To encourage reading, our class, (not 'are class'), would get rewards for reading books in our free time. Each time we completed a book, a sixth grader would make us give a book report, to prove we weren't just making stuff up. I lied anyway. In hindsight, sixth graders aren't very bright. Then we'd get to color in a construction paper train car and stick it to the wall.

Last Friday's earache is epic, as far as incredibly boring stories about me that my mother loves to tell go. That Friday was before the MLK holiday. To explain prejudice to little kids who don't know racism from chaos theory, the teacher divided the class into blue-eyed kids versus everyone else. The ugly-eyed kids got to boss us beautiful blue-eyed kids around all morning.

Because of snow, I got to school late, and was just told to do whatever the dark-eyed kids told me to do. No background explanation at all. I wasn't even told that the blue-eyed kids would get to play whitey after lunch. Naturally I flipped out at the injustice that had befallen my blue-eyed brothers and sisters and I started crying.

I suffered from chronic earaches since I was baby. I had tubes in my ears to correct the problem. I lied and said they hurt, hoping the dark-eyes wouldn't get the satisfaction of causing my tears. I got to spend some time in the nurse's office, then my mom came and picked me up. It was my own underground railroad to freedom.

Racism is wrong.