Summer Diary #3:
Idle hands make for
a noisy summer
I am as patriotic as the next person, but the evening of July 4th, I could
have sworn the Revolutionary War was being reenacted in the parking lot
beside my house. Really.
Although fireworks are illegal in the city and surrounding county, that
pesky little law has failed to stop the majority of kids from procuring
and lighting an abundance of fireworks since late May. Police officers are
already overworked with more substantial crimes, so fireworks are a pretty
low priority for them. When one well-meaning officer attempted to tell one
young man a few weeks ago to stop setting them off, the child used a not-so-creative
expletive and continued the bombardment.
If the fireworks set off on July 4th had been your run-of-the-mill firecrackers
or bottle rockets, it wouldn't have been so bad. However, someone involved
in the illegal fireworks market apparently got their hands on some M-80's
which, if you have never heard one go off, sounds like a large bomb has
just landed on your house. The cats cowered, my husband turned the volume
up on the TV, and I jumped with every new explosion. It was not a pleasant
evening.
I have been irritated with the neighborhood kids for at least a month now
because of their ceaseless fascination with these fireworks. Many questions
have coursed through my mind. Why haven't they become bored with this activity?
Where are their parents? Don't they have anything better to do?
No. The truth is, they do not have anything better to do. One evening while
I was sitting on my back porch I observed one young man riding his bike.
Every so often he would stop, sit there for a moment or two, then set off
a bottle rocket. Over and over he did this, and I sat aghast, wondering
at his obvious boredom.
I remember being bored during summer vacation during my youth, and I caused
my fair share of harmless mischief. However, I did find ways to entertain
myself: playing kickball or hide and seek with the neighborhood kids, reading
a book, and playing board games or cards with my brother. Of course, my
mother was the type who would put us to work if we complained of being bored
or were idle for too long.
Summer preoccupations
In any case, the constant explosions in my neighborhood have brought to
mind two issues related to education. First, the antiquated, traditional
school year is counterproductive to the education of our students, and second,
we need to have more positive activities available for our students and
the children of our communities.
One of my homeroom students told me she was going to go to summer school
because, "Home is boring. There's nothing to do." While I am thrilled
she has chosen to spend the summer in academic pursuits, I am concerned
that it seems to be not for the learning but for the preoccupation.
If we would switch to a more appropriate school schedule, we could alleviate
some of the traditional summer boredom while keeping our students steeped
in the habit of learning. Students would be applying what they learned more
consistently instead of having to dredge it up from some flooded corner
of their mind months later.
Boredom seems to be pandemic with my urban students. I imagine much of the
trouble they seem to get into is a result of that old adage, "Idle
hands are the Devil's workshop." I cringe as I remember some of the
pranks I dared to pull, meaning no real harm, but not thinking of the consequences
of my actions. I think much of what happens with my city kids fits the same
mold.
I know it is popular in some circles to denounce public assistance and community
programs for impoverished neighborhoods, but those critics have little real
understanding of what it means to be poor. I am by no means wealthy, but
I will be able to spend time with my kids, and I will be able to afford
to send them to summer camps or sign them up for T-ball. I do not have to
work odd hours or decide which bill to put off for another month. I will
have the time, energy, and financial resources that many parents of these
neighborhood youths do not have to help my children be engaged in positive
activities.
The pop of another firecracker at 11:32 PM bears witness to the need.
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