This morning, as always, I got up, made coffee, and turned on the news. As the newscaster listed the top stories of the morning he said, "An attack on SEPTA has left one man dead" and their B roll showed a number of police officers at a familiar center city EL stop apparently looking for clues.
Curious, since I frequent this EL stop I sat to watch the story. They kept referring to it as a "deadly attack". The banner underneath all of the people interviewed said "Deadly SEPTA attack." The reporter kept referring to "the deadly attack occurred"
And then... the SEPTA police officer went on the camera and explained that four teenage boys began harrassing a starbucks employee on his way home at 3 p.m. They "slapped" him in the face four times, and the man died of a heart attack.
Did these boys committ assault? Yes.
Did they steal his Ipod? Yes.
Did they kill him? Well... that's a gray area. But it's center city. The boys were black, the man white... so yes according to the police.
I'm also bothered by the fact that no one on the platform bothered to help the guy.
Ah the news...
I'm late for work.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
What is so funny about peace, love and understanding?
Today my spring break came to a crashing halt. I had a good spring break. I spent it in colorado with my mother. A whole week in the beautiful mountains. Though I must say, it's weird being in my mom's new apartment with all of our family pictures neatly nailed to the walls. It's weird to see my history hanging hundreds of miles from where it all occured.
Now i'm home and i'm back to work tomorrow. I spent the past 11 hours grading. I only took breaks to briefly chat with jess and mom, and then to shower.
Now it's bed time, but i'm not sure i'm sleepy.
Now i'm home and i'm back to work tomorrow. I spent the past 11 hours grading. I only took breaks to briefly chat with jess and mom, and then to shower.
Now it's bed time, but i'm not sure i'm sleepy.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
I don't feel right, I don't sleep tight, i don't love you like I should...
Warning: Mom, you're not allowed to ask me about this entry.
The scariest thing in the world to me is the prospect of turning into my father. He and I share several similar characteristics, and i'm not sure i'm okay with that. I look at his life. He's a relatively happy man, but he doesn't have a lot of close friends. He spends his time with casual aquaintences, but has allowed certain people he's known for years to slip away as time goes on. (There's more that I fear, but it is not applicable to the point i am making). I look back at who I am. At those I have let slip away, and notice that I am incredibly capable of closing off and losing those I care about.
I'm prickly when I work hard. Sensitive. Quick to react. Quick to anger. I hold in weeks of frustration and release it to unsuspecting people that are just trying to befriend me. I'm not an easy person to love on all levels. Yet those that are willing to care about me, I hurt.
Interesting revelations for first thing in the morning... now I must go put on a smile and teach the youth of America.
The scariest thing in the world to me is the prospect of turning into my father. He and I share several similar characteristics, and i'm not sure i'm okay with that. I look at his life. He's a relatively happy man, but he doesn't have a lot of close friends. He spends his time with casual aquaintences, but has allowed certain people he's known for years to slip away as time goes on. (There's more that I fear, but it is not applicable to the point i am making). I look back at who I am. At those I have let slip away, and notice that I am incredibly capable of closing off and losing those I care about.
I'm prickly when I work hard. Sensitive. Quick to react. Quick to anger. I hold in weeks of frustration and release it to unsuspecting people that are just trying to befriend me. I'm not an easy person to love on all levels. Yet those that are willing to care about me, I hurt.
Interesting revelations for first thing in the morning... now I must go put on a smile and teach the youth of America.
Monday, March 10, 2008
I'm not going to write you a love song...
I love that my teasing entry about students stock piling weapons sparked some creative debate amongst my dearest friends.
I tend to agree with tom that the media harps upon the violence of city schools a great deal. I worked at University City High School while they were having all of their problems (including the day that the guy was stabbed on the front steps, that was a good day) and saw how the media acted like... well the media. They ignored the press release we sent about our Anti-Violence day, which cancelled classes for the day to focus on anti-violence programming, but showed up two days later to interview students about two fights that broke out in the lunchroom. (Sidenote: I think that cemented my desire to never go into journalism as a career.) Still I think that the issues (which thank g-d are not "day to day" in my school as amy mentioned) such as fighting and mayhem are one of the reasons why you see city school children set trash cans on fire, but not go on shooting rampages in the building. City children get out their aggression towards the one or two people that piss them off, but the children that make lists and freak out are the ones that bottle it all up. I'm only half saying that with a smirk and a laugh. There might be some truth in that. Middle class suburban repression may in fact manifest itself in strange ways.
Still, I will take my war torn nutty hooligans. They make me laugh as much as they make me want to throw them or myself off a building.
This is going to be a long entry that has nothing to do with the title by the way, I just really like that song.
