Kindness

Kindness Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever. Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to mail letters and      purchase bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say it is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you every where like a shadow or a friend.

Naomi Shihab Nye from The Words Under the Words: Selected Poems

What is empathy?  How does empathy affect the way you treat anther person?  How does a person learn empathy?  Must we personally experience the loss and sorrow that Naomi Shihab Nye speaks of in this poem in order to feel kindness towards others?  I believe that as we learn about others and their strengths and their goodness and about the challenges they have overcome we become more kind.  We become that person in the crowd to show the kindness that others are looking for.

Literature is a powerful tool.  Reading literature about other people's experiences of immigration can help students develop empathy and understanding toward their classmates, neighbors and friends. It will help foster kindness. The books found on this blog are about children who have come to the United States for many different reasons and from many different places.  Some long ago and some not so long ago.  Some were welcomed, some were not.  As we learn about their experiences we will gain greater understanding of loss and of sorrow which will help us grow in kindness.

"Bibliotherapy is the process of using books to help children think about, understand, and work through social and emotional concerns. Reading with children can be therapeutic.... Adults can use reading to help children come to grips with issues that create emotional turmoil for them. Reading can also be...very effective in preventing and resolving behavior problems."

- from Positive Child Guidance by Darla Ferris Miller

Angel Island History

From 1910 - 1940 immigrants entering the United States in the West passed through the Angel Island Immigration Station located next to Alcatraz near San Francisco, California.  It has been called the "Ellis Island of the West". This description is somewhat inaccurate though.  In 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed.  This made immigration very difficult.

 Many Chinese immigrants entered the country as "paper sons" by pretending to be the child of a US citizen.  All immigrants passed through a difficult screening process undergoing many difficult interviews and health screens.  

Men's Barracks 

Immigrants spent an average of 16 days living in the barracks though some detainees spent much longer.  As they waited, they carved their thoughts into the walls.

Learn more here.

sources: Island: Poetry and History of Chines Immigrants on Angel Island 1910-1940

KQED: Pacific Link

Angel Island - The Poems

Island:  Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island 1910-1940
Second Edition

Edited by: Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, Judy Yung

Published by: University of Washington Press, Seattle and London

Summary: A collection of poems written by Chinese Immigrants held at Angel Island awaiting entry into the United States.  It contains both the English translations and representations of the original works in Chinese.  This work also contains historical facts, pictures of the island and oral histories.

Learning Objectives: Students will be able, through poetry, to explore the experiences and emotions of immigrants entering the United States through Angel Island in the early 1900's.  They will also better understand some of the hardships of the voyage to America.  Teachers will be able to gain a broad understanding of the history of the island and the people who passed through.

The Poems:


The barracks on Angel Island are carved with poetry left by immigrants as they waited to enter the United States. A poem by One Named Huie, from Heungshan, Consoling Himself. (poem number 38)
(photo taken at the barracks - does not correlate with this poem)


Over a hundred poems are on the walls.
Looking at them, they are all pining at the delayed progress.
What can one sad person say to another?
Unfortunate travelers everywhere wish to commiserate.
Gain or lose, how is one to know what is predestined?
Rich or poor, who is to say it is not he will of Heaven?
Why should one complain if he is detained and imprisoned here?
From ancient times, heroes often were the first ones to face adversity.

Several other poems:

15.
Abandoning wife and child, I crossed an entire ocean.  I do not know
how much wind an frost I've weathered; it was because my
family was poor that I searched for white jade.
Bidding farewell to relatives and friends, I drifted ten thousand li.  It is
difficult to keep track of all the ran and snow I've endured; it is all
due to an empty purse and my reverence for copper coins.

106.
The young children do not yet know worry.
Arriving at Gold Mountain, they were imprisoned in the wooden building.
Not understanding the sad and miserable situation before their eyes,
They still want to play all day like calves.


View more poems here and here.

Baseball Saved Us

Baseball Saved Us
Written by: Ken Mochizuki
Illustrated by: Dom Lee
Published by: Lee & Low Books, New York, NY

Lexile Measure: AD550L

"I glanced at the guardhouse behind the left field foul line and saw the man in the tower, leaning on the rail with the blinding sun glinting off his sunglasses  He was always watching, always staring.  It suddenly made me mad." 


