Back of the Bus...

So we began talking about Rosa Parks last month when we studied MLK. This week we began a biography unit where the students are paired off and have famous people to study and create their own biographies. Two of our African American students are studying Rosa Parks. First my teacher and I learned the value of pre-screening books before lessons when the boy came up to us and said....

"Who are these folks?"...and it was a picture of the KKK burning a cross. We began to try and explain that they were people who did very bad things. My teacher in a slight effort to pass it off, suggested he go ask the librarian, since it was "her book." When he did, she gave a great Kindergarten explanation...said that they were people who had done really bad things, and that they covered their faces because they knew what they were doing was wrong. The boy seemed satisfied and she asked him what else he had learned about Rosa Parks. He said...

"Well...she was supposed to sit on the back of the bus, but she sat on the front of the bus and she went to jail."

Librarian, "Why did she sit in the front of the bus?"

Boy, "Because it shouldn't matter! And you know what, NOBODY'S ever gonna tell me where to sit on the bus!"

Librarian, "And why is that?"

Boy, "Because I have an assigned seat!"

Well, I guess that takes care of that.