Slice #8

As a first year teacher,
I wasn't very good at very many things.
But there is one thing that I have always been good at.
And that's READ ALOUD!
I love, love, love to read aloud.
And I'm always fussing at people around me
about the importance of read aloud.

Earlier this year,
I convinced the leadership team
at my school that we should start reading aloud to kids.
Every single morning.
I put together a calendar.
I read every morning.
Rotating through classes
from kindergarten through fifth grade,
I mostly read in English.
But I also read in one very tolerant Spanish classroom.

This morning I went to kindergarten.
I took along a new book.
THERE'S A GIRAFFE IN MY SOUP.
Usually I only read one book.
Ten minutes and I'm out
and teachers go on with their day.

Today, though, I had no sooner walked in the door
than D approached me.
She's a sweet little thing
With looong brown hair
That's always looks like it
could use a good brushing.

She stays for after school program
and every afternoon she approaches
my post on hall duty,
wraps her ams around my waist
tips her head back
and purses her lips.
Every afternoon,
I have to tell her I love her,
But that teachers can't kiss kids at school.

Today she has two new books.
Disney Princess books.
"Look, Dr. Carol, look what I got.
My auntie bought them for me."
Will you read one of my books?
Pleeease?"

I want to say no.
But then I wonder
if anyone will ever read the Princess book.
I look at D's teacher.
"Do we have time for two?"
"Sure," she says, "you can never have
 too many read alouds."

I tell D that I will read the giraffe book,
and THEN we can read ONE of the chapters in the princess book.
She chooses BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
The whole time I am reading GIRAFFE,
D stands against me,
Not quite leaning on my,
But so close that I can tell she wants to.

And then we read the PRINCESS book.
D wants to stand beside me
but somehow, M convinces her to sit down
And there she sits
a read aloud princess
with tangled brown hair
atop an orange plastic throne
falling in love with books.

THERE'S A GIRAFFE IN MY SOUP by Ross Burach- review copy provided by publisher.