Back to School: a First Grader at Heart

Back to School: a First Grader at Heart - "When Alferd Williams, 73, attends his first-grade class, he becomes a kid again. When the other students gather on the carpet in a circle, Williams does, too, and when they go to their spots for independent reading time, he goes to his spot, too.

"When Williams struggles over a hard word, there is no judgment from the other students; they help him identify the word as they would any of their peers. Williams says they “open up to me just like I am a kid myself.”

"Williams met first-grade teacher and International Reading Association member Alesia Hamilton in 2006 at Edison Elementary School in St. Joseph, Missouri. Now he attends her class every day from 7:30 a.m. to noon, and she is teaching him how to read."