Innocence The one thing that separates a child from an adult is innocence. Children are the virgins of life, having never known, heard, or seen evil. They haven’t faced heartbreak, rejection, and the other daily pressures of living in society. Some don’t quite understand the logic behind death. This is innocence, the beautiful and rare accessory piece that I had longed to hold on to in life.
I soon lost that innocence. It was a sunny afternoon when the students were released for recess. It was my first week of the second grade. It was also my first week in a new school. I was a stereotypical student; a poor child of an even poorer family, living in the ghetto. I began my education at an inner city school.
Despite my straight A’s, the school still seem to fail me in my parents’ eyes. So when St. Louis devised a desegregation program my parents hopped at the first opportunity to get me to a better school. A DE SEG program was (what [us] blacks folks like to call) one of those charity programs. It was where urban black youth were given opportunities to attend some of the wealthiest and most prominent schools in high-class suburban neighborhoods. In exchange, these schools were able to meet their minority quota, which would be met yearly through this program.
The only requirement for attendance was an entrance aptitude test. Not only did I successfully complete this test, but I tested 2-3 grades ahead of my class in every subject. My parents and I were overjoyed in my acceptance into the school. Little did I know, this joy would bring more of a burden than I was willing to face. One of the complications of my elementary school was the demographics. To put things in lay terms, it was the white-kid’s-school.
The Essay on Violence In Schools Is Directly Related To Parenting
Violence in Schools is Directly Related to Parenting Violence in schools is a growing problem in the United States today. This effects not only the students, but also their families, the surrounding community and the nation as a whole. There could be many possible causes of students lashing out against their peers. One reason could be their parenting or family life. This is the reason that I have ...
These kids never had to deal with poverty or African-Americans, much less poverty-stricken African-Americans. I didn’t see all of this at the time. To me, the school was just full of children and possible friends. In the distance I spotted a boy.
He was white and skinny with dark hair and big brown eyes. He appeared lonely as he sat on top of the gigantic “ladder-like” structure that had been placed in the middle of the playground. I decided in my mind to go over to him and cheer him up. I had hoped that we would instantaneously become friends. So I climbed to the top of the sculpture and said, “Hey!” He didn’t respond, instead he remained in a daze. Feeling as though he didn’t hear me, I spoke louder, “I’m Jennifer, what’s your name.” He turned at me with this hateful stare and yelled, “I hate black people.” With that, he climbed down the sculpture and ran away.
I sat up there alone, confused, and in tears. Up until then, I didn’t know there was a difference between us. Until then, I didn’t even know that there was something wrong with my skin. During my distress and in the days to follow, I was awakened to the differences in the students.
There were masses of white kids on the playground, while the black kids were scarce. I was how all of the white kids played together in one part of the playground and the black kids played in another. I saw all of the things that I shouldn’t have seen… not in the second grade. As I look back on this incident I can’t imagine holding in hatred for the boy. This situation should be looked upon with shame.
I realized that before the boy snatched my innocence, his was already ripped from him. I blame his parents for his upbringing and society for his ignorance. In the end it was society’s ignorance that destroyed an individual’s innocence.
