Kaffir Boy Journal #2 On Education

I’ve always wanted to go to school, but I was not allowed to because my father thought it wasn’t necessary for girls to go to school. My dream till today is to go to school. I’ve always wanted to be as smart as other kids who went to school. To go to school always seemed so fascinating to learn different things. If I went to school, I would been able to get a decent job and at least provide better for my family, because my husband is not doing much of it since he finishes half his money on gambling and drinking. I believe education is the only way to open doors where none seem to exist. All the opportunities education could give people like us. The only thing is that those who grew up in the tribal reserves, were taught to believe education was a waste of time and just a white man’s education that was there to teach us to be white people’s slaves forever. It’s the key one needs to open up a new world and a new life. Since I wasn’t allowed to go to school, that didn’t really help me in the future. It was so hard to get good jobs because I didn’t have basic skills like read or write and didn’t have my paper, so I was always rejected when I was looking for job. Education can get people to talk to you, listen to you and help you: those who wouldn’t even bother in the first place. It will also get black people anywhere in the white man’s world. Education can end the poverty, hunger and suffering. If only my oldest son would think the same, and believe me. He is influenced by the junkyard boys who are barely ever sober. I don’t want my son to become like them. I believe my son has a bright future. I’ve also hoped that my mother’s boss would allow my son to visit their home so that maybe the white people could grant him with a future. I also hope that I will be able to keep my new job so that I could pay for my children school fees and everything else needed for them to get through school. Oh how I hope I will be able to provide for Mark to go to college. If he could get through college, then he would be able to achieve anything because I believe by that time, the world would have changed God willing. That is my prayer to God that my children finish school and become somebody. My other prayer is that God will allow my children to be able to take care of their parents when my husband and I become old. Oh how that would be so nice. We wouldn’t have to continue to worry about where the next meal was coming from or who was going to bring the food home and what would also be good, is that my children are successful and not unhappy but content and content with how they are living.