Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Wow

Just wow.
Not in a good like WOW!
No, this is a bad wow.
Seems last night, someone got well, stabbed at school.
I don't how long this link will be up, but read about it here.
Now it's not as bad as one might think.
For one thing, there's no school so there's no kids hanging around.
Especially not late at night.
Wait.
I take that back.
There are kids on campus, kids that are in what's called the Extended School Year.
I'm not sure, but I think summer school ended, or ends somewhere around this week.
Again though, no one is around late at night.
Not kids at least.
There is a large community of homeless folks though, that make the campus well, home at night and on the weekends.
I gotta admit, if I was homeless, our school would be a pretty good place to hang since it's centrally located and close to the beach and shopping malls.
I've gone in on the weekend to see folks camping out right under my classroom.
They can't go to my classroom, I'm on the second floor and there's a locked gate.
The gate though didn't stop someone from using the second floor as a bathroom.
Anyways, I see folks sleeping, riding bicycles, using the water to shower and shave etc. all the time.
I also go in early in the morning and catch some of them still there, wheeling their shopping carts off to their daytime spots, or where ever they go during the day.
I never thought this was a problem as they don't litter, and don't leave anything behind when they leave.
I suppose they know they got a good thing when they see it and don't want to do anything to spoil it.
If you know what I mean.
One of my brother's friends teaches at a school out in the country area and he told me that during the summer, it's more like a homeless shelter.
Folks are waiting for the last day of school to stake out their spots, usually under the portable classrooms, so they can move in during the break.
Okay, I thought that was going a bit far.
I mean from what I was told, they were making semi permanent shelters there.
Can't have that.
Over at our place though, it's pretty much a unpack/pack up thing, and no one sees them, unless you go to school when no one is supposed to be there.
Sort of recycling the space if you will.
Now though, this thing that happened makes it a different ball game.
Indeed.
I expect things will be clamped down pretty tight when I get back.
New regulations and all that, which is a good thing since the safety of the students always comes first.
The thing is, I can't remember the last time something like this happened at a school, day or night, open or closed.
At least not here.
I mean school is supposed to represent a safe place, a sanctuary, a place where good things happen.
A place where you can go to run away from trouble.
Even if it's just providing shelter to those who cannot find it elsewhere.
Now all that is going to change.
For the homeless folks anyways.
I hope it doesn't change in anyway that affects the kids.
That would be a really bad wow.

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