If I Grow Up

Episode 5

Nine: It Started with a Whale

I keep wondering when Mr. Claflin is going to work on my reading, but each day is much like the second day of school. He's too busy chiding JeBron about his rudeness and keeping Genesis from throwing a crying fit about everything that offends her. He tells Lee and Miller almost one hundred times a day to stop talking and pay attention to the lesson. Amid the fist fights, temper tantrums, and name calling, I think he forgets that I do not know how to read.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Genesis has her mouth in a circle and is staring at the whale on my drawing paper. During Art time, Mr. Claflin likes to put us in pairs, and for some reason, I am always paired with Genesis. "I am coloring my whale," I tell her.

"But that's wrong. Whales aren't red," Genesis says.

I raise and lower my shoulders. "So? It's my whale, and it can be whatever color I want it to be."

"No, it can't," Genesis insists. "Whales aren't red. They're only blue."

"Have you ever seen a whale?" I ask.

"No! But everyone knows that whales are blue," Genesis says. "And I'm going to tell the teacher because you're coloring it red and that's wrong. You're going to be in trouble." Genesis raises her hand. "Mr. Claflin, Aisha is coloring her whale red."

Mr. Claflin walks over and looks at my drawing paper. "That's fine," he says.

"But whales aren't red," Genesis tells him. "They're blue."

"Well, technically whales are gray, black, and grayish blue," Mr. Claflin says. "Some are even brown and white, but if Aisha wants to use her imagination and color her whale red, she can." Genesis starts to protest, so Mr. Claflin tells us to switch partners. I pick up my paper and move beside Miller. Broderick the Fourth sits beside Genesis. "I think your whale is beautiful," Miller whispers. "Don't worry about what Genesis thinks. She's such a crybaby. I think she would cry if I poked her with a marshmallow." We both break into soft giggles.

Miller stops working on his own whale and starts staring at me like he was doing on the first day of school. His chin resting in his palm and his eyes wide and dreamy. Mr. Claflin notices and tells him to do his work.

"I can't," Miller says.

"And why is that?" Mr. Claflin asks.

"Because...," Miller smiles shyly. "Because Aisha is so beautiful and she's distracting me."

Mr. Claflin is speechless. The other students begin snickering, especially Lee, whose laugh is even louder than his regular talking voice. He leans over to Miller and grabs his drawing paper. "Why are you drawing yourself on your whale?" he asks. "And why are you coloring yourself brown. You're not African American."

"I am African American," Miller says. He snatches his paper back.

Genesis jumps out of her seat and runs to the front of the classroom where Mr. Claflin is sitting on his desk grading homework. Tears are streaming down her face. "Broderick just called me the G word," she cries.

"No, you aren't," Lee says. "Your mom is white. I see her every day when she comes to pick you up."

Mr. Claflin motions for Broderick the Fourth to come to the front. "Miller and Lee, stop talking right now," he orders before turning back to Genesis. "Let's calm down," he tells her. "Now, what exactly is the G word?"

"My dad is African American, and that makes me African American," Miller says.

Genesis is crying so hard she can hardly get the words out of her mouth. "He called me a g...g...jerk!"

Mr. Claflin looks about ready to laugh, but he doesn't. "That's a J word, Genesis," he says. "Broderick the Fourth, why would you call her that?"

"No, it doesn't. You're half black and half white which makes you...let me think, oh yes...Mulatto," Lee says, spitting out the last word.

Miller's jaw drops. "I'm not!" he yells.

"Miller and Lee, cut it out," Mr. Claflin says.

"She wouldn't call me my full name," Broderick the Fourth explains. "Just Broderick, and that's not my name. It's Broderick the Fourth."

"That's no reason to call her a mean word," Mr. Claflin says. "You need to apologize. But Genesis, from now on, please call him Broderick the Fourth."

"I don't have time to say all that," Genesis complains.

Lee covers his ears. "La, la, la," he sings. "You're Mulatto, Mulatto, Mulattoooooo-" The end is cut short by Miller's fist against his face.

"Miller and Lee, to the principal's office NOW," Mr. Claflin orders. They start to object, but Mr. Claflin points to the door. "NOW," he repeats. They both leave the room.

Ten: Names

As soon as Genesis and Broderick the Fourth return to their seats, the twin named Sophia raises her hand. "Mr. Claflin, JeBron just called me a baby," she says.

"JeBron, did you call Sophia a baby?" Mr. Claflin asks.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean it in a bad way," JeBron explains. "I was saying, 'Hey, baby!' My mom says it all the time to my dad when she wants him to do something."

Mr. Claflin closes his eyes briefly as if praying for an angel to help him. "All right, Art time is over," he says.

"Mr. Claflin, are we getting on your nerves?" Megan asks.

"Yes, you are," Mr. Claflin says.

"Why don't you yell at us, Mr. Claflin?" Maria says. "Our mom always yells when we get on her nerves."

"Maybe Mr. Claflin will yell when we get on his last nerve," JeBron says.

"I don't yell because yelling doesn't help anyone or anything." Mr. Claflin collects all of our drawing papers and puts them in a big purple folder on his desk. "All eyes on me, please," he says. "Name calling doesn't help anyone or anything either. In the past five minutes, I have had three of my own children get in trouble for calling someone outside of their name. Name calling is never okay. Calling someone a name just to see them cry is not okay. Name calling is bullying and it hurts. Do you all understand?"

Everyone nods.

"Going forward, there will be no more name calling in my class," Mr. Claflin continues. "A very wise person once said that 'yelling at living things kills the spirit in them. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.' There is a zero tolerance for calling people 'stupid' (he looks at JeBron), or 'jerk' (he looks at Broderick the Fourth), or any other name that is mean in this classroom. Anytime I hear anyone saying a mean name, we won't have story time."

Everyone looks stunned. Story time is our favorite time of the day.

"Now, I'm going to talk with Principal Robinson about Miller and Lee," Mr. Claflin says. "Megan, you're in charge while I'm gone. I want everyone to work on your Math sheets and I want absolutely no talking. And when I come back, let's try to go the rest of the day without anyone saying 'Mr. Claflin.'"

The classroom is completely quiet. Mr. Claflin has just reached the door, when JeBron raises his hand. "Um...Blaine, may I please go to the restroom?"