75- Underground Railroad

Everyday, I find myself even less surprised that our state’s education system is ridiculed by others. There are a lot of dumb teachers in this school. I keep thinking- if there are a lot of dumb teachers in this school, there must be hundreds of dumb teachers across the state. Unless somebody weeds these duds out fast, some of our kids won’t have a fighting chance in the adult world.
I’m learning that there is a huge difference between being stupid and being uneducated. I fear that Esther may be both.
Today is Friday, so Esther, Caroline, and I met together to plan for our future lessons. Our grade has been studying the Civil War, and we all agreed that we should teach the students about Harriet Tubman after Thanksgiving break. While discussing which books on Tubman to share with our students, Esther vomited out another puddle of horrific ignorance.
“I just admire Harriet Tubman so much, I mean God Bless her! Imagine how difficult it must be to build an entire railroad under the ground. My stars!”
Build a railroad under the ground? I waited for Esther to laugh. Please be kidding. She didn’t laugh.
Caroline, who usually is trying to complete seven tasks at once, had frozen in place. Her jaw had dropped and I could see little bits of cookie clinging to her tongue because she had ceased chewing.
“Esther!” Caroline was horrified. “Harriet Tubman did not build a railroad track underground. What the hell are you thinking?”
I started to feel embarrassed for Esther, who defensively responded to Caroline.
“Well, of course she didn’t build it. I know that!” The older woman laughed nervously and fidgeted with the gold Palmetto Tree that hung from her neck. “I just admire how Harriet helped all those slave people find their way through all those tunnels. It must have been dark and scary.”
All those tunnels?
Caroline jumped from her seat and threw her hands into the air. Like a stereotypical Italian woman, Caroline began ranting to herself in a loud, angry voice. “How many years has this woman been teaching? Harriet Tubman and underground tunnels! Good Lord, please help her students!” Caroline’s hands dropped and she made the sign of the cross on her chest. After muttering a quick prayer under her breath, Caroline regained her composure.
Esther, who has worked with Caroline for many years, is accustomed to these kinds of outbursts, but never has she been the cause of the northerner’s tirade of frustration.
I sat uncomfortably in my seat and pretended to be absorbed with writing lesson plans.
Caroline returned to our table to sit directly across from Esther. Southern Baptist versus Yankee Catholic; the two sat face to face, prepared to debate the historical facts of the Underground Railroad.
Caroline began; she spoke to Esther as if she were speaking to a student. “The Underground Railroad is a figurative term. It does not literally mean that people traveled underground by train. In fact, people did not travel underground at all. In this case, underground means hidden or in secret.”
Esther’s face had turned a deep shade of red. I felt sorry for her.
Determined to save face, Esther argued her point, “It says here,” she pointed to a page in a Harriet Tubman book, “that Harriet was forced to hide underground.”
“Yes,” Caroline calmly replied, “Harriet was forced to hide underground- in cellars and basements, not in secret tunnels dug beneath the surface of the earth!”
Esther grew silent. She frantically flipped through her book, desperate to find information that would prove that Harriet Tubman had led slaves through underground tunnels.
Caroline rolled her eyes and stood up again. She collected all of her things and turned towards the door. Before she left, Caroline turned and spoke, “Esther,” she said in a disappointed voice, “You really should know all of this already.”
And then I was left alone, to sit in awkward silence with Esther.