Reading Online - New Literacies: Diversity Issues in Teacher Education

First Day of School

Tom R. Cox
Miki Inkyo
Janie Lopéz

Cast: Miki plays a bilingual Japanese-English girl; Janie plays a bilingual Spanish-English girl; Tom plays a native English speaker who also knows American Sign Language (ASL)

Scene I: Outside the school building, as parents are dropping children off for classes

Miki (speaking in Japanese to her parents): Zyaa, itte kimasu. Kyou wa tabun 3:00 gurai ni owaru kara. Sore gurai ni mata mukaeni kite. Un 3:00. Koko de ii yo. Zyaa ne. itte kuru kara ne. [Well, I’m going then. I’ll be done around 3:00 today. Come get me around that time. Yeah, 3:00. You can come here to pick me up. Well, then, I am going.]

Tom (signing to his parents): Bye. See you at 3:00. Yes, I’ll pay attention to the teacher. Oh, I forgot my lunch, thanks. OK, bye. See you this afternoon.

Janie (in Spanish, to her parents): No mamí! No quiero ir! Tengo miedo! ¿Si? ¿A qué hora vienes por mi? Qué no se te olvide. Bueno. Adiós! [No, Mommy, I don’t want to go. I’m scared. Yes? What time are you coming for me? Don’t forget. OK, bye.]

Scene II: Later that day, during school lunch break, Janie and Tom walk into the lunchroom.

Janie: Hi! Do you have a place to sit? Do you wanna sit with me?

Tom: Hi! I'd like to sit with you. My name is Tom.

Janie: My name is San Juanita.

Tom and Janie look for a place to sit and see Miki crying alone at a table.

Tom: Hey, see that girl crying? Wanna go sit with her?

Janie: Sure. Let’s see what’s wrong.

Tom and Janie: Hi. Can we sit with you?

Miki keeps crying, and Janie and Tom join her.

Janie: Hi, my name is San Juanita and this is Tom. What’s the matter? Why are you crying?

Miki: People thought my food was funny, and they didn’t want to sit with me.

Janie: Let me see your food. It looks like rice. I like rice. What is that?

Miki: That’s seaweed. We roll the food up in that.

Janie: Wow, we roll our food up in tortillas.

Tom: That’s neat. How do you make that? I’ve never seen anything like it before.

Janie: Could you show us how to make it?

Miki: Sure, I have a book that I can show you. Would you like one?

Janie and Tom: SURE!

Miki: I saw you this morning saying goodbye to your parents. What was that?

Tom: My mom and dad are deaf. They can’t hear like other people. We have to use sign language to talk to each other.

Janie: My mom and dad can hear but I have to use Spanish because they don’t speak English.

Miki: My mom and dad can only speak Japanese.

All three: Cool!

Miki (to Tom): Can you teach me something in sign language?

Janie (to Tom): Yeah! Me too!

Tom: Sure.

Tom teaches the two girls how to sign “Good morning.” Miki and Janie practice.

Tom: I have some flash cards that I can bring tomorrow. Miki, can you teach Janie and me how to say good morning in Japanese?

Miki: Ok! ohayoo.

Janie and Tom are practice saying good morning in Japanese.

Miki and Tom: San Juanita, how do you say good morning in Spanish?

Janie: Buenos días. I have a book at home that shows you about my culture. Do you want me to bring that tomorrow?

Miki and Tom: Sure!

Miki, Janie, and Tom take turns saying good morning in one another’s languages.

Janie: This is really neat. I told my mom this morning that I was afraid to come to school because I didn’t have any friends. Now I have two friends and I have learned to say good morning in two other languages. Cool!

Miki: Me too! I feel better now.

Tom: Me too! Much better.

Scene III: The next day, at home before school

Miki (to her parents): Itte ki masu. [Well, I am going then.]

Tom (signing to his parents): Bye.

Janie (to her mother): Adiós mamí.

Scene IV: Later, at school, the three friends meet in the classroom

Janie (to Tom and Miki): Good morning! Ohayoo!

Miki: Buenos días! Good morning!

Tom: Buenos días! Ohayoo!

Janie: Hey, let’s meet for lunch and show each other our books from home.

Miki: OK.

Tom: OK.

Miki, Janie, and Tom go into the classroom. Later that day at lunch break, Tom, Miki, and Janie walk into the lunchroom. They sit at the table and begin to talk about the things they have brought from home.

Tom: Here are the flash cards I said I would bring. They teach you about sign language.

Miki and Janie: Oooo, let us see them.

Tom: Where are the books you guys brought?

Miki and Janie: Here you go.

Tom: Miki, what is this part of the food?

Miki: That’s cucumber. You can also put eggs, raw fish, or shrimp. Sushi is very healthy.

Tom: Janie, what are they doing with that thing?

Janie: That’s a piñata. It is used at birthday parties.

Miki (pointing at the sign for “cry”): Tom, what does this one mean?

Tom (signing): That’s cry.

Janie goes to get another chocolate milk.

Janie: Hey guys, see that girl over there? She asked me what we were eating. She wants to come and look.

Miki: Oh, that’s the girl who made fun of me and my lunch.

Tom: What does she want to do? Is she going to make fun of Miki again?

Janie: I don’t know. Should we invite her over anyway? What do ya’ll think?

Tom: Maybe she just wants to be our friend.

Janie: Or maybe she just wants to make fun of our food. What do you think Miki?

Tom: Should we invite her over?

Miki: Let’s give it a try.

Janie and Tom: If she makes fun of you again, Miki, we’ll make her leave.

Miki: Thanks, guys. It’s nice having friends. Even if she teases me, I know I have some good friends.

Tom: Right, me too!

