Aiden has read up to page 63 in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. We had a very informative discussion about the main characters: who they are and what they represent. First, we discussed the setting of the Great Depression and the economic and social repercussions wrought by this historic event.

I asked Aiden to name and describe the two main characters: Lennie and George. He has a good understanding of Lennie and George's relationship. The questions Aiden raised are important and thoughtful: 1) What do you do if a special needs person is a threat to herself/himself or society? 2) If you are the caretaker of a special needs person, how much can you help that person before he/she cannot be helped? We discussed how George cares for Lennie and often complains about it, but the two friends are devoted to one another. Lennie loves to pet soft things, but does not know his own strength and often accidentally kills the very thing he's petting.

We discussed the relationship between Candy and his old dog. We talked about Candy feeling older and worrying about his position on the ranch and Candy's dog being put down because he was suffering. We talked about Slim, Curley, and Curley's wife. Aiden then asked to keep reading for the remainder of the class. I told Aiden that he is very intelligent and look forward to discussing more of the book with him!