Day 1

 We had full set of the Encyclopedia Britannica in my house. I loved it. I saw that set in so many other households like mine that I thought every Black household had one. I thought this was the required Black Home Book collection: A set of encyclopedias, Ebony, Jet and that Time year end book that they sent every year. And then later on, as we got more hip, Essence.

I used to read out of the encyclopedia for fun. I would just pick a book, say volume 18: Taylor to Utah, and just read the various sections, see what it said. I read about France. I read about hot air balloons. Whatever the information, if it had it, I read it.

I had a White teacher in second or third grade in elementary school - well, most of my teachers were White. But I don't think this one liked me very much. She seemed to never smile and it seemed like she picked on me alot. (of course, I was 7 or 8, and I really don't recall much very accurately, but whatever.)

She gave the class an assignment to write about a famously dead historical figure - probably either Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King, Jr. It was probably for Black History Month. I knew what to do. 

Lincoln, you know, "Li", would have been in volume 10, but Martin Luther, "Lu", would have been in volume 11. Gotta split those rebel-rousers up. So I got the encyclopedia, copied the section out and turned that in as my assignment.

She didn't like it.

I don't remember the exact sequence of events. What I do recall is hazy. But I think she scolded me and even scolded my mother for my report. I recall her telling my mother to not make me "do that again", and my mom's response "I didn't make her do that. She did that on her own."

Showing initiative and drive? Finding information and using it correctly? These things are bad?

"Next time, use your own words," my teacher said finally.

Why would I do that? The information from the encyclopedia sounded just fine to me, sounded even better than my own words.

The next time I had to prepare a report, I of course used the encyclopedias. I just tried to shorten the sentences so it looked like "my own words".