R.I.P. (Really Important People)

Got kinda of a disturbing e-mail today, but perhaps I was reading too much into it. Sadly, there was a traffic accident near school this morning, which resulted in a death. Evidently, the student grapevine had declared the victim to be a 10th grade tuba player that nobody knew, but he was in their best friend’s girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s geometry class.

As soon as this story grew, we teachers got an e-mail from Hammer that provided the correct information. The victim was an elderly gentleman, who was walking his dog. The next part is what bothered me. Hammer then asked us to correct the rumor for our students, “so that they know that it is something they shouldn’t be concerned about.”
Ouch, doesn’t that sound a bit elitist? Why shouldn’t these kids be concerned about a human life? Because they don’t bleed minted gold and dollar green of SLHS? Someone died for goodness’ sakes. Whoever it is, I say it’s okay to ponder it.

Like I said, I’m probably reading too much into this. I do admit that I’m certainly not in the same socio-economic class as these kids are…or the guys who clean their pools. This could lead to some hypersensitivity on my part.

Perhaps, I should drop my lesson plans for today and read some Flannery O’Connor or Sylvia Plath to the kids.