“Class, hello and welcome to your first day of kindergarten. I’m going to be your teacher for the year, and occasionally we’ll have Mr. Norman to join us when I need extra help. Since he’s not here today to help out with getting things in line we’ll go around the room, and introduce yourselves. Just say your name, and something you like to do. Let’s start from the back.”

Every kid did as asked, and then it was my turn.

“ Go ahead, Hun. Tell us your name.”

I stood up, “ my name is-”

“ Hold on sweetie, can you face the class?” i took a deep breath, and turned,

“ my name is Cecilia, and-”

“ hey! What’s she lookin’ at?” one of the kids pointed out that i didn’t turn all the way around, and to kids that age it was funny to not understand someone’s situation. All the kids followed behind the playground alpha and laughed at me.

“ now class! Stop that. Cecilia is very different from the rest of you, and i should have told you right off the bat, but i didn’t want to put her on the spot, but Cecilia is blind. Do any of you know what that means?”

The kids all raised their hands, and Mrs.Mary picked the perkiest voice of the bunch,

“ doesn’t that mean she can’t see?”

“ Yes, well done, Emily.”

I went to sit back down, but someone had pulled my chair away, and I fell. The kids laughed at my misfortune once again. During class, while the teacher’s back was turned i received spitballs to the back of my head, or tugging of my hair, or kicks to the bottom of my seat. I felt like I couldn't tell anyone because I never knew who was doing it. I was too shy to interrupt the class, so I just stuck it out, and that day I realized that the saying “ kids can be cruel” was more than true.