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Alison L. Aubrecht 284 ape-child she sits at her desk in a secluded classroom which consists of only six students the teacher speaks loud and clear and they squint their eyes desperately trying to keep up failing to read every word in the back of her mind a tiny voice screams for escape from this prison of the soul during break she finds herself gesturing with another classmate only to have a ruler SLAM down on her hands SHUTTING OUT HER SPIRIT tears well up in her eyes as she wonders why it’s so wrong when it feels so right but pride prevents them from falling this time Alison L. Aubrecht 285 would you do this to your child would you take her heart and squash it would you leave it up to teachers to beat her hands would you tell her its wrong to try anything short of speaking to learn a language would you spend hours teaching her how to say a word correctly instead of holding her in your arms tenderly would you tell her to make you proud by making her do something so painful at night she goes home and closes her eyes, her head aching from the effort and her heart yearning nearly bursting from the lacking in the dim light her mother tucks her in and says, “good night honey. I love you.” But she does not see. ...

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