Halloween Candy

Since Halloween fell on a school day this year, I was curious (and a little afraid, I must admit) as to what awaited me the day AFTER Halloween. I was hoping that maybe some of my students would perhaps forget about the holiday all together (which unfortunately, was not the case). On the day in question, I eagerly awaited my first students. I wanted to get the 411 on the Halloween festivities and wanted to know the plans that the students had for the night.
As my first student came into my class, I called her over to my desk. She was so happy and could not wait to tell me all about going trick-or-treating for the night. Unhappy that my wish was not coming true, I lied and told her that I thought it was great that she was going trick-or-treating around her neighborhood. Suddenly this student started laughing. It seemed that though I was the teacher, she had to teach me the "rules" of Halloween in "the hood".
First, I must preface this story by describing my students to you. You see, I have 24 African-American students and some are of a lower socioeconomic background. So when I asked my student if she was going to get candy around her neighborhood, she looked at me like I was crazy. "No, Ms. Guidry", she explained, "We don't get candy in MY neighborhood. " My education on Halloween candy continued as she explained to me "the way things go" in her "hood". She told me that people in her neighborhood did not give out the "good" candy. People in her neighborhood gave out "the little Snicker bars from the Dollar store". So when my student and her friends went trick-or-treating, they traveled down the street to "the rich, white folk neighborhood". Evidently, "rich, white folks" know the right candy to purchase. My student preceded to tell me that when they traveled into the "rich, white folks" neighborhood, they received "the BIG Snicker bars". "Rich, white folks know how to give out candy," she said with a snap. These prizes were way better than the skimpy ones given out around where she lives.
I couldn't stop laughing. Who knew that children understood where to find the "goods" like their adult counterparts could find the best bargain pricing? I felt compelled to explain to my student that not all "white folks" would be giving out good candy. I told her that I was apart of the "poor, white folk" category and I would NOT be giving out "skimpy" candy bars because I wasn't giving out any candy this year.
"Now you know that ain't right Ms. Guidry," she responded. She was right, it wasn't right. But then again, I am far from being a "rich, white folk". It was definitely an educational experience for all.