By: Michael Anthony
Throughout this story, a young boy named Steve tries to convince himself and his teacher why Sandra Street is special to him. His home on Sandra Street is quiet and run-down compared to the other side of town. The other side of town has many attractions and nice homes. His classmates from the other side of town laugh at his home and make fun of it. They say that Sandra Street is dull and uninteresting. Their teacher, Mr. Blades, seems to agree with these students as he praises a boy's composition on it. Mr. Blade tells Steve that it is easy to write negative things about the town by looking at the homes and run-down buildings. Steve is afraid of his teacher, but soon works up the courage to defend his part of town. He talks to Mr. Blades about what is special to him and shows him the parts of the street that he enjoys. I like this story because it represents the importance of home. Most people are proud of where they live. Their home may not look exciting, but to them it has many special aspects. Steve gained courage to defend his home. Standing up for yourself can be hard to do, but it will show others why it is important to you. The story also sends a message of not judging people or places based on how they look. To Steve's classmates, Sandra Street was just a place where they would go to school. They missed out on learning about the hills covered in cocoa leaves, mango trees, and the banana trees, The did not care to learn about some of their classmates' homes. This teaches students that by getting to know the people around them, they will be exposed to new places and events. They will have experiences they would have missed out on if they get out of their comfort zone. This applies to hanging out with people they normally do not hang out with or joining clubs that they would not normally join. This is an important concept to use throughout their entire life.
Problems that may come up when teaching Sandra Street
This book is appropriate for all ages. Steve's experience of standing up for his home is common for children in any grade. The difficulty that comes up when teaching this short story would be understanding the environment that Steve was explaining. There is not a lot of literature on people who live in the Caribbean. I think this story brings awareness to another culture that is living in America. To help students understand where Steve lives, the teacher should start out by giving them examples of what islands in the Caribbean are like. Some islands are owned by America and there are many people living in the United States from these islands. A teacher should show them pictures and have students do their own research on the terrain and island towns. They will be able to see what poverty and what run-down towns in Trinidad look like. This knowledge will give the students a better understanding of Steve's situation.
Author biography.
Information on Trinidad.
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