shock and awe

My knock against these kids today, one of my reasons for preferring my polyglot outpost to the standard mainstream, is the absence of respect. They-and I realize They is a fabrication, an imaginary construct, so many teenagers being individually great, the object of much pride-seem so often not to respect themselves, each other, let alone a grown-up. Try to point out that there should be a difference between the street and a school hallway and be met with consternation at best, a dismissive shrug more than likely. And thus I retreat to my United Nations of Allison. They are not always good to each other, but the differences are still striking, and some problems I will never have (I'm ignoring the other exchange rate).

So today, when hundreds and hundreds of students exited the building and went out to line the streets, I wondered how it would go. I did not expect egregious behavior. I'm sure there was much lecturing, and they are not, after all, bad kids. But people, you know how they are. Even the signs at the Mission that indicated silence and respect didn't shut the good Catholics up as we waited outside the door. This morning, however, out in the cold, one sound from the lead siren is all that it took. Then silence. Dead silence. Until every car in that motorcade passed.

I have never, in all my years in that building, witnessed total cooperation before. It did not require a reminder, a sharp look from a teacher, a threat, a warning, a consequence. All it took was the uniformed body of a former Warrior, a 2005 graduate, passing in a hearse.

Most of those kids didn't know him, only the Seniors would have shared the hallways, but the war that has been waged since the freshmen were fourth graders--think on that--was finally made all too real. What a tragedy. May I never again have reason to see those kids behave like they really do know how.