I was a straight A student and always bored in school and could not understand why the other students didn't "get it". I was always running errands and really didn't have to do anything because I was always years ahead of my class. So in the 7th grade my mom pulled me out of public school and put me in Catholic school. What a difference, it was like day and night. The things they were learning was like Greek. I had no idea what the nuns were talking about. They were learning trigonometry, calculus and I had never ever heard of it. Their writing was so much more advanced than mine, their knowledge of world history and geography was amazing, I was really in total shock. They were even learning Latin in the 7th grade.

I could not say the school was racist because there were black kids in the class and they were getting Straight A's but, my grades dropped down to C's and I could barely keep up. I couldn't understand, how the heck, I was getting straight A's and on the honor roll in the public school and now I don't understand anything. I cried a lot, I was really hurt and did not want to go to that school anymore because a mere transfer changed my life, I had went from being the smartest kid in the class to the dumbest. .

At first I was embarrassed and ashamed. I was so ashamed I became withdrawn. My mom spoke to the Nuns and they gave me individual counseling to help me. But, I still didn't get it, and I couldn't catch up. Then I became angry because, I realized that I was cheated, I was cheated out of so much knowledge that I could never make up for.

When I saw the Black children who were going to this school they were equally good and ALL of these kids were not only interested, but excited about learning. Whereas I used to be the one answering all the questions, I couldn't answer any. It was REALLY hard, because I never got the foundation they had received. That is when I realized that something was terribly wrong with America. I was child that loved to learn, I wanted to learn with all my heart, I had a thirst for knowledge, yet, I was cheated. I believe the miss - education of black America is deliberate. The system was racist. There is no doubt in my mind that it is meant to be.

The thing is, I did not know I was being cheated until I went to a different school. Similarly today, the grocery stores in black neighborhoods lack the fresh variety of healthy foods that one can find in the white neighborhoods. But then - those who have never seen the other side,. do not know they are being cheated and treated unfairly. And so the beat goes on, in every aspect of American life, to the point that we are wasting our own talent, and having to import people for their skills, from other nations because we have failed to properly educate our own.

My mom tried to compensate by getting me all kinds of books. When I went to college, I still felt I missed something. When I see my nieces getting A's and B's and their parents are so excited. Then I look at the material they are learning, and still, even in high school, their writing skills and reading skills are week, I know two things. 1) Nothing has changed. 2) Kids will learn what they are taught.