Language and Literacy Fun Stories
Nothing Like You
By Lisa Brand
From the back seat, 3 year old Zoe says, "I want to be nothing like you when I grow up, Mommy."
My smile fades. "Nothing?" I think to myself, "I'm something." I'm a homemaker.
A singer, artist, entertainer.
That's something.
I'm my children's teacher.
A chauffeur, seamstress, toy maker.
That's something.
I'm a cook.
An entertainer, daughter, storyteller.
That's something.
I'm a wife.
A nurse, worrier, cookie baker.
That's something.
I'm a gardener.
A leader, friend, dreamer.
That's something.
I'm a mother.
A referee, designer, dishwasher.
I say, from the front seat, "Zoe, I'm something."
"I know, Mommy. I want to be something like you when I grow up."
At Bill Brown Elementary School, I am the director of the Literacy Lab, which supports struggling readers. Many of the students I teach simply haven't been exposed to the many types of children's books available. Reading a picture book to a child and seeing their eyes light up with wonder is an incredibly touching experience.
I write stories about things children say or imagine. I write leveled readers that focus on Mexican- American traditions. My son is adopted and I made a promise to him when he was a baby that I would teach him about his culture, which is different from my own.
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