Jerry Girauld
Today, like every other day, I went to school by bus, arrived there, got my breakfast and then walked to find my classroom at the spot where it’s always been. I entered into my classroom, “Good morning,” my teacher said. “Good morning,” I said back. I went to find my seat next to my best friend, sat down and ate my breakfast, then prepared for class. I loved to learn and I loved my school. I remembered my name being called down to the main office for early dismissal. I had the biggest smile on my face, you know the phrase, “you’re more yourself when you’re a child”? Because you’re so young, innocent and happy? Well being that young, innocent and happy comes with a price. Because the things that keep a child in that mindset are their surroundings and that’s something that hits deep when it’s taken away from them. My name was called down for early dismissal and this would happen sometimes, being picked up early, but today was different because nothing would prepare me for what would happen next and I soon would realize that my whole world would change.
I stepped into the main office. It smelled so fresh but I realized that my mother was in a room separate from me talking to my principal. I was thinking to myself, “Was I in trouble?”, “Did I do something wrong, what’s going on!?” All these thoughts going through my head, flashbacks about how my day went and what I did wrong that might have led to this. Then my teacher put her hand on my shoulder and I could see tears forming from her eyes. That’s when I knew whatever THIS is wasn’t going to be good. Minute by minute went by, heart racing and pumping, feeling like it’s about to burst out of my chest until finally my mother came out of the room and looked at me. I knew right then that I had to ask her what was going on and I said, “Mom, what happened? What’s going on? Why were you in there?” I could tell she was hesitant to speak but then the simplest words formed into sentences, “We are moving, Jerry. Today was your last day of being in this school.” These words sent me into tears and I knew whatever my teacher was feeling, I felt ten times worse. I ran up to my teacher’s arms and told her, “I don’t want to go, so please do not let my own mother take me away from here.”
I remember being physically dragged out of the school, screaming, kicking my feet and begging to god that this was just a terrible dream, that this nightmare couldn’t be reality. Before I was taken out of the building my teacher stopped everyone to talk to me, she made a promise and told me that she had no idea that I was moving, that in fact this was news to her too as the principal pulled her to the side and told her that today I would be leaving. Her promise to me was that, “EVEN THOUGH I’M GONE, I’M NOT FORGOTTEN.” I knew she was saying this to comfort me which I appreciated, she also said that she would have the whole class write letters to me wishing me the best of luck. Then she gave me my last big hug and I knew that my time here at Birchwood Elementary School was done. I walked out of the school with my mother, no more screaming, no more kicking, just silence, eyes still bawling but there was simply nothing I could do and throughout that whole day everything went black.