MR. KAZILLY STARTS history class with a question. “How many of you have been watching on TV or reading about the school protests happening around the country?”
Only a few kids raise their hands.
“I suppose we should spend some time one day figuring out the best phone apps for news and information for you all,” the teacher says with a sigh. “But for now let’s talk about how what’s going on in other kids’ lives can affect us all.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asks.
“Let me explain,” Mr. K. continues. “Do any of you know why young people are protesting?”
Gretchen answers first. “Yeah. There have been a bunch of school shootings in the past few years. Students are saying, ‘Enough of that,’ and trying to figure out what they can do so it doesn’t happen again. Maybe walking out of school can help change gun laws and stuff.”
“It’s gotta be crazy scary to have that happen at your school,” Jontay adds, scrunching his face like he’s thinking real hard.
Lots of us nod in agreement.
“Do students have a right to walk out of school?” Mr. Kazilly asks.
“Why not? They walked in!” Jontay says, breaking the tension a little.
“Do they have a right to protest?” Mr. Kazilly presses.
“Absolutely!” Imani says, her face serious. “Real people died in those school shootings—kids our age. We have a right to be safe.”
“Very good, Imani,” Mr. K. tells her. Then he asks, “What kinds of things in the past have led to demonstrations that have led to change?”
“Voting rights, uh, for women!” I offer.
“Racial discrimination.”
“All of this is heavy stuff,” Mr. Kazilly says. “In the fight for civil rights, for instance, there was sometimes violence. Terrible violence. But it eventually led to good as the minds and hearts of people were changed.”
“Hmm. Not enough,” Jontay mutters.
Mr. Kazilly then surprises me when he says, “Perhaps you’re right, Jontay.”
“I don’t get what this has to do with us, though,” Cecil says.
“Good point. Brings me around to what I planned for today. What I want to focus on are the many good books and stories that were written so that no one ever forgets all that happened. Writers rock!”
“Huh?” a couple of us say.
“And then we are going to write! This will be our sixth-grade start to making the world a better place,” Mr. Kazilly finishes.
I think most of the kids in class either groan or sigh or roll their eyes, me included.
I raise my hand. “What are we supposed to write about?”
“First, you read and research . . .”
More groans.
“. . . then you write.”
Mr. Kazilly’s taught sixth grade for a long time. He totally ignores our groans and pushes on. “Sometimes it takes a really bad thing to bring about positive change.”
“Like what?” Jontay asks.
“Spent a lot of time reading your history homework last night, did ya?” Mr. Kazilly says, raising an eyebrow.
“The Celtics were in the playoffs, man! That was history in the making!” Jontay calls out. Lots of kids nod in agreement.
“Nice try,” Mr. Kazilly says with a laugh. “Catch up tonight, okay? Chapter twenty-seven in your American history book talks about how churches were bombed, houses were burned, people were lynched. History—MADE.” His face is dead serious now.
“What’s ‘lynched’?” I ask. I’ve heard the word before, but I’m not sure exactly what it means.
“Good question, Isabella. It’s when people decide to be judge, jury, and executioner without following any laws. People were hanged or shot or imprisoned, without ever getting a proper hearing!”
“But . . . but . . .” I hardly know what to say. “That’s really awful!” I finally exclaim.
Imani raises her hand. “Hanged? Like, a noose around their neck?”
Mr. Kazilly takes his time. The classroom goes quiet. “Yes. It was a terrible, terrible thing.”
“They show that in cowboy movies all the time,” Logan blurts out. “No big deal.”
“I guess it would be a big deal if it was happening to you,” Imani replies, her voice hard.
Logan puts his hands around his neck and fakes like he’s choking.
“That is not funny, Logan!” Mr. Kazilly says, his voice rising. “Stop that!”
Heather looks squarely at him, shakes her head, and frowns. I’m not sure he notices—he’s so busy acting up.
“Just doing a little show-and-tell.” Logan does it again and pretends to gasp.
“I said STOP!” Mr. Kazilly actually yells!
“Okay, okay, my bad.” Logan puts both hands in the air and tries to laugh it off.
Heather puts her head on her desk.
Imani, however, is standing up.
Mr. Kazilly finally notices her. “Imani?”
I’ve never seen Imani so angry. Her fists are clenched. Her face looks—how can I explain?—old, like a grown-up’s. Like somebody who’s lived a thousand years. It’s kinda chilling. And impressive. I’ve never actually seen Imani really pissed off before.
She’s staring Logan down like he’s some kind of stranger, not the kid we’ve both known since first grade. “You, Logan, are an idiot!”
Everybody kinda sucks in their breath.
She narrows her eyes as Logan’s go wide. “Real people were once executed by hanging. With a rope and noose. People like me! That is not funny. I’ll say it again. You are an idiot!” And then she sits back down.
The room gets scary silent. Everybody stares at Logan, who’s slumping as far down in his seat as he can without actually getting under it.
“Sorry,” he mutters.
But he doesn’t look sorry.
Mr. Kazilly looks from Imani to Logan and tells Logan he will see him after school for a whole hour of detention.
Logan starts to protest, but a stern look from Mr. K. shuts him down.