“Because of Winn-Dixie”

Planning for every day’s read-aloud is something I enjoy; reading the chapters beforehand and finding passages where we could practice inferring, questioning, or predicting. It’s one of those incredible learning opportunities Grade 3 has given me. I’m not 100% consistent, though. Some days are busier, so I don’t get to plan for the read-aloud I’ll do the next day, and on those days, I wing it. No big deal… well, until today.

We’ve been reading “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo (if you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor and find a copy!) and having conversations about what life is like for the main character. Interactive Read Aloud is a unique opportunity for all students to access grade-level texts while teachers demonstrate and model a variety of comprehension strategies. We often do this by thinking out loud, and, when I’m planned, I know where I’ll stop and what I’ll say.

That didn’t happen today. I knew what Chapter 24 was about and the events that would take place, but I didn’t get to read it before reading to my students, and the result was a scene from Alice in Wonderland:

Perhaps I’m exaggerating…

I felt it coming, my voice started shaking, and my eyes slowly filled with tears. Some of them noticed right away, I haven’t really cried in front of my class before. Not for any reason in particular, but it just never happened. I thought to myself, “I can try to control this and push back the tears, or I can use this opportunity to teach them something else.”

I paused, put the book on my lap, and said, “ok friends, I need a moment. I am feeling incredibly sad about what’s happening, and I feel like crying.” The reaction wasn’t a surprise, some were shocked, some put their hands on their faces and looked down, others said, “seeing you cry makes me cry.” After a few seconds, I told them I was ready to keep reading, and they all moved closer and listened in.

Once we finished the chapter, and because I could tell some of them needed to talk about what had just happened, I explained how the events in the book made me feel, and the personal connection I had made to Opal and her loss. I used that unexpected moment to normalize sadness and to highlight one of the most beautiful things (in my opinion) about stories: through them, we learn how to care about others by putting ourselves in their shoes.

The vibe in the room after that conversation was magical. The plan was to read that chapter and finish the book tomorrow, but these kids would not have it… “no more cliffhangers!” someone said. Tomorrow we will have a Grand Conversation to expand our ideas about the characters, their journeys, and the lessons they learned.

Here are two things I know to be true:

1. I can’t keep my personal life outside of the classroom. My sadness and grief come with me and keep me, and I have to make peace with that.
2. The best way I know to teach my students about feelings and how to understand them is to show them I feel and struggle with those too.