Assault on Illiteracy
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, dedicated TBC members Adriene, Brenda, Cathi, Denise, Felicia, Myrna, and Ruby brought A Computer Called Katherine to Life for the 3rd/4th grade combo class at Tom Bradley Global Magnet Elementary School. The objective was to help students understand how Katherine Johnson’s groundbreaking mathematical contributions enabled early American spaceflight while breaking racial and gender barriers. With Myrna and Ruby at the helm, the students were exposed to the following subjects/concepts:
Ø Space Exploration Impact
Ø Overcoming Adversity
Ø STEM Inspiration
Ø Valuing Accuracy and Dedication
They were exposed to these through the vocabulary words presented (mathematician, devoured, exponentially, engineers, calculations), reading the book aloud, playing Jeopardy (outstanding), and building a Space Station with marshmallows. As always, there is never enough time to get it all in.
Food for thought that we left the students with:
Ø What did Katherine love to do as a very young girl? (count everything)
Ø Why did Katherine’s family have to move when she started high school? (Racial segregation; her hometown did not allow Black students to go to high school)
Ø Why were they called computers? (They made calculations that helped the men engineers design airplanes and flight plans)
