~ Why We Need Tutors ~

Cashay by Margaret McMullan published in 2009 by Houghton Mifflin fits these categories:

• Social justice: Addresses issues of equity in schooling and living conditions
• Raises awareness: Shows diverse people living their lives
• Activism: Shows ways we can make a difference.
• Acceptable grade levels: High School
• Classification: Young Adult Fiction
• Concepts/ Topics covered in book:

Cashay: About the Book

In this story, told from the viewpoint of a young middle school black student living in Chicago’s Cabrini Green housing project, the power of adult role models is illustrated. Cashay struggles to deal with the terrible events that have happened to her. A younger sister has just been killed in a drive by shooting, and her pregnant mother addresses her grief by going back on drugs. Eventually she is paired up with a volunteer tutor who is as different from her as can be – a white, wealthy stock broker with issues of her own.Together they help each other come to see themselves in new ways.

Margaret McMullen is a well-established white author of young adult fiction, and the book reads as if she has had personal experience in a tutoring program such as is described here. However, in some parts the characters seem almost stereotypic of poor black teenagers.

However, the book does make clear how important tutoring programs are for all young people. Research indicates that having someone whether an adult or a peer showing caring and attention can make a big difference in any student’s life. Robert Slavin’s most recent research pinpointed what worked best in adult-student tutoring. Research on peer tutoring shows it works even better than than adult-student because both peers benefit. Consider using this novel as an introduction to setting up tutoring situations for students.

Pre-Reading

Visit the website http://www.cabrini-green.com and research the demolition of the project. In particular, read the student written stories under teen life and look at the photographs and artwork. Look at the causes of poverty and how it affects people’s lives. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html.

Post-Reading:

• How is Cashay a unique individual? How is she representative of the residents of the project? How does her experience compare with that of the writers on the cabrini-green webpage?
• Who is Allison and how does Cashay help her? How often do you think something like this really happens? Why?
• What stereotypes did you notice in the book?
• How does a tutoring program that matches up people from different backgrounds benefit both people? What problems are there?

Follow Up Activities

• Research the author Margaret McMullan. Write letters to her through her website.
• Write a letters to Cashay telling what most impressed them about her.
• Set up a tutoring program in the school if there isn’t one.
• Compare a newspaper article about a drive by shooting with the book. Which format best captures the tragedy of this happening? (find current news articles by searching on drive by shooting)
• Research newspaper articles

Awards for Cashay

* Nominated an American Library Association 2009 Best Book for Young Adults
* A Spring 2009 Teen Book Pick for the Chicago Public Library
* A Flamingnet TOP CHOICE book

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