January 20th, 2009 was a day that I and the country will never forget. The day began as normal, only it wasn’t; that day a new president was being sworn into office. Throughout the day, classrooms were broadcasting the important event. However, this inauguration was different because for the first time in history our nation elected a black president. This marked a barrier broken through racial discrimination and showed that anyone no matter the color of their skin can achieve the same goals.
I was sitting in my 3rd grade class casually looking at the screen. I didn’t care about politics and they didn’t make sense to me. After 20 minutes of watching Barack Obama give his speech, I noticed a tooth that was loose and I began to take it out. A few minutes later I was holding my tooth asking to go to the nurse. At the nurse’s office, I received a necklace in the shape of a tooth, all the while still “watching” the inauguration now in the nurse’s office. When I got back to my classroom I began to notice another wobbly tooth and soon after I was standing at my teacher’s desk again. She had a puzzled expression on her face and was wondering if I wanted to get out of watching the inauguration. I said, “No,” and headed off to the nurse. Once again, I found myself collecting a necklace to hold my second tooth. Before I left, I noticed the nurse and other teachers talking about how monumental this day was, which got me thinking.  I strutted with pride carrying my two necklaces and a gaping, toothless smile while walking back to class.
Upon arrival at the classroom, I paid more attention to the television watching the President swear in by putting his hand on the Bible. Surprising me a third time I felt another tooth waiting to come out, so I began twisting it. The tooth popped out and I told my teacher. She thought it was a joke and wouldn’t let me go, but then she saw the blood and reluctantly sent me to the nurse. I gained a third necklace and quickly headed back to my class hoping I didn’t miss anything important. By focusing all my attention on my loose teeth, I didn’t realize at the time the day was not all about me.