Ruby Bridges

11/13
So in class we read a book called The Ruby Bridges Story by Toni Morrison.
I AM using this in my classroom, regardless of what grade level I am teaching. I could be teaching seventh, either, or eleventh grade history, but I will be using this wonderful short book by Toni Morrison. This is a fabulous, short, clear, and concise book that shows students how powerful one little girl's will can be in a town where so many have preconceived notions. I admire Ruby, as she continued to walk to school everyday through a group of people that disliked her simply because of the color of her skin. What a brave, mature, courageous child.
I think this book could also help students of other ethnicities in the classroom. I feel that after September 11th and the War on Terror, Islamic students are sometimes targeted by their peers and often picked on because they are a scapegoat. "Oh, blame the foreign student" is what I have heard peers say when I was a senior in high school (September 11th occurred my Junior year of H.S.)
Not only will Ruby Bridges' story be a great way to launch into the Civil Rights Movement and integration in the classroom, but it may make my students of other ethnicities more comfortable in my classroom and let them know that I welcome their differences!