Personal Narrative: Growing Up In A Special Classroom

1261 Words6 Pages
There is a small classroom in a medium sized elementary school on the streets of New York City. It looks like any other apartment building except for the large sized playground with a sky-high green fence surrounding it and the sign “P.S.89/I.S. 89”. Inside are large corridors colored in grey with patches of harsh florescent light and classrooms that are packed with twenty to thirty children. I was one of these children, happily smiling, as I was about to start the first grade. Little did I know, it was going to be one of the worst years of my life. High up on the fifth floor, I was put in a special classroom that mixed regular children with those that have learning disabilities, behavioral issues and special needs. My family and I were…show more content…
I was, therefore, seated next to Anthony, a boy who was held back from graduating first grade for two years. Anthony was different. He wriggled and twisted with ADHD and yelled out whatever was on his mind. He also liked to whisper. He would share his thoughts about creative ways to kill me. In a hissed undertone, he told me he was going to cut my head off, bomb my apartment, cut me into four pieces, and so and so forth. I was so young that I did not know what Anthony was doing was very wrong so I never mentioned it to anyone. I watched the clock in the classroom, counting down the hours until I could go home. The hands seemed to move in slow…show more content…
Recess in the first grade took on its own twisted dynamic, particularly when the queen of the playground was Yaya. Yaya was a pretty little girl with two braids who had mastered group dynamics and rule by fear before the rest of us had learned to read Cat In The Hat. I had met Yaya over the summer at a neighborhood park so I was automatically allowed in the mermaid running game. Alice, a cute redhead with freckles, was new but looked nice. I invited her to play with us but Yaya quickly made me aware that I was not the leader of this game, had no right to allow anyone entry into the friendship circle, and that Alice was not welcome. My inviting Alice so offended Yaya that I was thrown out of the mermaid running game. Alice and I bonded over fairy houses and princess dress up, but secretly we both wanted to be included in the mermaid game. The rule of the playground was clear. If you wanted to play the “it” game, Yaya had to grant you permission. Everyday Yaya would choose to not include someone in the game, thereby forcing a competition for her approval. Since, Alice and I both wanted to be apart of Yaya’s group we quickly became rivals rather than friends. At the end of recess, each class formed a line before marching back up to class. Given the nature of my first grade class, forming a strait line took much longer than for the other classes. For that matter, it was difficult for
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