Different Worlds

They found out who had beaten one of our students to death in June. Christian would have been a senior this year. I don't remember him that well, but he seemed quiet enough. Evidently, he became entangled in Latino gangs. Fellow students--15 and 17 years old--were arrested, so the news reported this morning.

Of course, the news can't report the pain left for this young man's family members and friends. Nor can it completely explain why teenagers (sometimes pre-teens) join gangs in the first place. I tend to agree with the theory that gangs usually act as a surrogate family, helping young people feel wanted. I think the same sad impulse is behind many teen pregnancies.

Auburn High School, where Christian attended, is made up of diverse groups not often found in inner city schools. Because we have both the gifted and fine arts academies here, we have not only highly motivated and talented students, but also ones that come from in-tact, financially secure families. Almost 1 in 5 of our students receive special education services of some type, however, and almost 70% of our students are on free/reduced lunch.

I grew up poor and took honors/AP classes; some of our financially disadvantaged students perform brilliantly in their classes. However, there are some of our students who have difficulty overcoming barriers--some imposed externally, some internally.

I am pleased that we have this kind of intermingling at our school of students who often come from such different socioeconomic/cultural worlds. It's important to learn about and from each other--and sometimes, all it takes is an encounter in a hallway, lunchroom or class to change a life. On a more practical level, we Americans need to learn to deal with all types of people--and going to school together in a non-cloistered atmosphere certainly prepares us better for the "real world" beyond high school.