Something happened this week that caused me to pause and question my heart. My youngest daughter goes to the same city high school from which three of her older siblings graduated . On Tuesday she called and said that because of fights the police were at school and would not allow any of the students on their buses. They were told to walk home or to call for a ride. Over the years my children have made several phone calls to me concerning violence and a police presence at their school. In the earlier years of their high school educations these calls prompted me to drop everything and rush to their school to get them. In response to the call earlier this week I told my daughter to wait inside the school and that I would be there when I finished the task I was working on.
Yesterday the fighting continued and involved hundreds of students on the street. There was a large police presence and arrests were made.
When did I come to accept violence, fights, rumors of stabbings, and a police presence at school as so routine that I no longer change my plans when they occur? Was it after it had happened several times? Did this become acceptable to me as part of the normal school day because the police car is always parked at the front door when I drop my daughter off in the morning?
I recognize that my heart has become hardened. I do not expect change to happen in the city school system. I have become cynical. Now what do I do?
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