Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Eve of Destruction

Today has kind of a sad note. I saw things that made my heart hurt. Someone or group of someones came into the courtyard behind my building and perpetrated destruction.

Being an art teacher, I'm a creative individual. I'm spending a lot of my instructional time working on creating art decoration from trash. It hurt me to see that someone busted out windows and tore off bumpers and flattened tires and knocked off side mirrors. Some group of folks spent some time just busting things up with a vigor.

Why? Were they angry? Were they vengeful? Were they bored? I don't understand.

I'm disillusioned on more than one level. I'm not feeling safe. A kid stuck his head in my classroom and asked to have his balls sucked. I asked for security to look on the cameras to see who it might be. It hasn't happened.

This might be truth, this might be fiction....Someone reported confiscating a child's journal that indicated violent intent.....we're talking murder....with specific targets.... Who wants to fool around with that.

Several times my child has given off suicidal intent. Several times we've gone straight to a facility for risk assessment. One does not fool around with things such as "I want to kill myself" or "I want to kill Mr. B."

A danger to oneself or others....I think that's the definition of a risk. I really don't want to feel risky. I want to encourage children to learn. I want to learn new things myself. I think that's why I'm about to pounce on Volume 1 of the 1898 edition of Green's England. (wiggles eyebrows) That's COOL stuff.