This is a good one...
Yesterday we were sitting in the lunchroom. I am eating my lunch, talking to the kid across from me. I hear, "Ms. Cormack...hey, Ms. Cormack." I turn and it's the girl two seats down. So, I say yes... and wait for what's coming. Here's the conversation:
"When you were in the 3rd grade did you wear J's?" (Jordans are shoes that ALL black kids wear, incase you didn't know.)
"No maam, I didn't. You know how we talked about culture in Social Studies? Well, J's are a black cultural thing. White people don't typically wear J's." And I was proud of myself for tying education to this...
"Ms. Cormack, you aren't white!!!"
So, I pull my sleeve up and show her that indeed I am white. All the while, I am thinking what in the world?!
"Oh, but Ms. Cormack, I don't think of you as white. You don't have a color."
Now, on one hand this made my heart happy that she feels like this. I don't want them to see color and I don't want them to think I do either, but really... sister, I am white!!
Two days ago, counseling was canceled. I downloaded a clip of the Oceans Discovery movie for my kids to watch. They really do like the documentary stuff. :) I had 2 boys come to my table to finish a test and while they are sitting there, one of them picks up my keys.
"Hey, Ms. Cormack, is this a zebra."--Boy 1
"Yep. Kate, remember me telling you about her? She brought that back from South Africa this summer."
"Oh, because you like zebras so much?"--Boy 1
"Yep."
Boy 2 turns to Boy 1 and says, "But her favorite animal is a bat. Remember she read that book to us about bats and we watched that movie."
They continued talking about bats. I sat back and smiled. The fact that they know my favorite animals makes me happy. They DO care about me after all :)
