The year was 1971. I was nine years old and in the fourth grade. I had the wonderful and young Miss Backstrom as my teacher that year.
That was the year of the Most Memorable Book Report Race.
A little background to help set the scene. I must have been the shyest child in the fourth grade. I never raised my hand. I rarely spoke in class. I was always the last picked for any team or game and I was always the first to be “out”. I was always put in the back row, the furthest from the teacher. And I was always reading; that was one advantage of sitting in the back, nobody paid attention to me, so I read – a lot.
Miss Backstrom changed some of that. First, she didn’t arrange the desks in rows. They were in little groups scattered about. So, I wasn’t in the far back corner. Then she actually noticed me and she would come over to me when I was working or reading and ask if I needed help or what my book was about. When she first did this, I was so startled, I thought I had done something wrong and nearly cried in class. (Horrors!)
That fall, Miss Backstrom set up “The Book Report Race” game. It was a board-game like race to compete for the most book reports given. The “board” was a series of different colored squares stretching across two walls above the blackboards. One of our feet traced and cut from colored paper with our names on them were the game pieces. The prize was up to Miss Backstrom at the end of the game. The rules were that you had to read a book, write a brief report on a large index card and give an oral report in front of the class. Up until that last bit I was all for the “game”. I remember that horrible sinking feeling that this was something that I could not do.
I read a couple of books as usual and wrote the reports on the index cards we were given, but I held off on volunteering to stand up and speak out loud to the whole class. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I secretly hoped maybe Miss Backstrom would change her mind and let me just give her my written index cards. I gathered my courage and asked, but she said “no” and she said that she knew I loved to read and that I could do this. I know I went home and cried.
Yet, I really wanted to try. I was terrified, but I wanted to be good at something. I had never won anything at school.
Honestly, I don’t know how I did it, but I started to stand up during book report time and tell my classmates about the books I had read. Maybe knowing that Miss Backstrom thought I could do it helped.
Slowly at first my “foot” started moving across the board. I caught up with some classmates. I was “foot and foot” with the leaders. I pulled ahead! I crossed the finish line first!
The game wasn’t quite done as there was some competition while the rest of the class vied to cross the finish line, so it was a while before awards were handed out.
Then Miss Backstrom did something so remarkably amazing for me (and I’m sure for the other prize winners too). She gave me a beautiful hardbound copy of “King of the Wind” by Marguerite Henry. She signed the inside. That was the reason the prize wasn’t announced ahead of time, she picked each prize especially for each student! She certainly could not have picked anything more special for me. I have cherished the memory and cherished the book for many, many years.
Oh what a lovey story! We all deserve a teacher like Miss Backstrom…and I feel that you especially deserved to have her. What a perfect fit for you! I’m so glad you got her at such a young and impressionable age. But oh–the torture of standing up those first few times and giving your book reports! You explained the emotions so well–I can put myself there. Well done young Cheri–finishing feet in front of everyone else –and thank you so much for sharing this.
P.S. I loved Maguerite Henry too!
Thank you Lori! Fourth grade has always been my favorite school year in my memory.
What a fun story! Now there is a teacher – finding a way to pull you out of your shell, if just a little. Oh for the love of books!
Thanks Jim! I think Miss Backstrom found the perfect motivator for me!😊
🥲great story! Brings back my own childhood a bit and some of the angst and confusion there.
Thank you Hope! It is hard being a shy person in such a public space as school sometimes.
Wonderful story, thanks for sharing it!
😊❤
Love your story. I came in 2nd place for the shyest student in 7th grade. I may have won, but some classmates didn’t know who I was! Those teachers believing in us can make such a difference in life.
Isn’t that the way of us shy children – so shy that people do not even know that we are there! I would’ve voted for you!❤