Perhaps I haven’t updated about this, because I worry about liability (teachers around here have recently been fired for having blogs, and you’ll notice I’ve deleted most of my identifying information), but Philly is a VIOLENT school district.
My school is no exception, and we had a very violent week last week. When there’s blood, it’s always seems worse, even if it really wasn’t.
So, I was actually excited to see the new series being run by the Philadelphia Inquirer, on school violence. It brings a lot of serious issues to light, and I think does a good job of treating the issue fairly and showing a variety of perspectives.
If you read only one installment, read this one: Young and Violent. It focuses on the violence in Philly’s elementary schools. The worst part about reading it is how totally un-shocked I am by it all.
When will we realize that we can’t “fix” our schools because they aren’t the problem? The problem is the rampant poverty and inequity in this city and all over the country, and the problems that those lead to: drugs, violence, hunger, death, and grief and families stretched too thin.
Anyway, hopefully the world won’t be this way.
Good night,
<3 SBT
Posted on March 30, 2011
0