10 Chapter 10: First Grade Comes to an End

Near the end of the school year, children started coming back to school and Ruby was not alone anymore. Ruby got to meet them, but she still didn’t understand racism or integration. She learned about these when a white boy wouldn’t play with her because of her skin color. That was when Ruby understood why she had been treated differently. She was not angry with the white boy. She understood that his mother told him not to play with black children. Ruby listened to her mother, so she knew the boy was listening to his mother too.

It was June before she knew it, and the school year was finished. Ruby felt sad about leaving Mrs. Henry and thought she would be her teacher forever. Mrs. Henry gave her excellent grades, but there was a problem with the school principal about them. Ruby didn’t know if her grades were changed, but Mrs. Henry was very angry with the principal about this.

Ruby learned a lot in first grade, and not just about school subjects. She learned about the harsh realities of the world and the kindness of people like Mrs. Henry. It was a year of big changes for Ruby.

Watch the video and answer the questions.