The recent revelation by CNN of the attitude of primary school children towards skin colour got me thinking about my early childhood.
There was this classmate by the name of Tom Henry who moved out of town in grade 3 because his father who was the local CIBC bank manager in Niagara -on-the Lake, Ont. was transfered. There was quite a sadness in the air to see him go which I shared. I can still see his face.
Tom was clearly an athlete. So were several other guys at the time, like Robert Bradley and Ted Greves. But I grew up with those two status people. My impression of their status may have come much later.
The question that I have is why did I subscribe so much importance to Tom Henry in my early childhood. I felt a loss when he left, and I wasn’t close to him. Was it because how everyone else thought of him? Was it because young boys in the eary grades naturally confer status on athletic ability. Or was it because of teachers who showed preference to the son of a banker, and why did I even know this. Richmond White, another classmate was a clutz, but he was quite popular and lived in a local riverfront mansion.
Are teachers responsible for our attitudes on race and status? Teachers were the only town adults that I connected with in those years. My family’s social life existed outside of town. No influence from tem on my impressions of status.
Any of your memories of confering status on someone in the eary primary grades is appreciated. And why you think you did so.