As always, we are excited to present new ideas in literacy. Okay, perhaps it’s not so new — our friend Jean imported a similar (but not the same) concept from her work in Britain — but it’s a cool approach to involving kids in literature. After all, there’s nothing like a book report to suck the soul out of a novel.
Now, we’re going to admit upfront: we’re not the good person everyone believes we are. We realize the following quote was meant to elicit sympathy. We get overt manipulation. But given that we often feel like we grew up in a Flannery O’Connor story, it’s pretty hard to read the line without feeling a little nostalgic for a family reunion.
“High school dropouts, alcoholics, heavy smokers, rehab or your daily crackheads. Not that I’m ashamed of them. Family is family, and I love them a lot, no matter how they messed up their lives.”
Hey! We already admitted we’re bad. Read the story anyway. And go forth and tutor.
