Field Trips from Different Worlds

Last week I had two field trips from elementary schools. The first one was from the South side of Mesa sometimes referred to as the miserable mile. This is an area of low-income families dominated by Hispanics. As these beautiful brown first graders came to board the bus I observed them laughing, holding hands with each other, and clutching their water bottles. I wondered if in all the world God has any more beautiful children than these. I know where they live and I know that perhaps most of their parents are illegal. In their innocent childhood they did not seem to be aware that they lived on the wrong side of town. They were just happy to be going on a field trip in a bus. As I gained speed down the on ramp and merged onto the freeway there was an audible excitement as if they had just begun a trip to Disneyland. We were going just four miles to Mesa Community College for a water safety day.

My second field trip was from one of the best neighborhoods in town. There is a gated community just across the street from the school. As you might guess these kindergarten children were all white. They too held hands and clutched their water bottles. They too were so cute that I wanted to take a couple of them home with me. {This I’m told would be illegal.} One of the parents arrived fashionably late in her black Escalade to deliver her student. As I got up to the speed limit on the freeway I addressed them on the PA and asked them if they would like to go really fast on this bus. They answered excitedly in the affirmative. I replied” Sorry this is as fast as I can go”. Their trip was to the Phoenix Botanical Garden. As we got back to the school I had to dodge a 50 thousand dollar Hummer that one of the parents had boldly parked in the bus loading zone and left unattended. As these privileged children got off the bus most of them, I’m sure prompted by the teachers, came by and thanked Mr. Bus Driver for the ride.

This was a study in contrast of two of the most diverse neighborhood schools in Mesa. No one can know what these children will be doing in twenty-five years from now. I am reminded of a saying I once heard. Two things are needed in this world; For poor men to know how rich men work and for rich men to know how poor men live.

Random thoughts by Errol Bagley Seniority #447