A review by lisaebetz
I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories by Sam Swope

5.0

This was a serendipitous find a a library book sale. [You do support your local library by going to book sales, right?] A writer in New York City spends three years volunteering to teach creative writing to elementary students in a poor area of Queens. The school is filled with immigrant families from all over the world., many of whom struggle with English, and yet the author manages to get these kids to write stories and poems. The book is filled with examples of their writing. Some are fun, others poignant, others heartbreaking. Through the author's commentary we glimpse the hard life most of these kids have, their joys and fears and dreams. You could ask what difference it can make, teaching one classroom of kids out of the thousands. This book is one man's answer.