Thursday, November 03, 2005
Of Guns and Gridlock
I really have very little to discuss regarding the shooting a week ago, which is surprising considering the seriousness of the incident. The student involved was not one of mine, and I can say next to nothing about his attackers except that they were from a rival gang. I did learn that students' choices of baseball hats has something to do with local gang affiliations, favoring teams whose names start with the same one or two letters as their streets. (A gang on Boxer Road for example, might all wear Red Sox caps with the B on them.) I knew about gang colors,but for some reason this connection never became obvious until last week.
The incident itself happened early in the morning, maybe around 8 o'clock, and my first notification came not from the principal or any other administrator, but rather from a fellow chemistry teacher and the school lab technician, both of whom had their heads stuck out the window when I walked towards my room on the third floor. Apparently there had been some commotion: I saw a fire truck come by sirens blaring and security guards motioning students away from its destination. The administration quickly imposed an extended homeroom period, lasting until 9, though this was shortened until 8:40 without further comment.
Later that day it was announced that a student had been shot. Thankfully, it was only a hip wound, and the student is expected to fully recover. Unfortunately, the media had a bit of a field day and the school's reputation for violence got a renewed lifespan on the weekend of the annual high school fair.
The principal took the whole thing pretty hard. She decided today that she needed to meet with all of the students for a town hall meeting. At 11:30, I directed my students to go to the gym, where the boys basketball team had spread a tarp to protect the new gym floors from the dozens of metal chairs laid out in rows. Unfortunately, even with advance notice and knowledge of the schedule, the administration left teachers and students alike stranded in the hallway for approximately 25 minutes in front of the gym waiting for our turn. A dozen teachers and a couple hundred students jammed into a hallway...it was about as fun as you can imagine. When we finally got inside and seated, the principal poured out her heart, imploring the students to leave the foolishness at home and focus on work. She showed them the district wide benchmark figures, which indicate nearly 80% below basic skills in mathematics and around 70% below basic in reading. (I wanted to learn about science, but that data is never provided...)
She was about to introduce a new speaker from a local community anti-violence program, but I can't report on what was said since by that point it was twenty before 1, and I had to leave or I would miss my lunch. The assembly finally ended around 1:20, almost two full hours after we had been told to arrive. It was yet another astounding example of a well-intended plan whose impact was severely undermined due to shoddy execution.
Oh, and on a final note the transit strike has done very little to dampen attendance. In fact, I'm actually getting MORE students. Nothing like having 39 kids on roster in your lowest reading level class. Nothing in the world.
I really have very little to discuss regarding the shooting a week ago, which is surprising considering the seriousness of the incident. The student involved was not one of mine, and I can say next to nothing about his attackers except that they were from a rival gang. I did learn that students' choices of baseball hats has something to do with local gang affiliations, favoring teams whose names start with the same one or two letters as their streets. (A gang on Boxer Road for example, might all wear Red Sox caps with the B on them.) I knew about gang colors,but for some reason this connection never became obvious until last week.
The incident itself happened early in the morning, maybe around 8 o'clock, and my first notification came not from the principal or any other administrator, but rather from a fellow chemistry teacher and the school lab technician, both of whom had their heads stuck out the window when I walked towards my room on the third floor. Apparently there had been some commotion: I saw a fire truck come by sirens blaring and security guards motioning students away from its destination. The administration quickly imposed an extended homeroom period, lasting until 9, though this was shortened until 8:40 without further comment.
Later that day it was announced that a student had been shot. Thankfully, it was only a hip wound, and the student is expected to fully recover. Unfortunately, the media had a bit of a field day and the school's reputation for violence got a renewed lifespan on the weekend of the annual high school fair.
The principal took the whole thing pretty hard. She decided today that she needed to meet with all of the students for a town hall meeting. At 11:30, I directed my students to go to the gym, where the boys basketball team had spread a tarp to protect the new gym floors from the dozens of metal chairs laid out in rows. Unfortunately, even with advance notice and knowledge of the schedule, the administration left teachers and students alike stranded in the hallway for approximately 25 minutes in front of the gym waiting for our turn. A dozen teachers and a couple hundred students jammed into a hallway...it was about as fun as you can imagine. When we finally got inside and seated, the principal poured out her heart, imploring the students to leave the foolishness at home and focus on work. She showed them the district wide benchmark figures, which indicate nearly 80% below basic skills in mathematics and around 70% below basic in reading. (I wanted to learn about science, but that data is never provided...)
She was about to introduce a new speaker from a local community anti-violence program, but I can't report on what was said since by that point it was twenty before 1, and I had to leave or I would miss my lunch. The assembly finally ended around 1:20, almost two full hours after we had been told to arrive. It was yet another astounding example of a well-intended plan whose impact was severely undermined due to shoddy execution.
Oh, and on a final note the transit strike has done very little to dampen attendance. In fact, I'm actually getting MORE students. Nothing like having 39 kids on roster in your lowest reading level class. Nothing in the world.