Summary: In 1942, during World War II, the United States Army moved people of Japanese descent away from the West Coast and into internment camps.  This is the story of one such boy.  He and his family move from their home first into horse stalls and then into barracks.  As the previously busy and hard working people become agitated and restless in their new cramped quarters, his father realizes they need an outlet.  Baseball becomes the unifying activity as they work together to create a field.  The men build bleachers from wood scraps around the camp.  Women sew uniforms from mattress covers.  Baseball brings the people together as they "endure injustice and humiliation".

Learning Objectives:  This is a short picture book and a good story. This book does not mention Utah, but many Japanese immigrants came to Utah from the West Coast because of the internment camp located near Delta, UT. (Standard 2, Objective 1 a.)
 It also introduces several questions for students to think about.

• What do you think about the army placing people in internment camps based solely on their descent?
• Why do you think the Japanese people were agitated?
• moved away from their friends/family/traditions/jobs
• placed in small, cramped quarters
• angry at United States Army
• What purposes did Baseball serve?
• unified them
• gave them something to do
• gave them a physical outlet for their frustration, energy, anger, etc.
• Do you think it was Okay for the Army to imprison the Japanese people or did they make a mistake?  Have you ever made a decision that you would like to change later?
• In 1988 the United States admitted that they had made a mistake.

This story can also be used to discuss the History of World War II and Pearl Harbor.  

Letters From Rifka

Letters From Rifka

Written by: Karen Heese
Published by: Henry Holt and Company, New York, NY

Lexile Measure 610L

"America," the girl repeated.  "What will you do there?"

I was silent for a little time.

"I will do everything there," I answered.

Summary:  Twelve year old Rifka shares the story of her family's journey to America through letters to her cousin Tovah.  Tovah remains in Russia as Rifka's family flees because her older brother, Nathan, deserted the Russian army to save his younger brother Saul from the horrible treatment Jewish soldier receive and now they are in danger of being put to death for treason.  Rifka remains strong and brave as she endures embarrassing examinations, illness and loneliness.  The family travels to Poland together and then Rifka is forced to travel to Antwerp, Belgium to receive medical treatments while her family sails on to America.  There are kind people along the way.  She writes to Tovah about a milkman who helped her find her way after she became lost one evening, "How do you thank people for such kindness?  I never knew strangers could be so kind." (pg. 65). Rifka is finally allowed to join her family in America but suffers more heartache as she looses her new friend is thrown overboard in a storm. She arrives at Ellis Island where she writes, "As I was finishing this letter a cry went up from the deck.  when I went out to see what it was, I found all the passengers gathered on one side of the ship, looking up.  They were looking at Miss Liberty, Tovah, a great statue of a woman standing in the middle of the harbor.  She was lifting a lamp to light the way for us." (pg. 91) Unfortunately, her troubles are not over.  The treatment she received for ringworm caused her to loose her golden, curly hair and the health examiners will not let her enter America because of her continued baldness.

Learning Objectives: Letters from Rifka offers students a firsthand account, based on the actual experiences of the author's Aunt Lucy, of an immigrant experience from Russia during WWII.  There are parallels between the Russian Jewish experiences and the German Jewish experience.  They will learn about some of the hardships experienced by immigrants.  They will gain a greater perspective of why people wanted to come to America and learn about the process immigrants went through as they arrived.  There are several issues in the story that may warrant sensitivity to young readers.  Rifka's family is ordered to endure a strip search at the Polish border.  Rifka speaks of her mother's breasts and talks about how the doctor made her feel dirty.  There are also several deaths throughout the story.  It is written tastefully, but some might find it inappropriate for such a young audience.  One of the things I enjoyed most about this story was seeing Rifka's strength as she overcame obstacles.  Along the way she is kind and helps those around her.  At one point she helps a young boy.  She realizes that he is a Russian peasant, as she says "an enemy of my people".  At first she hates him but soon realizes that "he was just a little, hungry boy." She also helps to take care of a Polish baby whose mother has died from Typhus.  Through all of her experiences she comes to accept all others saying, "To turn my back on the part of me that is Russian is impossible.  I am Jewish, yes, but I am Russian too.  I am both Jewish and Russian.  And I am also more.  I am so much more." (pg. 117)

My Grandfather's Coat

My Grandfather's Coat
Retold by: Jim Aylesworth
Illustrated by: Barbara McClintock
Published by: Scholastic Press, New York

Lexile Reading Level:AD910L

"My grandfather loved the coat,

and he wore it, 

and he wore it. 

