This grade 8 student of ours, Hersh A., well, tells me he wants to be part of the chess club but has not shown up in any of our meetings for the whole school year.
Anyways, he is the main character in the email sent in to me by their teacher for english, John Havan.
Now here's the email:
Here's a litte gem I'd like to share with everyone.
Grade 8, Friday May 9, 3" oral dissertation on Harriet Tubman, a fat, black, very determined slave in 19th century America who saves many slaves by running an "underground railway" from the USA to Canada. The students are appalled by the inhuman way black slaves are treated on plantations, but find speaking on the subject for 3 minutes very taxing, especially in the closing minute.
It is Hersh A.'s turn. He grimly wades his way through the story, trying desperately to remember what Harriet did and when and where she did it, looking at me every now and again with large, pleading eyes. After two minutes, he runs out of words. He turns to me, "How much time left, sir?". I raise one finger. He thinks desperately for a couple of seconds, then says in his inimitable deep adult voice, "Let us observe a minute of silence in memory of those slaves."
I say nothing. We all sit in absolute silence for 1 minute. Then the class explodes into laughter and, thank Heavens, it is recess time.
John Havan
Hersh! Hersh! You'll definitely survive college life!
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