What a great story to bond over! I read it in school but my favorite memory of it is listening to it read aloud on a CD my dad got from the library.

This story made me teary.

But it is a horrible story!!!

That's amazing. My daughter had a "selectively mute" girl in her third grade class. "Selectively mute trauma" refers to a situation where a person experiences a traumatic event that leads them to develop selective mutism, meaning they are unable to speak in specific social situations due to overwhelming anxiety triggered by the trauma, while still being able to talk normally in other settings; essentially, the trauma acts as a trigger for their inability to communicate in certain environments.

On the other hand, keep an eye out if he starts collecting rocks.

Literature connects with our students in so many ways

Maybe steer him towards some of Roald Dahl’s short stories (Lamb to Slaughter, The Landlady, and The Way Up to Heaven) if it’s appropriate given his circumstances. Each has surprising twist at the end that might inspire more conversations with him.

I loved that story in school. Definitely didn’t see that ending coming. As a teacher I just want to say congrats. I know how great it feels to connect with that one student who doesn’t engage no matter what you do.

Kinda scary that The Lottery was what opened him up to you