And little bit 

by little bit,

he frayed it

and he tore it, 

until at last . . . 

he wore it out!"

Summary:  A story retold and based on the Yiddish Folksong "I Had a Little Overcoat". ("Hob Ikg Mir a Mantl").  It tells the story of a man who came to America with "little more than nothing at all".  He works hard as a tailor and eventually marries.  He makes a new coat for his wedding.  The coat wears out so he takes the worn coat and makes it into a vest, etc. until the coat eventually becomes a nest for a little mouse.

Learning Objectives:  A simple children's story that is fun to read with rhyming verse and repeated phrases.  There is a deeper meaning to be found in the text though.  With teacher direction students will learn that many immigrants come to the United States with little or no possessions.  They do however have many valuable qualities that can help them find success in their new home.  The author's note states, "(the) immigrants who came to America from everywhere in the world, they typically brought with them the attributes of hard work, thrift, and conservation, which served them well as they built their new lives here."

This story could also be used as a resource for folklore or storytelling.

Journey to Ellis Island

Journey to Ellis Island
Written by: Carol Bierman
Published by: Hyperion/Madison Press

Lexile Measure: 750L

"Yehuda saw a man approaching with a big bucket filled with milk and a basket of long yellow fruit.  He was stopping at every child, giving each on a cup of milk and one of the strange pieces of fruit.  Yehuda watched as one boy bit right into the yellow skin, made a face, and spit it out.  Then he saw someone pull the skin down in strips and eat the soft white fruit inside. Yehuda smiled to himself - every day in America he was learning something new!" (pg. 35)

Summary: Carol Bierman shares the story of her father's journey from Russia to America.  Yehuda's father is ordered into the Russian army and never returns. His mother and two sisters experience wartime and his youngest sister is killed by shrapnel from and explosion as the German army invades their town.  This book includes photos and illustrations which depict the trek of Yehuda (Julius) Beirman, his mother and sister through Russia, into Poland, on their ocean voyage, and onto Ellis Island.  Yehuda is detained on Ellis Island because of an injury he received as they traveled across Russia into Poland.  He must prove that he is healthy enough that he will not be a burden on the American citizens.

Learning Objectives: Students will learn about Ellis Island and the experiences many immigrants had upon entering America in an autobiographical format.  Photographs and illustrations will help students understand more the challenges that many immigrants face as they travel toward a land which held many hopes and dreams. They will also learn about some of the challenges of arriving in a country with new traditions, customs, language and food.

Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again
written by: Thanhha Lai
Published by: Harper Collins

Lexile Measure: 800L

Summary:  Ten year old Ha lives in Saigan.  It is 1975, her father is missing and her country is at war.  As Saigon becomes more dangerous she and her family board a Navy ship heading to America.  They arrive at Ellis Island where they are sponsered by a "cowboy" from Alabama.  Join Ha as she shares, through poetry, the challenges of a young girl who must leave her home and travel to a new land where she faces many challenges.

Learning Objectives:  Students will be able to learn about some of the challenges immigrants face through the perspective of a ten year old girl.  Some of the challenges addressed in the book include:

• Feelings of loss. Ha leaves her home, her school and her beloved papaya tree.
• Feelings of inferiority.  Ha suddenly feel inferior as she struggles to learn a new language and the customs of a new land.  She feels stupid.
• Feelings of loneliness.  A new language and customs find Ha friendless and lost. 
• Feelings of fear. Other students make fun of her differences and bully Ha.

The story is shared as a series of poignant poems sharing the events of Ha's life over the course of one year.  Several of the poems are worthy of standing on their own or it could be presented as an entire book.

On learning a new language:

Passing Time

I study the dictionary

because grass and trees

do not grow faster 

just because

I stare.

