My parents were snow birds who took me out of School each year to head for the balmy, warmer shores of Florida. Sometimes I took my books and studied at home. But on a couple of occasions when we were staying longer, my folks enrolled in junior high at two Florida schools (one public, one private).  That was actually when I first heard a teacher say the ‘N’ word in the most hateful way,  and learned  about racial prejudices.

Needless  to say I was shocked with Mrs. X called black people that and continued with racial slurs.  My Florida classmates were used to this type of talk and some held her beliefs, but not all.   Well, back at my Long Island, NY school I was an A student.  I found the education at these two southern schools lacking and well behind, so I pretty much aced all my courses except deportment, which Mrs. X failed me for speaking out in defense of blacks. I remember raising my hand every time she uttered the N word and telling her that that wasn’t nice and that we didn’t talk that way in New York. She nearly slapped me.

Hopefully Florida schools have parted with such bigotry in the classroom. However I’m sure the damage was done to some students who accepted the teacher’s word, maybe some of them or their kids are same  deplorable ones who caused so much grief and harm in Charlottesville. They may have learned their hatred from similar teachers.