Evidence from the Year of Hell

Here is a story from my second year of teaching, the year that would never end.

During Bible time (I taught at a private Christian school) we sit on the floor to have our lesson. Today's lesson? What is sin.

So, I asked thechildren to five me examples of what they thoughtan "act of sin" was. I gotthe standard answers of "not sharing" and "lying" and "calling someone a bad name". Then the child that I believe may have been the devil himself raised his hand to answer.

Just a little background info on him...his mother is CRAZY and beat him in front of the other kids inthe lunchroom and was not allowed to come in my classroom without the principal as an escort. I still have the occasional nightmare about this kid and his mother. I used to feel sorry for the kid but then he slammed another kids on the ground without reason. We'll call him Bryant (although that could be his real name, ou would never know, right? Don't you ever wonder about that? If they do actually use a different name to protect that person's identity, or are they just saying that? Anyway, I digress...) Keep in mind that he is 5 years old.

Bryant: Mrs. Dowdell, I know what a sin is.

Me: Ok, go ahead Bryant.

Bryant: Well, if I brought a knife to school and hid it in my pocket and didn't tell anyone that it was there and then I brought it out on the playground and cut somebody with it and then hid it again and didn't tell anybody then that would be a sin.

Me: Right, that would qualify as a sin.