While attending the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Boston on November 24th, I had the privilege of meeting Mary Badham. Decades ago she graced the film camera by playing Scout in the motion picture To Kill a Mockingbird, featuring actor Gregory Peck. A timeless classic, the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is based off of Harper Lee's only and influential novel, continues to entertain and educate students about that time period in U.S. history.
Meeting Mary Badham was definitely eventful. I enjoyed hearing her reflections about her role in the movie, her experiences with the fellow actors, her viewpoints on education, and her passion about the importance of reading.
Taking a photo with Ms. Badham and having her autograph a t-shirt were definite highlights of the conference!