Life in the Projects

As mentioned last summer, I store relics in my books. Old postcards from friends, love letters, photos, bookmarks from bookstores in the places I have lived...the list goes on. Therefore, my recent book purge (to make space for our move to a smaller but better laid out apartment) of over 200 of my books has turned up some interesting finds. Mostly nostalgic mementos, these paper memories are getting reshuffled into the books I am keeping (which are mostly academic books that cost too much to replace).

Amid the words of my friends, though, I found an old paragraph from a student of mine in 2002, Michelle, about life in the projects. We must have been reading The Women of Brewster Place or something--I have no idea what I was teaching as it was only my second year in the classroom! But I found it insightful and thought I'd share:

Living in the projects is type aight. You pay low rent so ya moms has some extra cash in her pocket that you could scheme off of her. This way you could get some new clothes or the new Jordans that just came out. When you're outside chillen and you get the munchies you don't have to worry cuz there is a store on every corner. Most of them are open 24 hrs. with a little window. Becareful with your business though. The niggas and chickens got nuttin better to do then to hate on someone. So if they find out something you best believe it's gonna get through the projects by morning.

I tell ya, these kids teach me more than I can teach them.