Priorities

Here is an actual conversation I had with my principal:

Me: Hey...did anybody from the police call you about a shooting?
Principal: No, why? There was one?
Me: Yep...down the street. Plenty of OHA cops across the street.
Principal: Nope, didn't hear anything.
Me: Meh...(checks Blackberry)...did you hear Steve Jobs died?
Principal: NO! Lemme check my iPhone.

There are several things wrong with this conversation that took place today.

First, if there is a shooting nearby a school, common logic would tell you to NOTIFY THE FUCKING SCHOOL! Heaven help us all if a kid gets hit by a random stray bullet. (By the way...it took the police about an hour and a half to respond to the shooting.)

Second, we were pretty casual about the situation. If this were the suburbs, we would have locked down the campus, notified parents via text, e-mail, phone blast, and calls to the local news stations. This being Oakland, we found out about the shooting from the corner boy who is cool with a parent of a 1st grader.

Finally, we were more consumed with the passing of Steve Jobs than the shootout across the street. I guess it's indicative of where we work and what we have to put up with. It's truly sad that the actual death of one guy (I'm sorry, a "visionary") many miles away can triumph over the potential deaths of many stones throw away from where we are standing.

Today's situation put things in perspective. As much as I enjoy the things that Steve and his crew at Apple created, none of that truly mattered to me. In fact, I'm already tired of the tributes and flowers left at stores and the inevitable comparisons to MLK or Mother Teresa. A couple of dudes across the street probably got arguing, one pulled a gun, fired off a few rounds near a school, and probably ran away like a punk. There might be a retaliatory shooting tomorrow, so I'll be concerned about that.

While the rest of the world sheds tears for Steve Jobs, I'll be hoping and praying that a stray bullet doesn't find its way towards my school and my students.