A New Low
I walked into the auditorium this morning to pick up my students when my mentor asked me, "Did you hear? Somebody burnt down the playground." I felt a mix of confusion and shock. The brand new structure, dedicated in October, was mostly metal, but whatever was plastic was completely torched. Still, I put it in the back of my mind as the obligations of the day took over.
Leaving the school though I stopped to survey the damage with my mom (visiting from California!) and my friend who goes to school down the road. Something about the caution tape wrapped around the charred remains of the playground hit me hard. I felt a knot in my throat and just sighed deeply. "They can't have anything nice," I said out loud.
As it was there wasn't enough room in the yard for more than one grade to use it at a time, so grades would alternate weeks going outside. Now even that has been taken from them. How is a child supposed to take pride in their school or their community when this is the kind of bull**** going on? They have so little to begin with, and then when we try to provide just a little extra, even that gets destroyed. I know my kids have long since learned that life's not fair. Still, I can't get over the unfairness and senselessness of the weekend's vandalism.
Leaving the school though I stopped to survey the damage with my mom (visiting from California!) and my friend who goes to school down the road. Something about the caution tape wrapped around the charred remains of the playground hit me hard. I felt a knot in my throat and just sighed deeply. "They can't have anything nice," I said out loud.
As it was there wasn't enough room in the yard for more than one grade to use it at a time, so grades would alternate weeks going outside. Now even that has been taken from them. How is a child supposed to take pride in their school or their community when this is the kind of bull**** going on? They have so little to begin with, and then when we try to provide just a little extra, even that gets destroyed. I know my kids have long since learned that life's not fair. Still, I can't get over the unfairness and senselessness of the weekend's vandalism.
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