I spend my summers in a small coastal fishing village. I frequently hear gunshots at night, but they never scare me. Now I’m back in Philly where I occasionally hear gun- shots in the daytime, and they always scare me.
I wasn’t even home yet when I turned on the radio to get a traffic report. The news told of a child killed at 2:00 A.M (though it was not a gunshot). They gave the address and I immediately knew the child was student where my wife teaches, five blocks down the street from me. The next day it was confirmed.
Today I helped my wife set up her room and then left past the two bullet holes in her doorway. They fortunately had arrived on a weekend about three years ago. I drove down the street past a student’s home where last year her father was assassinated, and walked to my room, past the memorial for one of my students who died from a mis-diagnosed illness last spring.
I have to wonder what happened. I used to feel safe at my school, a high achieving school where students behaved and learned. We went five years at one point without a fight in our 7th and 8th grades. We had the second highest growth in achievement citywide in 2003-2004. We made PVAAS in every grade in 2006-2007, and we made AYP in 24/25 categories in 2007-2008. For all that success we are considered a failing school.
I was at the gym last Sunday, and lo and behold a former student came up and greeted me. He didn’t have to. He could have snuck out without me seeing him. Instead he enthusiastically approached me. I had only seen him once since I had removed him from graduation on graduation day, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew back then I had done the right thing, and now this young man, on the brink of receiving a Division 1 Scholarship, has reaffirmed this. Two students have called me since I’ve returned home, and parents have come to visit me, and still I sit here near tears, full of hope and fear. I know for every one I reach, there is one where my grasp will slip.
(This posting was submitted by a Philadelphia teacher)
To Read more:
http://teacherscount.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/its-supposed-to-be-about-the-kids-stupid/
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