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The Teacher Who Inspired RUBY LEE & ME by Shannon Hitchcock
Home is where the heart is, and mine is in North Carolina. My roots run deep, stretching from a hundred-acre farm to the graveyard where generations of my family are buried.
Though my roots are in North Carolina, I now live in Florida. But every time I sit down to write, I become a Carolina girl. My pen takes me back there. In my latest book, RUBY LEE & ME, my pen took me back to the 1960’s.
When I closed my eyes, I could smell flue-cured tobacco. I could feel the hot sun beating down on me. I could hear the southern accent of a teacher whose voice reminded me of poetry.
The 1960’s were a turbulent time in my family and in my town. Though Brown v. Board of Education became the law of the land in 1954, our public schools remained segregated until 1967. I started first grade that year, and my school’s first African-American teacher taught in the classroom beside mine.
Mrs. Porter had a special gift for working with reluctant readers. So every afternoon, she changed classrooms with my teacher and worked with those of us struggling to read.
As a first grader, my relationship with Mrs. Porter was all about me. Our class was divided into reading circles. The blue birds were the best readers. The red birds were the second best, and the lowest reading group was the yellow birds. Our chairs were painted to match our reading level. Mine was yellow, and I was ashamed of it. Mrs. Porter promised that if I worked really hard, I could become one of the best readers in our class. With her help, I advanced to the red birds and finally to the coveted blue bird circle. I went on to excel in elementary school, in high school, and in college. I shudder to think what might have happened if I’d never caught up.
Nearly forty years passed by, and my teacher’s health faded. I paid Mrs. Porter a visit because I wanted her to know what an impact she had made on my life. As an adult, it wasn’t all about me. This time I reflected on what it must have been like for her. She must have faced discrimination, been called the N word, and treated like a second-class citizen. Yet when asked to teach in a mostly white school, she did so with grace and dignity.
During my visit, Mrs. Porter reminded me that white children had been uneasy about having a black teacher. To ease our concerns, she had invited each of us to touch her face and hair. Mrs. Porter said, “Blacks and whites are a little different on the outside, but we’re all God’s children, and he loves us just the same.” That was a message children often weren’t receiving at home.
There were lots of heroes during the Civil Rights Movement. Many of the heroes made the nightly news, but some were like Mrs. Porter. Their stories have never been told. Over her teaching career, Mrs. Porter taught hundreds of white children. She taught us not only how to read, but how to be better people.
I knew immediately that I wanted to write this story. I had read several accounts of school integration, but never one that dealt with a black teacher’s experience in stepping into a mostly white school. I asked for Mrs. Porter’s permission to tell her story. She said, “honey child, you can write anything you want to about me.”
I penned a picture book called CORN SILK. My editor, Andrea Pinkney encouraged me to expand the story into a Middle Grade novel. When I did so, Mrs. Porter’s story converged with another event from my childhood. In the summer of 1969, my younger sister was struck by a car. As I wove the story of Robin’s accident together with school integration, I was struck by the themes they have in common: courage and forgiveness.
Both my sister and Mrs. Porter are dead now, but I hope young readers will be challenged when they read about them. Challenged to be brave, challenged to treat others with respect, and challenged to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement.
It’s been said, “Nobody an author loves is ever really gone.” The dedication to RUBY LEE & ME reads, “In memory of Mrs. Pauline Porter who first taught me to read, and my sister, Robin, who once said, “Make up a story about us.”
Shannon Hitchcock is the author of two historical novels, THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, (2013), and RUBY LEE & ME, (2016). You can connect with her on Twitter @ShanonHitchcock or through her website http://www.shannonhitchcock.com.
Great article
Thanks! I enjoyed writing it.
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This book looks fabulous. As a native California girl living in North Carolina, delving into the history like this is marvelous. I especially like helping my daughter understand history through stories such as these. On the to read list!
Since you mention reading with your daughter, Scholastic selected RUBY LEE & ME as a mother/daughter book club selection in January. They published discussion questions and a recipe for peach cobbler!
Mother Daughter Book Club Discussion Questions are here: http://www.scholastic.com/MotherDaughterBookClub/pdf/Scholastic-MDBC-RubyLee.pdf
Greetings,
After my devotion this morning, I open my email and reading this story was truly inspiring.
Thank you for sharing.
Sounds like a lovely way to start your day. Thanks for commenting!
I have tears in my eyes reading this. What a wonder Mrs. Porter was. How lucky we are that you have written about her so we can know, too. I love what she told the children, about how God loves us the same….I can’t wait to read your books, Shannon. These testimonies teach so much and I might add, those colorful chairs are hopefully in the dust bin of history. HOW terrible to SHAME a young child by color….it is almost too sad to be this ironic….. and yet we still have so many problems….there are so many teachers who mattered and very few have their stories told. Thank you.
I believe those chairs were part of a standardized reading program because a friend who grew up in Tennessee had them too. Yes, it’s good they’re in the dust bin of history. Thanks for leaving such a heartfelt comment!
What a beautiful story of a wonderful teacher. Looking forward to reading it!
Thanks. Hope you enjoy it. I have a family scrapbook in the back, which includes a picture of Mrs. Porter.
After reading this I realized how much I need to read this book. Sounds beautiful. What a tribute to your teacher! Off to Goodreads TBR list!
Thanks, Carol. Hope you enjoy reading it!
I’m married to a NC native, we lived in two towns in NC, and as ‘Yankee’ never felt more welcome! What a lovely story of your book, and it touched me deeply. Kids will love this and so will their families. Congrats
I’m glad my home state made you feel welcome! NC has wonderful people, but I admit to being biased!
My gosh, Shannon. This is gorgeous on every level. Must share!
Ah, thanks, Caroline. I appreciate it!
While reading, I bet you can guess when I started crying. My husband did. When Mrs. Porter told the children to touch her face and hair. I’m still weepy. Can’t wait to get this book! As a retired teacher/librarian my heart aches for those yellow chair children. I am older than you & have an opposite story. Mrs. Devol (should have been Devil) was my first grade teacher. Imagine 6 year olds scared of their teacher. I have had my best friend since first grade. She taught herself to read probably at 3 or 4. She was not allowed to attend our kindergarten because it was housed in a Protestant church & she was Catholic. She lived down the alley and would hang on the fence watching us. Finally getting to attend school, she has this devil woman put wax paper & a rubber band around her “reading book” and says, “Do NOT go past this page!” In those days teachers were allowed to spank. She used her orthopedic shoe. Luckily, we were saved by the rest of our grade school teachers, bless their hearts. Both of us became teachers, so that’s our happy ending. AND I just took my first after retirement girls’ trip with her and friends in Feb. to Charleston, SC. We hit a cold spell there & we FROZE….we bought sweatshirts, gloves, and scarves…and we’re from Colorado! That humid cold, WOW! Meeting the wonderful people was our favorite thing. Thank you Shannon for writing such an important book. Take good care & KEEP WRITING!! (I’d like to post this with your Nerdy post, may I?)
Yes, it’s okay with me if you post it. Wow…an orthopedic shoe. Some things have definitely changed for the better. And by the way, Charleston is my favorite city in the world. My husband and I have been vacationing there for over 30 years.
Shannon, this was such a beautiful tribute to both your teacher and your sister. I can’t wait to read your new book. You know what a fan I am of your first book. So glad we have your voice in this world.
Thanks, Donna. I appreciate the support you showed for THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, and I look forward to reading your new book!