I read with six different 10th graders and one of them, an otherwise seemingly bright and confident girl, read on a maybe 4th grade level.

I’m so curious as to how the system failed her (over and over again).

She’s a native Spanish speaker and she can’t read or write Spanish either which makes me wonder about the education level, and then legality, of her parents. Anything else down that line of thought is complete speculation so I will leave it, but I wonder, what happens to a girl like her? She needs so much help and, given the socioeconomics of the area, her family is in the least position to give it to her. I wonder if she has siblings and if so, are they at the same level of disadvantage?

I’ve always respected teachers, of course, but that respect level absolutely skyrocketed this afternoon.

(And thank goodness for the World Cup for being a great icebreaker 4 months later.)