SUPERINTENDENT’S CHAT

Richard J. McClements, Shonto Preparatory School

When I was little, it seemed that the only terrible thing that concerned small children was that the Russians would one day bomb us. At school, we practiced for that emergency. My greatest fear was that I would strike out or drop the ball at the Little League games and embarrass my father. My little farm community was safe and secure. Most pre-teen children were basically innocent of worldly matters. Typical questions were naïve and unknowing. Here are some questions I am afraid my grandchildren might one day ask me. Now my fear is how to answer them.

“How come, Grandpa, some convenience stores and grocery markets sell those cigarette wrapping papers? If they are used for drugs as some of my friends say, how can the store owners do that when they know it will hurt people?”

“Grandpa, why do some people put bad things in our Halloween candy?”

“Grandpa, what is a drive-by shooting?”

“How come, Grandpa, AIDS is killing millions of people? Why don’t we find a cure?

How come, Grandpa, so many shows on TV make me feel uncomfortable with the things the actors say and do?

“How come, Grandpa, Mommy says there are bad men out there who want to hurt me? Why would anyone want to hurt a little girl?”

“How come, Grandpa, Daddy says that it is not safe to travel through Washington, D.C.? That’s where our President lives. Why isn’t that the safest city in America?”

“How come, Grandpa, people laugh when they talk about our last President and some woman named, Monica?”

“How come, Grandpa, some kids have been shot in schools around our country? Is my school safe?”

“Grandpa, why would anyone want to crash planes into the World Trade Center?”

“Grandpa, I am scared. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy argue. Betty says no one stays married any more. Does that mean that Mommy and Daddy are going to get a divorce? What would happen to me?”

“How come, Grandpa, those sports and movie stars make millions of dollars a year, and our teachers, fireman, and police average only $35,000?”

“Why, Grandpa, do some kids use bad language at school and on the bus? How can my classmates say such terrible words?”

“Why, Grandpa, did Uncle Bill come back from that war in Iraq in 1991 and now has those bad spells from being gassed? And why did our government cover up what happened to him? How can this be? Doesn’t our government always tell the truth?”

“Grandpa, you say that my purpose in life is to leave something positive behind when I leave this world. Why don’t more people try to do good things?”