In my 3 years in Oakland, this is not the first time I have heard this announcement. So, as per routine I locked the door and we continued English class. In the past, lockdowns have usually lasted all of 15 minutes. Today it lasted 3.5 hours...I will remind you it was the first day of school.
The first day of school to me means a fresh start. A day full of promise where students are excited to come back for another year, and excited to get away from the daily grind that they all call life but instead the daily grind followed them to school-a safe haven.
Sure, it wasn't a big deal that I spent 3.5 hours with the same students hearing their complaints about the bathroom and that they were bored. But, it is the deeper issues that surface for me. As I drove away to the safety of my apartment, these same students were retreating to their homes. Homes in the same neighborhood that the incident took place. Same neighborhood where 2 people were still at-large. And these same students shrug it off as not a big deal but I know it affects them. It has to. You should not become immune to gun violence, shootings, robberies and you shouldn't have to.
So on day # 1 out of 180, I pray that our school provides safety for students. I pray that our city finds peace, if for nothing else but the youth who live in it. And I pray that I can pass along knowledge that deeply influences the youth...
Tomorrow is Day #2. Maybe that is our "true" fresh start.
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