Janie: I think it is going to be a good school year.

Miki and Tom: Yeah!

Authors’ note: We’ve drawn the ideas from the following book for our play: Wells, R. (1998). Yoko. New York: Hyperion.

Back to article

From Xu, S.H. (2001). “Exploring Diversity Issues in Teacher Education.” Posted July 2001.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
© 2001, International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232

Miki (speaking in Japanese to her parents):	Zyaa, itte kimasu. Kyou wa tabun 3:00 gurai ni owaru kara. Sore gurai ni mata mukaeni kite. Un 3:00. Koko de ii yo. Zyaa ne. itte kuru kara ne. [Well, I’m going then. I’ll be done around 3:00 today. Come get me around that time. Yeah, 3:00. You can come here to pick me up. Well, then, I am going.]
Tom (signing to his parents):	Bye. See you at 3:00. Yes, I’ll pay attention to the teacher. Oh, I forgot my lunch, thanks. OK, bye. See you this afternoon.
Janie (in Spanish, to her parents):	No mamí! No quiero ir! Tengo miedo! ¿Si? ¿A qué hora vienes por mi? Qué no se te olvide. Bueno. Adiós! [No, Mommy, I don’t want to go. I’m scared. Yes? What time are you coming for me? Don’t forget. OK, bye.]

Janie:	Hi! Do you have a place to sit? Do you wanna sit with me?
Tom:	Hi! I'd like to sit with you. My name is Tom.
Janie:	My name is San Juanita.
Tom and Janie look for a place to sit and see Miki crying alone at a table.
Tom:	Hey, see that girl crying? Wanna go sit with her?
Janie:	Sure. Let’s see what’s wrong.
Tom and Janie:	Hi. Can we sit with you?
Miki keeps crying, and Janie and Tom join her.
Janie:	Hi, my name is San Juanita and this is Tom. What’s the matter? Why are you crying?
Miki:	People thought my food was funny, and they didn’t want to sit with me.
Janie:	Let me see your food. It looks like rice. I like rice. What is that?
Miki:	That’s seaweed. We roll the food up in that.
Janie:	Wow, we roll our food up in tortillas.
Tom:	That’s neat. How do you make that? I’ve never seen anything like it before.
Janie:	Could you show us how to make it?
Miki:	Sure, I have a book that I can show you. Would you like one?
Janie and Tom:	SURE!
Miki:	I saw you this morning saying goodbye to your parents. What was that?
Tom:	My mom and dad are deaf. They can’t hear like other people. We have to use sign language to talk to each other.
Janie:	My mom and dad can hear but I have to use Spanish because they don’t speak English.
Miki:	My mom and dad can only speak Japanese.
All three:	Cool!
Miki (to Tom):	Can you teach me something in sign language?
Janie (to Tom):	Yeah! Me too!
Tom:	Sure.
Tom teaches the two girls how to sign “Good morning.” Miki and Janie practice.
Tom:	I have some flash cards that I can bring tomorrow. Miki, can you teach Janie and me how to say good morning in Japanese?
Miki:	Ok! ohayoo.
Janie and Tom are practice saying good morning in Japanese.
Miki and Tom:	San Juanita, how do you say good morning in Spanish?
Janie:	Buenos días. I have a book at home that shows you about my culture. Do you want me to bring that tomorrow?
Miki and Tom:	Sure!
Miki, Janie, and Tom take turns saying good morning in one another’s languages.
Janie:	This is really neat. I told my mom this morning that I was afraid to come to school because I didn’t have any friends. Now I have two friends and I have learned to say good morning in two other languages. Cool!
Miki:	Me too! I feel better now.
Tom:	Me too! Much better.

Miki (to her parents):	Itte ki masu. [Well, I am going then.]
Tom (signing to his parents):	Bye.
Janie (to her mother):	Adiós mamí.

Janie (to Tom and Miki):	Good morning! Ohayoo!
Miki:	Buenos días! Good morning!
Tom:	Buenos días! Ohayoo!
Janie:	Hey, let’s meet for lunch and show each other our books from home.
Miki:	OK.
Tom:	OK.
Miki, Janie, and Tom go into the classroom. Later that day at lunch break, Tom, Miki, and Janie walk into the lunchroom. They sit at the table and begin to talk about the things they have brought from home.
Tom:	Here are the flash cards I said I would bring. They teach you about sign language.
Miki and Janie:	Oooo, let us see them.
Tom:	Where are the books you guys brought?
Miki and Janie:	Here you go.
Tom:	Miki, what is this part of the food?
Miki:	That’s cucumber. You can also put eggs, raw fish, or shrimp. Sushi is very healthy.
Tom:	Janie, what are they doing with that thing?
Janie:	That’s a piñata. It is used at birthday parties.
Miki (pointing at the sign for “cry”):	Tom, what does this one mean?
Tom (signing):	That’s cry.
Janie goes to get another chocolate milk.
Janie:	Hey guys, see that girl over there? She asked me what we were eating. She wants to come and look.
Miki:	Oh, that’s the girl who made fun of me and my lunch.
Tom:	What does she want to do? Is she going to make fun of Miki again?
Janie:	I don’t know. Should we invite her over anyway? What do ya’ll think?
Tom:	Maybe she just wants to be our friend.
Janie:	Or maybe she just wants to make fun of our food. What do you think Miki?
Tom:	Should we invite her over?
Miki:	Let’s give it a try.
Janie and Tom:	If she makes fun of you again, Miki, we’ll make her leave.
Miki:	Thanks, guys. It’s nice having friends. Even if she teases me, I know I have some good friends.
Tom:	Right, me too!
Janie:	I think it is going to be a good school year.
Miki and Tom:	Yeah!