On the anniversary of 9/11 my thoughts are of course on that day in history which changed everyones lives forever but they are also on events a little closer to home. Today my husband called me as I was leaving work to let me know his school was in lockdown. As a student had been stabbed. Later we would find out he had been stabbed to death. He would be late picking me up.
My worst fears were coming true as hubby left a very good school in an afluent neighborhood to teach at a school run by the school board. A school in a much less "prestigious" neighborhood where the students had more to worry about than whether or not their parents were going to buy them a sedan or an SUV for their graduation. Many students at this Scarborough school seem to come from poor families, a majority of which appear to come from single parent homes. These kids worry about whether or not they are going to live to see the next day, if the gangs will bother them or if they will get knocked off in a drive by shooting. What has happened to childhood? Kids today just don't seem to get it. They think life is only the here and now , they don't think about their futures. Small insignificant details are mistake for life altering, life shattering events and taken so seriously. What could this young 16 year old boy habe done to his old school mate to warrant being stabbed, left to bleed to death in the parking lot of his high school? I can't imagine that this grudge held against him was worth his life.
His poor mother!
What has happened to Toronto the good? Our once safe, beautiful city has been run down by violence, poverty and in my opinion severe over-population. A city where I once felt safe sitting on my porch or taking an evening walk alone is no longer a place I want to live or raise my children. With each passing violent act reported on the news, i'm sure there are several that have not been reported, this leaves me with a sense of fear. I feel like packing it up and just moving to the country side! The multi-culturalism that once made this city feel world class seems to have divided it in so many ways. So many rivals fighting to occupy the same space. Why can't we all just get along.
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Oh my gosh! That really does hit close to home. Sorry to hear about that. I feel sorry for the boy and his family. It really is horrible that people can't all just get along...or at least co-exist!
ReplyDeleteI'll try to call you guys on the weekend. Hope G's okay and not too shaken up since it was at his school.
I lived in Scarborough and I felt safe in the neighbourhood we lived in. There's a part of Scarborough that's still pretty safe (okay, safer than other parts), but in my last years in Toronto, I admit that I didn't feel safe. I was robbed in broad daylight in the last apartment I lived in. This area wasn't even a 'bad' area, so I guess these things can happen anywhere. It's still really sad when you can't feel at ease or at peace living somewhere :(
That said, there are so many wonderful things about the city! Great post, Dina. Very thought provoking.
How awful for the boy and his family - that must have really shaken your husband (and you!) up. I'd heard that the boy had just moved there recently, perhaps to get away from whatever obviously caught up to him? 16!!! That is so young!
ReplyDeleteIt really is a shame what is happening in Scarborough, I also grew up there, but to be honest I would be afraid to walk in my old neighbourhood today. I heard that the principal's office at my highschool had bulletproof glass installed. Yikes!
On another note, kudos to your husband for teaching in a school where he may be able to make a difference in some young lives.