Brown Girl Dreaming & Service Learning

     Jacqueline Woodson's memoir explores her earliest days of storytelling. She writes about how she felt

 as though storytelling came naturally to her, but that most of the adults in her life tried to dissuade her

 from pursuing this gift. Her Uncle Robert and her Daddy are two people that appreciated her stories, and

 their support seems to have been monumental to Woodson. In the poem "when i tell my family," she

 writes, "It's a good hobby, we see how quiet it keeps you./ They say,/ But maybe you should be a teacher,/

 a lawyer,/ do hair..." (229). Her mother even equates her storytelling to lying, whereas Uncle Robert calls

 it what it is. Woodson clearly had a very active imagination as a child, and it is important that imagination

 and wonder, like we have been discussing in class, do not get stifled by the school system or unsupportive

 adults. We will only be able to realize justice with imaginations like Woodson's. 

    As I was reading these poems about Woodson writing stories in her head and even writing her first book

 about butterflies, I was reminded of a recent experience at Bridges. Normally, when kids come to the

 Loft, they need help with math or science. However, one of the girls I have met that has been coming

 regularly this year has been requesting help with her English assignments. She told me her teacher is also

 a creative writing teacher, so the prompts were not what I was expecting for a 10th grade class. In the first

 assignment I helped her with, she had to write a short story about a hero. It could be anything she wanted,

 so she had to really use her imagination and creativity. As I helped her think through the plot, I realized

 that creative thinking and writing were not taught or prioritized-- at least in my high school education. As

 Woodson writes in "Uncle Robert," "In my head/ all kinds of people are doing all kinds of things./ I want

 to tell him this, that/ the world we're living in right here in Bushwick isn't/ the only place," ((172). When

 creativity in school is not prioritized, we lose sight of the fact that there is a whole world out there full of

 people living unique and separate-- yet connected-- lives. It was nice to see that the girl I helped with

 essays is getting a chance to explore her creative self in school. 

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