When I was in high school and for a couple semesters in college, I kept a section of my school notebooks that was just called "notes to self" and in that section I jotted down the weird thoughts that came to me as I observed the world around me. Sometimes these observations came out eloquent enough to make their way into short stories that i wrote, but many just lived in the notebook marking certain days and times. Lately I have been walking and thinking and wishing that I kept my notebook still. I know that logically I could go to a store and buy a cheap notebook to carry while I am on the subway or walking from market to my apartment, but somehow the romance of it seems passe and I know that I wouldn't follow through writing down what i think. But when I sit on a train that is rocking and rolling out of the city I can't help but ponder the rusty abandoned factories, or the rushing overflowing creek that spilled next to the tracks and created a new arm along the SEPTA rails.
On an unrelated note: I love the new foo fighters album.
Since it's been so long since I've written a real entry, I feel as though I should espouse as much I can about as many thoughts as I can. Truth be told though, I really can't think of anything else that needs to be discussed. My life is good. Spring break is rapidly approaching. I am behind on grading, but created a board game about my lit circle books so i feel okay about myself.
I tend to agree with tom that the media harps upon the violence of city schools a great deal. I worked at University City High School while they were having all of their problems (including the day that the guy was stabbed on the front steps, that was a good day) and saw how the media acted like... well the media. They ignored the press release we sent about our Anti-Violence day, which cancelled classes for the day to focus on anti-violence programming, but showed up two days later to interview students about two fights that broke out in the lunchroom. (Sidenote: I think that cemented my desire to never go into journalism as a career.) Still I think that the issues (which thank g-d are not "day to day" in my school as amy mentioned) such as fighting and mayhem are one of the reasons why you see city school children set trash cans on fire, but not go on shooting rampages in the building. City children get out their aggression towards the one or two people that piss them off, but the children that make lists and freak out are the ones that bottle it all up. I'm only half saying that with a smirk and a laugh. There might be some truth in that. Middle class suburban repression may in fact manifest itself in strange ways.
Still, I will take my war torn nutty hooligans. They make me laugh as much as they make me want to throw them or myself off a building.
This is going to be a long entry that has nothing to do with the title by the way, I just really like that song.
When I was in high school and for a couple semesters in college, I kept a section of my school notebooks that was just called "notes to self" and in that section I jotted down the weird thoughts that came to me as I observed the world around me. Sometimes these observations came out eloquent enough to make their way into short stories that i wrote, but many just lived in the notebook marking certain days and times. Lately I have been walking and thinking and wishing that I kept my notebook still. I know that logically I could go to a store and buy a cheap notebook to carry while I am on the subway or walking from market to my apartment, but somehow the romance of it seems passe and I know that I wouldn't follow through writing down what i think. But when I sit on a train that is rocking and rolling out of the city I can't help but ponder the rusty abandoned factories, or the rushing overflowing creek that spilled next to the tracks and created a new arm along the SEPTA rails.
On an unrelated note: I love the new foo fighters album.
Since it's been so long since I've written a real entry, I feel as though I should espouse as much I can about as many thoughts as I can. Truth be told though, I really can't think of anything else that needs to be discussed. My life is good. Spring break is rapidly approaching. I am behind on grading, but created a board game about my lit circle books so i feel okay about myself.
Friday, March 07, 2008
A quick comment on education
Jess once said that she sometimes wonders if I teach in war torn Kosovo as opposed to just a low income area in Philadelphia. As I watch the news more and more, I suddenly realize how wrong of a comparison she made.
When my students have beef with each other, yes they fight. Sometimes they fight unfairly, but the beef is typically mutual. They fight over boys, over rumors, over stuff that happened on the block where they live. At my school they rarely bring in heavy artillary, they're more creative. They wear lots of rings instead of brass knuckles.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/16318936.html Never do they stock pile weapons in their homes, make lists, and prepare to come to school to kill several people at once.
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/national/12653486.html
My kids may not listen, they may occasionally make me want to throw myself off the roof of my building, but they are not mass murders. :)
So I feel as though I am not crazy for staying the hell away from the suburban school system. Those middle class suburban kids are freaking scary.
When my students have beef with each other, yes they fight. Sometimes they fight unfairly, but the beef is typically mutual. They fight over boys, over rumors, over stuff that happened on the block where they live. At my school they rarely bring in heavy artillary, they're more creative. They wear lots of rings instead of brass knuckles.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/16318936.html Never do they stock pile weapons in their homes, make lists, and prepare to come to school to kill several people at once.
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/national/12653486.html
My kids may not listen, they may occasionally make me want to throw myself off the roof of my building, but they are not mass murders. :)
So I feel as though I am not crazy for staying the hell away from the suburban school system. Those middle class suburban kids are freaking scary.
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