BOSTON — Julia Goodman is teaching remotely from her home to start the new school year.
Goodman is a second grade teacher at the Dudley Street Neighborhood School in Nubian Square.
Since she can’t see her students in person, Goodman came up with an idea.
“We want kids to have books, real books, and we want to be able to see kids and see them safely but not in a computer,” said Goodman.
Goodman is converting the trunk of her SUV into a library and is calling it “The 2nd Grade Traveling Library.” She will drive to each of her students' homes and let them pick out books to read and share with their families.
“It’s fun for kids to get to share something," said Goodman. “You get to see a piece of their home or a park near their house or their backyard or something like that. It’s just all ways to build connections and build a relationship with them.”
Goodman plans to visit seven to eight students per week at their homes every three weeks as they will be on a rotating schedule. She believes the magic of holding a new book in their hands and turning the pages will spark a joy for reading for her second graders, especially in times like these.
“It’s something you can look forward to and it’s something I think can be more special in the texts and books kids are reading can be more special because they are looking forward to it to exchanging them,” said Goodman.
All of the books have been donated. Goodman plans to launch the 2nd Grade Traveling Library during the second week of October.