A Hush Takes Over the Room

I was subbing for a 4th grade class at one of the more "urban" schools in my district this morning. Like every class I have subbed for lately they were very talkative. It was a tiny class, only twelve students and I still couldn't control the talking. Then a strange thing happened, for the last fifteen minutes of the reading block I was supposed to read a chapter book to the class. I didn't pay attention to the title of the book, but I believe it was one of those Dear America or other similar type books. This book was the story of a young black girl living in a large city just after the end of the Civil War.

Some kids don't respond to historical books at all, usually boredom and acting out ensues. There was such a hush over the class it was eerie. Here I am a 30-something white male reading a story about prejudice, discrimination, and even violence toward young girls strictly because they were black. As I'm reading, I'm wondering what thoughts are going though their minds. I can't ask the question because the bell is ringing, and even if the bell was ringing I'm almost afraid to know what their thoughts are. Talk about having a case of white guilt.