Do the Right Thing!

This month Oak Grove School has been focusing on the guiding principle of Responsibility. Every week students are given a quote to consider, and this week's quote is "do the right thing".

Here are 4 biographies of famous people who struggled with different issues and chose to do what they considered to be The Right Thing. ALl books are available at  the school library.


Teammates by Peter Golenbock

This is the story of how shortstop Pee Wee Reese stood up for Jackie Robinson, who was the first black man to play in a major baseball league, when he thought that Robinson was being treated unfairly.







Who says Women Can't be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone

Elizabeth Blackwell was interested in many things, but chose to become a doctor when a very ill friend told her she would have much preferred to be seen by a woman. This was a time when women were not encouraged to have a profession, but Elizabeth persisted against the odds and became the first woman doctor in America.
Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

Nelson Mandela has been a champion against apartheid (or segregation) in South Africa  since he was nine years old. He has lived a life filled with purpose and has won  the Nobel Peace Prize. This story is richly illustrated by Kadir Nelson, an award winning artist. A real treat!

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist makers Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markle

Clara Lemlich immigrated to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Her family moved into a New York tenement building and Clara went to work in the garment district to help support her family. The conditions are terrible, and Clara is infuriated. When she learns that some men are trying to form a union, she encourages her fellow female workers to join as well. She attends rallies, call the women to strike in protest, speaks out, and in the end convinces the bosses to agree to shorten the workweek, raise salaries and form unions.