On Friday, March 7, three inquisitive fifth graders interviewed third grade teacher Mrs. Gross. Here is what they found out:
A: What is your favorite book?
Mrs. G: I really love Where the Red Fern Grows. In third grade it would probably have been Charlotte’s Web. Also, I have this book, it’s called The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings and it’s all about wishing for things that might cause problems. My copy is all grimy and has stains on it because my kids would just pile together around me and we’d read it and it was so loved.
S: Which genres do you like to read?
Mrs. G: Well, this isn’t really a genre but I love underdog stories where it's tough for someone but they muddle through it and get through the hard stuff. I think that’s why I like Charlotte’s Web . . . and A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee.
R: Was there a time when you discovered that you really liked to read?
Mrs. G: Let’s see here . . . Probably around 4th grade when I could read in bed by myself, when I could choose my own books at the library and pick whatever I wanted.
Then I discovered how much I liked reading again when I started to read to kids and to be a really good reader.
A: Who is your favorite character? Do you think you are like him or her?
Mrs. G: Old Dan and Little Ann from Where the Red Fern Grows. They are so loyal. I want to be a friend like they are. They would do anything for their people (because they are dogs).
S: What is your favorite fairytale or folktale?
Mrs. G: I would say Cinderella because she has those magic slippers and she gets to go to a ball and ride in a pumpkin. Who wouldn’t want to do that? All that happens and no kissing! Isn’t that cool? Then there’s the stepsisters and the stepmother. I’d like to play her in a play . . . that would be fun to do her voice and be wicked!
R: Who is your favorite author?
Mrs. G: I think E.B. White is my favorite because he has all those animals and he has real facts about them.
A: What was the last book you read?
Mrs. G: It was When Will the Heaven Begin. It’s about a 14 year-old who has a heart condition. The story is about how he lived his life. It was very inspiring. That was my latest adult book. It was a Christmas gift.
The last kid's book I read was Go Free or Die. It’s about brave Harriet Tubman and I love to see kids’ faces when I read it because they would never pick it up because of the cover . . . but at the end of the year they say it was one of their favorites.
S: When do you like to read?
Mrs. G: My favorite time of the day for reading is 12:15-1:00 (pm). That would be my perfect day, to be able to read that whole time. I can only read until 12:40 though, then we have to stop. It’s even better than reading in bed.
R: Do you like to read out loud to a group?
Mrs. G: Yes, I love to read to my group because I can use voices and introduce them to books they would never pick up on their own.
Mrs. Maguire: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Mrs. G: How about my favorite quote? It’s, “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.” That is from E.B. White in Charlotte’s Web.
When you’re in high school sometimes you have so much homework that you can’t read that much. When you’re a teacher it can be hard because you don’t want to do too much with a book, like too many book reports or assignments. Sometimes you just want to let them read it. Don’t you think?
Thank you Mrs. Gross!
A: What is your favorite book?
Mrs. G: I really love Where the Red Fern Grows. In third grade it would probably have been Charlotte’s Web. Also, I have this book, it’s called The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings and it’s all about wishing for things that might cause problems. My copy is all grimy and has stains on it because my kids would just pile together around me and we’d read it and it was so loved.
S: Which genres do you like to read?
Mrs. G: Well, this isn’t really a genre but I love underdog stories where it's tough for someone but they muddle through it and get through the hard stuff. I think that’s why I like Charlotte’s Web . . . and A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee.
R: Was there a time when you discovered that you really liked to read?
Mrs. G: Let’s see here . . . Probably around 4th grade when I could read in bed by myself, when I could choose my own books at the library and pick whatever I wanted.
Then I discovered how much I liked reading again when I started to read to kids and to be a really good reader.
A: Who is your favorite character? Do you think you are like him or her?
Mrs. G: Old Dan and Little Ann from Where the Red Fern Grows. They are so loyal. I want to be a friend like they are. They would do anything for their people (because they are dogs).
S: What is your favorite fairytale or folktale?
Mrs. G: I would say Cinderella because she has those magic slippers and she gets to go to a ball and ride in a pumpkin. Who wouldn’t want to do that? All that happens and no kissing! Isn’t that cool? Then there’s the stepsisters and the stepmother. I’d like to play her in a play . . . that would be fun to do her voice and be wicked!
R: Who is your favorite author?
Mrs. G: I think E.B. White is my favorite because he has all those animals and he has real facts about them.
A: What was the last book you read?
Mrs. G: It was When Will the Heaven Begin. It’s about a 14 year-old who has a heart condition. The story is about how he lived his life. It was very inspiring. That was my latest adult book. It was a Christmas gift.
The last kid's book I read was Go Free or Die. It’s about brave Harriet Tubman and I love to see kids’ faces when I read it because they would never pick it up because of the cover . . . but at the end of the year they say it was one of their favorites.
S: When do you like to read?
Mrs. G: My favorite time of the day for reading is 12:15-1:00 (pm). That would be my perfect day, to be able to read that whole time. I can only read until 12:40 though, then we have to stop. It’s even better than reading in bed.
R: Do you like to read out loud to a group?
Mrs. G: Yes, I love to read to my group because I can use voices and introduce them to books they would never pick up on their own.
Mrs. Maguire: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Mrs. G: How about my favorite quote? It’s, “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.” That is from E.B. White in Charlotte’s Web.
When you’re in high school sometimes you have so much homework that you can’t read that much. When you’re a teacher it can be hard because you don’t want to do too much with a book, like too many book reports or assignments. Sometimes you just want to let them read it. Don’t you think?
Thank you Mrs. Gross!