The Crooked Mirror l Louise Steinman’s Blog

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The Verb To Inquire
Education, Los Angeles, Pandemic, Poetry, social justice Jennifer Essen Education, Los Angeles, Pandemic, Poetry, social justice Jennifer Essen

The Verb To Inquire

Every Friday afternoon, I have been tutoring a fourth grader named Delilah, whom I view through a screen on Zoom. During the pandemic, Delilah’s school is the bedroom she shares with her two brothers. Her desk is her bunk bed.  The family rarely goes out. Her mother quit her job to monitor the three kids’ schooling. Last December, they all got Covid. Her little brother bounces on the bed behind her, desperate for attention. Her older brother is playing a video game, with volume on high. After our first meeting, I cried. Delilah had no books. Everything was on the screen. She told me her eyes hurt after so many school hours on Zoom. 

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