Bring a Chair

story by Michelle Palmieri • illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

On hilly streets, modern shops stand next to stone buildings made long ago. Here, the old and the new sit side by side. This is Amman, Jordan.

1

Tucked between shops and buildings is Miss Maha’s school for girls.

Miss Maha has been leading this school for years. At first, classes were filled with girls who came from homes nearby. But slowly, things started to change.

2

3

Not far from Jordan, in a country called Syria, a war had begun. The fighting disrupted everyday life.

Streets were unsafe. Stores and schools shut down.

4

Many Syrians were afraid to stay in their homes, or even to remain in the country. They left their homeland, seeking a safe place. People fled to Jordan by the thousands.

5

The homes and streets near Miss Maha’s school became shelter for one Syrian family after another.

Before long, Syrian mothers came to Miss Maha looking for help. If they were going to stay in Jordan, their children needed to go to school.

6

“Our girls need to learn how to read and write.

Please, let them come to your school,� the women would ask.

Miss Maha wanted to help. But there were no open spots in her classes. Every chair was filled.

She had to say no.

7

8

One day, another mother came to see Miss Maha. Her name was Lina, and she was trying to find a school for her daughter. Miss Maha told her, “I do not have any seats left.”

But Lina would not give up. She had visited many schools, and they had all turned her away. She pleaded with Miss Maha.

Miss Maha looked up at Lina and said, “OK. I will make room for your child. But we have no more chairs. My students cannot sit on the floor to complete their lessons. So have her bring her own chair.”

9

Gratefully, Lina returned with her daughter—and a small plastic chair.

10

11

After that, other Syrian women came to see Miss Maha. Each time, the offer was the same: She would teach any girl who came to class with her own chair.

12

13

Today, Miss Maha’s school is filled with all kinds of chairs. Girls from Jordan and Syria sit and learn, side by side. Like the modern shops and old stone buildings, they all belong here.

14