I look up

Jane: not listed

sees: to eyeball something

Spot: a stain

run: to move really fast

Meaning: _______ eyeballs stain move.

I throw the dictionary down

and ask Brother Quang.

Jane is a name, 

not in the dictionary.

Spot is a common name

for a dog.

(Girl named) Jane sees (dog named) Spot run.

I can't read 

a baby book.

Who will believe 

I was reading

Nhat Linh?

But then,

who here knows

who he is?

Crossing The Wire

Crossing the Wire

Written by: Will Hobbs

Published by: Harper Collins Publishers

Lexile Measure: 670L

"My heart began to race.  I started to go dizzy again.  My stomach was cramping, I went all weak in my legs.  I felt like I was going to peel off the cliff and fall any second.  The worst part was, I thought I saw handholds and footholds above me in the moonlight.

All I could reach for now was my family.  I saw my mother's face.  I heard her voice: 'Think of us, and it will help. Always know, you are never alone.'" (pg. 189).

Summary: As corn prices fall, fifteen year old Victor Flores struggles to make enough money farming to support his family.  Faced with constant hunger he decides to go work "El Norte" so his mother and sisters don't have to beg on the street.  He does not have the coyote money to cross the border with a guide so he must attempt to cross the wire into the United States on his own.  Met with danger from the land, from the border patrol and from drug runners he eventually makes it to the United States to work.

Learning Objectives:  The subject of illegal immigration may be a controversial one but the book offers a different perspective on the issue.  Students will learn more about the motivation for people to embark on such a risky journey.  They will understand more about some of the dangers involved with illegal immigration.  They will also learn a little bit about some of the challenges presented to those who are trying to enter the country legally and why so many choose to come into the country illegally.  

The story discusses the use of "mules" and drug trafficking.  There are some scenes where Victor and his friend, Rico, are being chased by drug traffickers who are trying to kill them and there is a shooting.  There are several other scenes which may be disturbing for young readers.

Journey To Topaz

Journey to Topaz

Written by: Yoshiko Uchida

Published by: Heyday Books

Lexile Measure: 970 L

"Mr. Kurihara had said America was making prisoners of its own citizens, inspecting them, searching them, and herding them like cattle from one camp to another.
But she remembered too what Mother had said back to him. 'Fear has made this country do something she will one day regret, Mr. Kurihara, but we cannot let this terrible mistake poison our hearts.  If we do, then we will be the ones to destroy ourselves and our children as well.  Don't you see?' Mother had said. 'We must make the best of it.'" (pg. 90).

Summary: The events of Pearl Harbor changed young Yuki's life forever. Soon after the bombing FBI agents took her father into custody, questioning his loyalty to the United States.  Her family was forced to pack up and leave their home.  They were moved away from the West Coast and into an internment camp in Central Utah.  This is the story of friendship, challenges, choices and a young girls bravery as she experiences life at Topaz, Utah's War Relocation Center located near Delta.

Learning Objectives:  This story provides an account of Yuki's journey from California into Utah and eventually to Salt Lake City. (Standard 2, Objective 1 a.).  Yuki provides a great description of each of the places she calls home along the way allowing students to connect with her journey.
Discussion about moving or packing all of your possessions.  Yuki's family must pack everything they are going to take with them into two suitcases each.  What would your students bring/leave?
Mapping her route while paying attention to the detail of each home.

• her beautiful home and garden  pages 1-4
• Tanforan Assembly Center (a racetrack which had the stables converted into "apartments") pages 46-51
• Topaz pages 83, 97
• Salt Lake City 146-149

Each location provided both positive experiences and negative experiences.  Discuss the good things that happened and some of the negative things.  How did these things make her experience harder or easier?

Many of the experiences that Yuki had can be related to experiences that students may face today.  Some of these include being bullied (pg. 20), moving (pg. 41), loss of a parent, and family members being in the military.  Making connections with others will help students gain empathy and understanding of classmates.

During the story there are many difficult things that happen to Yuki, yet she remains happy.  How does attitude affect our situation?

The history of internment camps, World War II and Pearl Harbor can also be discussed along with this book.  There are many parallels between the treatment of the Japanese people and the Jews in Germany which could facilitate conversation about that as well.