should have say in what their kid reads but they do not have the right to censor everyone else.
If I was teaching a grade where Harry Potter would be okay to read I would definitely use it in my instruction. It is not a book I would teach to a second grader but for older grades I think it is perfect. It teaches kids to enjoy reading and that not all books are boring. This is a series the kids are not going to want to put down and I think that is a wonderful thing. It also teaches good vs. evil. Throughout the series Harry battles evil and in the end Harry trumps all evil and good wins. Is that not something all parents want their children to believe: good will always trump evil? Isn’t that what religious leaders want us to think? The only problems I could think of arising would possibly be a parent thinking the book presents material which is a little mature for their child which is a completely avid argument. It does have some issues which may not be appropriate for a younger child. I could see a religious fanatic freaking out over it because their preacher or the pope tells them their child shouldn’t be reading it because of magic.
If a problem arose in my classroom where the parent did not want their child reading the book, if we were reading the book as a class I would send the child out of the room while we read and have them read something else. I do feel this would be an undeserved punishment to the child but why should the rest of the class suffer because of one set of parents. If there was a clear majority or even close to half of parents who did not want the book read, I would have to give up and move on to a different book. I could not argue with that many parents and I think the year would go much smoother if I just gave in. But for those kids whose parent’s don’t mind I would try and get each kid a copy of the book so they could read it on their own.
There is nothing wrong with Harry Potter and it should be available for kids to read if they chose so. It opens up their minds to reading and it engages their imagination. It teaches us new vocabulary (muggles) and shows us that there is good in everyone, even those who don’t appear to have it (Snape). If a parent does not want their child to read the book, it is their responsibility (not the teacher, principle, or Liberians) to keep the book from their child. Besides the worst thing that could happen to a child who reads the book is they become addicted to reading and isn’t that something we want anyways?

Harriet Tubman

Harriet
Courageous, Strong, Loving, and Strong-Minded
Friend to all slaves
Lover of her family, freedom, and the North
Who feels joyful when she makes a safe passage, sadness when reminded of slavery and determination in freeing all slaves
Who finds happiness in helping others
Who needs help when conducting her train
Who gives new life to those who thought they would forever be enslaved
Who fears losing her family, being sold while she was a slave, and being caught by the angry whites once she escapes
Who would like to see all people, white and black, be treated as equals
Who enjoys her freedom
Who likes to wear bandanas when thinking of her days in slavery
Resident of Auburn New York
Tubman

Winn Dixie

Winn Dixie
I am friendly and loving
I wonder where I would be without Opal
I hear Otis’s guitar
I see the fan in the library and run to it
I want some peanut butter
I am happy and loving

I pretend I am human
I feel Gertrude on my head
I touch the comfy couch
I worry that the world is going to end
I cry when I hear thunder
I am friendly and loving

I understand what you are saying when you speak to me
I say “woof” when I’m lonely
I dream of peanut butter
I try to make everyone smile
I hope to never be alone again
I am friendly and loving

Harriets Journey to Freedom

I set the North Star in the Heavens
I mean for you to be free
You dreamed that saints saved you
But mortals will give refuge
I’m going to see you through

The hour has come
While the plantation sleeps
Harriet slips into the night
Lord, I’m going to hold steady onto you
I can’t make it alone

Running through the swamp
She hears frogs croaking
She creeps through the woods
Owls screech
Her heart flutters

Hush: Hoof beats!
I can’t outrun them
Lord, don’t let them catch me
And take me back
Don’t let my journey end here

God cradles her
The safe haven
The men on horseback have passed
Thank you, Lord
For watching over me

I don’t know who to trust, Lord
Most strangers would turn her in,
Not help her
Lord, don’t let nobody turn me round’
I’d rather die than be a slave

Trust me to protect you child
I will arm you against your enemies
Harriet, I will make a way for you
Your faith has wings
No harm will come to you

Harriet climbs into a wagon
The farmer covers her with blankets
The wagon stops at dawn
Harriet walks ‘til her legs ache
Harriet’s feet bleed and her gut churns

By moonlight, she marches on
Making her way mile after rugged mile
Hiding in haystacks, attics, and barns
Holding God’s hand
All the while

In the Promised Land, Philadelphia
The sun shines gold in the trees
Harriet feels light as a cloud
Is this Heaven, Lord?
Not Heaven, Harriet, FREE SOIL

Good Book

When thinking back to my childhood, it was hard for me to pick just one good book but I finally decided on one. A book I believe to be great is Jan Brett’s Town Mouse Country Mouse. This book has received no awards but growing awards did not matter much to me. I have always believed a good book tells a story which captivates the reader and makes you feel what the character is feeling. Town Mouse Country Mouse does this. As a reader, I am worried when Town Mouse is caught in a storm and I am relieved when Country Mouse escapes the mouse trap. A good children’s book has beautiful pictures where you can see what you are reading. In this book Jan Brett does a wonderful job in her illustrations. My favorite illustration is where the mice are back in their homes, safe at last. A good children’s book has a moral but it is not shoved upon you. The moral of this story is the grass is not always greener on the other side. Town and Country mouse have to switch lives with each other before they can realize this, but hopefully by reading this, a child will not have to go thru what the mice did to realize their lives could be worse.

Assignment 1. Amber Nunn

Thinking back, my earliest memory of reading is hearing my mother or father read to me The Night Before Christmas. Every Christmas Eve, beginning with my first birthday, when it was time for bed my parents would read this to me in hopes I would fall asleep, but it only excited me more. As a child my mother read to me almost every night. When I was about 4 or 5 she returned to school to finish up her teaching degree, so she was always reading books to me she heard about in her classes.
My favorite book as a child was The Wednesday Witch. It was a book my mother loved growing up and she wanted to pass that love on to me. Growing up I asked her to read it over and over to me. By the time I entered high school the book had been read so much it was falling apart. When I entered third grade my friends and I discovered the Little House of the Prairie book series. We absolutely loved these books and hated waiting on each other to finish them. My elementary school had a small library so there was only one copy of each of the books. It was always killer being forced to wait to read what Laura Ingles next adventure would be.
As a child I always loved to read and was always reading something. After my mother quit reading at night to me I began reading the books to myself in order to fall asleep better. My teachers quite often read to my classes. I had one teacher who would let us always pick the books she read to keep us interested and from falling asleep.
A book has never made a difference in my life. I have always loved to read but no book has ever touched me that much. I still love to read but have difficulty making time for it while in school. However, when I am not in school, I can usually be found reading. This past summer I rediscovered the Harry Potter series and spent the last few weeks rereading them.