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The story takes place on a London bus, and is told from the point of view of a woman who is travelling with her daughter. As the story unfolds, a Somali woman with a stroller is blocking the aisle because two Caucasian women are sitting in the seats reserved for women with strollers.
Among the topics that are addressed in the story are immigration, intolerance, culture changes, and, more importantly, the role of the bystander in choosing to take or to not take action.
We were able to contact the author, who was thrilled to have her story used in classrooms. In fact, she encourages it.
Shereen Pandit, born in South Africa, grew up under apartheid. As an adult, she received political asylum in England, where she currently resides and works as a writer.
To prepare the students prior to reading the story, Social Studies teachers provided an overview of the cultural climate in Somalia and England, as well as the issues surrounding immigration. ELA teachers reviewed vocabulary and cultural references with which American students were unfamiliar.
In addition, we were able to purchase the recorded version of the story, performed by a British actress, from Symphony Space, the origin of the NPR broadcast. This truly made the story come alive for our students.
Following the reading of the story, each class held discussions and conducted various classroom projects. For example, students in Special Education and the alternative program were asked to observe bullying and intolerance, even the most subtle, and the roles that people played in each incident. Students in the Humanities classes were encouraged to leave their comfort zone by trying to eat lunch with a student that normally ate alone.
At the same time, students attending the Royal High School also read the story.
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