When Books Move You...

Have you ever read a book that "moved" you?  One that made you question how you've acted or how you've viewed others.  I never really experienced this until I read the book, "Out of My Mind" by Sharon Draper this summer. 

The story is about a young girl named Melody with cerebral palsy.  She's very intelligent, but no one really knows for sure because her physical disabilities keep her from speaking and controlling her actions.  Things change when she gets a computer that will speak for her.  Her world opens up and she is finally able to communicate with those around her.  The readers have known it from the beginning, but those around her learn just how intelligent she is.

A key piece to the story is that the author, Sharon Draper, chose to write the story in first person.  From the very first sentence we meet Melody, ironically, in her own words.  We are inside of her head.  We know exactly what she is thinking and what she would say to the world if she could speak. We experience the reactions others have to her disabilities through Melody's own thoughts.  You experience the highs and lows with her and in the end want to shout, "You go girl!"  

I didn't just read the book, I listened to it as an audiobook.  It was really like being inside of Melody's head and having her talk to me.  The young lady they chose to read the story was very believable as the character.  I felt as if I was really listening to Melody.

And, it moved me.

As I listened to the story there were times when Melody shared how others reacted to her.  There were times I saw myself in those characters.  I've known students like Melody.  Students with cerebral palsy, autism, or other disabilities who weren't able to express themselves either physically, verbally or both.  Some I knew well enough to know their strengths and what made them tick, but others, not so much.  And did I really even try?  Did I just write them off as unable and move on. 

That's the part that bothered me.  I didn't try.  While I work to get to know "my" kids, I didn't really try very hard to know them unless I had to.  This was a punch in the gut.  How many of them saw me as Melody saw those negative characters in the story?  Had I treated them at times the way she was treated?  Like she wasn't smart.

Now that it's been brought to my consciousness and I'm really aware.  I need to act differently.  I need to be different.  This may sound corny to some, I know.  But when you work with kids, you don't want to "write off" anyone.  My goal now is to work a little harder to "see" the ones I may not have seen before and work to understand a bit more about them.  I know they have many lessons to teach me and if I'm smart enough, I just might learn something.