Dear Kids,

Sorry for the numerous assaults on your innocence today. The very challenging math test in the morning should have been enough for one day. Instead, we then did a half-hour vocabulary lesson with the words “mourn,” “mourning,” and “mourners.” I think you get it now– everyone dies. And it’s fucking sad.

Oh– but then, just for good measure, we read you the next chapter in our book– a very descriptive passage about the conditions of the African salve ships en route to Colonial America. We probably could have stopped at the part about the white men tossing children’s bodies overboard to the sharks, but we thought it would be better to then drive home the point by focusing, in great detail, on the foul odors, blood, vomit, and feces that permeated the ships.

Knowing this was coming, I wanted to hand each of you a Prozac when you walked in the door this morning, but my co-teacher said that was inappropriate. So I swallowed them all instead.

Enjoy your weekend visit to the ice cream store and petting zoo, and sorry again for crushing your innocence!

xoxo,
Miss Emily