The Last Chopper Out of Nam

I’m often guilty of hyperbolizing. But the feeling of jumping ship grows as the school year comes to a close. Metaphorically speaking, Saigon is not falling, but, if policies don’t change, there is the possibility of a Tet offensive. When would we least expect it? I dunno, maybe around spring break? Senior skip day?

To mix historical metaphors, I refuse to play the fiddle while Rome burns. I’m not just going to push women and children aside and spring for the last lifeboat either (pardon the fruit salad of analogies… what was that last one? Titanic?) There are students who need to go, too. And, for once, I don’t mean to prison. There are students whose talent is withering away at this school. There are not enough opportunities for the rural kids (woodworking, brick masonry, auto mechanics, etc) let alone the writers, artists, actors and musicians. That their interest might atrophy is a risk no one should be willing to take. These students should be shipped to a respective magnet, or at least a more productive environment.

Of course, I wonder if this is an ethical mentality. For the moment, I don’t care. But because I’m taking the time to type out these thoughts, I may as well pause to consider the other side. There has been good news to come out of the school. Things are improving, slowly, very slowly… though not so surely. There is occasionally the feeling that everyone will revert to barbarism at any moment. The school lacks many things, and, to put it in Cold War terminology, since the first domino fell, perhaps five or ten years ago, so fall the rest: functional discipline, competent administration, apt teachers (however, this year the teachers are exceptional), school events, student involvement… with the fall of school pride (a healthy amount, at least) many of the students seem to revel in the failure of our school to do anything of quality, be it sports, plays, dances… they’re becoming little nihilists.

So, the question is, can it be repaired? I think so. Will it be repaired? That depends. Some of those fallen dominoes, particularly incompetent administration and a few bad-apple teachers, are driving away the good teachers. I plan to do my part, whether or not I stay, by speaking with the county about some of the problems at our school. I hope they will make an effort to investigate some of our issues and contribute to reconstructing a functional, thriving school. This year we’ve been lucky to keep nearly all our staff. But, like I said, if we don’t continue to progress in a positive direction, next year, there will be more pilots ejecting from the cockpit, more section eights and AWOLers.

Essential question: is it fair to make these good kids wait?

My goal this year is to write more letters to colleges than to judges.