Lock Down

So the excitement for the day was not my rowdy/hellish 4th period, nor my well planned quiz review stations. Today the excitement occurred at 3pm when the loud speaker went on and declared in a frantic voice, "This is a LOCK DOWN. I repeat this is a LOCK DOWN. Teachers keep our students inside." I look around at my kids, ready to see them cry out in fear or jump under their tables. Instead, they casually look at each other, then go right back to work. It doesn't phase them. Happens all the time.

Well considering it was my first (of many I"m sure) lock downs, I was going through the list of things that could be occurring just outside of my door: a murderer with a machine gun, a drug addict with a machete, a rabid dog, or even a terrorist bomber. I tried to keep a cool face on, while I jumped to my computer and began searching the news for any tips on an escaped polar bear from the Oakland Zoo, or better yet, a murderer who loves killing inner-city Oakland kids at a small charter that is falling apart as it is. No news.

It is 5 minutes until school is out and my students continue to get up to look out the window, even after I repeatedly scream at them and threaten them with detention for life. They just want to see the action outside, which can't even be seen from my side of the school. The class suddenly burst to life when an administrator bursted open the door and yells, "Everyone collect your things. We are leaving. Do not go to your lockers. We are escorting you outside." Way to calm my nerves, lady.

We rush the kids downstairs and all I can think of is, "I hope that the murderer is not within shooting range when I get outside." Instead what I see is 200 students chillin outside of our school gate, gauking at the 9 police cars in front of our school, and the Range Rover SUV that has broken through our fence, skid across our grass, and was now 10 feet from the side of our school building, where students were just minutes before.

Only in Oakland will a high speed chase end by crashing into OUR high school. I am seriously becoming desensitized to just about everything. What will happen next?!