'While we spend so much on military infrastructure, we don't repair the rest of our infrastructure adequately.'
A kid spit on my husband Patrick yesterday. That sentence just keeps running through my head. The student was up on a windowsill at school and, when instructed to come down, he spit.It's part of Patrick's job not to take that—the most personal of insults and an almost universal expression of disrespect—personally. He knew enough about that boy and his sad story to see the truth of the maxim"hurt people hurt.
He'll sit down with two kids at odds with each another and just as they get to the crux of the matter, a call comes in over his walkie talkie that a student has"eloped" and is running towards the road. He'll be about to connect with a youngster struggling with too many grown-up-sized problems at home, when a teacher urgently calls him to a classroom to help manage a fourth grader's water-bottle-throwing tantrum.
And yes, I may not be the most objective witness, but Patrick is really good at his job—patient, friendly, and ready to help. When he needs to restrain kids intent on hurting themselves or others, he does so with a sense of moderation and equanimity right out of the "safety care" training manual. Why is there public education and what is its purpose? If the original system was built and funded at public expense to prepare the next generation of factory workers, today's system is there so that parents can work. Covid-19 revealed that sad truth. When schools shut down, so does part of the economy. These days, they also provide a whole array of social support for families badly in need, often including food, clothes, health care, and access to technology.
In the face of it all, I feel both inchoate rage and extravagant gratitude. The rage is easier. Patrick is dealing with many layers of trauma and tragedy all at once in the minds and bodies of five to 12-year-olds. It should surprise no one that, after 18 months of virtual"learning" and social isolation, kids are having a hard time reacclimating.
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