Middle of Everywhere - Mary Bray Pipher [67]
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Grace read about Mexico. Ignazio interrupted her constantly to say that his family celebrated with a fiesta. When she finished the book, Grace located Mexico for the students on her big wall map. Ignazio described the delicious food—pineapple, ceviche, and enchiladas.
Abdul began pounding on his desk. Walat said loudly, "Excuse me, Abdul," and he stopped.
Grace asked Ignazio to tell about Cinco de Mayo. Before he could begin, Khoa asked in a way that made kissing sound naughty, "Do you kiss your girlfriend on that day?" Ignazio ignored him and said that in Mexico the boys play basketball and light firecrackers. The grown-ups have a dance at night. Khoa shouted, "Do you dance dirty with girls?" Ignazio looked at the floor, embarrassed.
Grace asked Ignazio to teach the kids a few Spanish words. Ignazio wrote the word for "cow" in Spanish, and Grace asked about this word in Vietnamese and Arabic. Everyone was eager to share information about their cultures of origin. They liked knowing things the teacher and the other kids didn't know. As I said good-bye, Ignazio shouted, "Adios, Señora Maria."
May 23, 2000
My last day I walked past the sycamore, with its crown of new green leaves, and entered the school. I brought all the students pencils as good-bye gifts. As I passed them out, I said, "If you see me on the street, come over and give me a hug." Even Trinh smiled.
The class had prepared me cards. Ly's was ornate with heartfelt statements of feeling: "You help us. We love you." Khoa's card said, "Marry me." Mai gave me a card covered with flowers that said, "I hope you will come back next year." I asked if she would see Amy over the summer. Mai nodded happily and I thought how much difference a college student had made in the life of this child.
Khoa was still a troublemaker. Trinh wore the same clothes, but with Deena's help she had crawled a little ways out of her shell. Fatima's English was much better and she had learned to read. Deena was more confident now. Helping her own family and Trinh had given her courage and maturity. Still, I worried about all the school Deena missed while she translated for her family. I remembered a line I'd read: "No one gets ahead in America without leaving people behind." Deena wasn't leaving anyone behind, even fish and rats.
Today Ly again said to me, "You are so beautiful." I believe that she really thought this. There had been some kind of deep, almost mystical, connection between us, as if we recognized each other's souls.
Grace announced three more days of school. She showed the kids the peonies she had picked and taught them to spell peony. Ly said they looked like lotuses. Yes, I thought, Ly is the lotus of the class, the truly strong and resilient one.
The kids looked nervous and uncertain about the long summer ahead. Some would move. Many would spend the summer in cheap day-care programs or at home alone, latchkey kids with few of the advantages of middle-class kids. No tennis camps or family vacations for them. A few, like Ignazio, might get to visit relatives in their home countries. A few would go to the community action program's day camp. As Grace read a story about summer, I realized how important school was to these kids. It's where they play, see their friends and teachers, get food and clothes.
Grace explained about sunburns, suntan lotion, and Lyme disease. Then she told the kids about city soccer, baseball leagues, and swimming lessons. She warned them to be careful around water. Grace suggested swimming lessons and the summer reading program at the library.
Then Grace handed out a word puzzler