Chapters 6-9

                “I admire you very much for having taught on this God-forsaken island, but I am going to give these kids the experience of spending Halloween the way the rest of the kids in America spend it.” I chose this sentence because I was so happy when Conroy actually stood up to Mrs. Brown. I am still very much a kid at heart and I look forward to holidays as much as my younger siblings do. To know that these children never got to experience something as fun at trick-or-treating is sad, and I was very happy to see Conroy stick up for his students and actually give them a great experience that they all deserved.

                Chapter six was, by far, the best chapter so far in this book. Conroy found out that his students have never experienced Halloween; therefore, he tried his hardest to make sure his students celebrated the trick-or-treating tradition just like the other children off the island did. Once Halloween was over and the students were back at school on Yamacraw Island they all explained to Conroy how much fun they had, and how Beaufort was “the nicest place in de World.”  It took a lot for Conroy to get those students off Yamacraw Island for the weekend, but I loved his determination and was very happy that his students got to experience something they would remember forever.

                Chapter seven explains all about the children’s hatred toward Mrs. Brown. Conroy mentioned that he could hear Mrs. Brown beating her students regularly in the class next door, and that he believes that Mrs. Brown “sincerely believed that a child needed a beating every once in a while if he was to respect authority, do his lessons, and grow up to make a contribution to his community.” I believe that Mrs. Brown looks down upon her students because they are black, and thinks because they are black they need to be beaten every once in a while if they are to succeed in life. I believe that Mrs. Brown is doing what she thinks is best for her students to succeed on Yamacraw Island; however, the more I read about this woman the more aggravated I get with her behavior.

                In chapter eight, Conroy explains how he lost favor with the administration of Beaufort County. The dispute began over Conroy’s boats gasoline bill, and Conroy’s complaints about the schools conditions. Conroy explained to Mr. Piedmont that the students on Yamacraw Island deserved the same education as the students in Beaufort, and that his boat did not only transport him to work every morning, but also transported guest speakers, movies, groceries, injured students, etc. Conroy was set to have an appointment with Mr. Piedmont to discuss these issues, but when Conroy arrived at the meeting he found that Mr. Piedmont would not be there. Therefore, Conroy would have the meeting with Bennington who would report the results of the meeting to Mr. Piedmont. After threatening to walk out, Conroy eventually got what he wanted. The county would continue to pay for the gas, and upkeep of his boat for the remainder of the year.

                In chapter nine, Conroy takes a few of his older boys to a Globetrotters basketball game in Charleston. I loved that Conroy gave his students experiences outside of Yamacraw Island; experiences that were all meaningful and would be remembered by the students forever. Unfortunately, even though the students had fun off the Island, times on the Island weren’t always as nice. As we have seen throughout the book, most of the students are fairly violent with each other, and usually don’t mind fighting. This behavior was taught, most likely, from their parents. Conroy explains that drinking on Yamacraw Island is a way of life; something most all women and men participated in. Unfortunately, usually after long nights or days of drinking, a fight would break out at the homes of many of Conroy’s students. These students were forced to witness many violent attacks from their mothers or fathers; attacks that would traumatize many of Conroy’s students. Conroy tried to help when he could, but the violence on Yamacraw Island tended to be a never ending cycle.