I don’t expect a miracle, said Mister Fitzpatrick. I merely ask that in the remaining minutes of class you write a paragraph about the Court’s ruling this week. He handed out binder paper and pens.
Any questions?
Vince felt as if a large stone the size of a basketball had smack in the middle of his bowels. He understood perfectly that if you’re born in this country, you are a citizen. No two ways about it.
He had trouble forming the words and getting them down on paper.
Sitting there in a sea of anxiety, Vince had a vision of nine high court judges in their black robes looking into the cradle of a newborn baby whose blanket was an American flag.
If you prefer, you can draw a political cartoon, announced Fitzpatrick. There’s unlined paper right here.
By Roberta Lawrinsky
On July 12, 2026
This is a comment on my own work. Whereas the previous entry, “The Highest Court in the Land,” describes high school students in an American History class during a lesson about the Supreme Court, this entry is like a snapshot of one student in the class. A political cartoon says much in a few words or an image. The teacher invites students to draw a political statement as an alternative to writing a paragraph. At least one student is happy to choose the alternative and draws a concise political statement!