"Apache land"

One of my favorite quotes from this year came from a rebellious 7th grader who wouldn't stop leaning and pounding on the wall in the lunch line. Logically, on the other side of this wall sit the band instruments. So we nagging teachers have good reason for not wanting the kids up against the wall while they wait for their food. Well, he kept touching, punching, and leaning on the wall just to annoy me, so after asking him several times, I sent him to the back of the line. As he did so, he said to me, "Go back to the white land. This is Apache land."

He's right. And he's wrong. And he's in 7th grade, probably repeating something that he's heard at home. So I just smiled and said, "Whatever," and then I ignored him. I am a visitor. I am a tourist. I do not belong. But I also know that there are no Apaches stepping up for my job, as much as I wish they were, as much as I believe that an Apache-run school district from top-down is the only way to really create change.