In yesterday’s Journal Tribune, on the front page there was a story about a girl from Massabesic High School, who viciously assaulted another girl and did so “on camera” ”“ that is another student took a video of the assault.
There are several phenomena to be concerned about in this incident including the assault itself, the viciousness of it, the fact that students were simply walking by while it was taking place and that the camera person laughed after it was over.
Admittedly, we don’t know the reason the one student had for assaulting the other. Hopefully an investigation will illuminate what led to the event. I will not jump to conclusions. And I hope it is self-evident that we should all be concerned when a student resorts to violence to solve a problem assuming that there was an underlying problem to solve and that the assailant wasn’t simply attacking the victim for pleasure. That would be an entirely different and profoundly disturbing circumstance.
However, what concerned me the most about all this was that several students walked by unaffected by the violence and that the video operator laughed about it. That level of callousness worries me to the bone. Moreover, as a former educator, I understand perhaps more than most that when students don’t feel safe, learning cannot take place. Concerns about personal safety trump learning. It has always been my view that schools should be at least as safe for students as society in general is for adults. Unfortunately that is often not the case. Because of their age students often get away with acts of violence in schools that adults would not be able to in society. And a principle that the law is guided by is that it is unacceptable for people to take the law into their own hands because we have the police and judicial system to protect the innocent and punish the guilty.
When a similar environment does not take place in schools, not only do we create more victims, we encourage vigilantism, which naturally leads to greater and greater anarchy. Before I say more about this particular incident I will be interested in finding out the relevant facts that preceded and perhaps led up to it. However, I think we should all be concerned when violent acts take place, particularly in our schools.
Wicked great weekend!
This past weekend was wonderful for me. I had my 11-year-old daughter, Olivia for the weekend. She came down from Lincoln County, which is in the Midcoast region where she lives. I usually visit her up there but was thrilled she was coming down to me on this occasion as I think she was. It is hard for her that I am not there as I had always been each and every day, sharing the caring for her with her mother. And it was a treat for her to share a couple of days with me in my new life here in York County.
On Saturday morning we had breakfast at Auto Mile Diner in Saco. Olivia asked me what hash browns were as she read the menu and when I told her she said she loved them but didn’t know what they were called before. Well, those potatoes made her a happy girl along with her over medium egg and toast. We then went to her favorite bakery, Reilly’s on Main Street in Biddeford. I always bring her a couple of donuts from Reilly’s when I go up to visit. She was so happy to be able to have a fresh donut of her choosing. Frankly, I think the visual of all those delicious baked goods is what excited her most.
Later, we went Candlepin bowling at Vacationland in Saco and played in their arcade. Olivia got a real kick out of me driving the racecar machine. For some reason she thought only boys did that. I guess she still has to learn that men are big boys. She laughed loud and hard as I drove over telephone poles, trees and other cars as well as through rivers with the pedal to the metal! We had dinner at Los Tapatios that night. They are located right on Adam’s Street in Biddeford. If you have seen what I’ve written about them before, then you know I think they have excellent Mexican food. Olivia agreed and also said she thought the chips were quite good. She also liked the salsa but said it was a little spicy, perfect for dad.
Sunday morning we ate breakfast at Jonesy’s Café on Main Street in Biddeford. Again she ordered the hash browns and over medium egg with white toast and loved Jonesy’s version as well. We went to the Harris Farm in Dayton for Maple Sunday and then went skating at the rink in Kennebunk. It was so incredibly cold. The wind ran right through me. I don’t skate, so while she was, I was speed walking around and around the rink to try and keep warm. I took her home to her mother and immediately started missing her. She’s such a great kid. She’s respectful, courteous and kind to others. She’s loving and has the most remarkable smile. I am without question a very lucky man.
We had so much fun. We hugged. I kissed her on her head (my whiskers are too itchy for her face). We read together at night and just bonded. I am anxiously looking forward to seeing her this coming weekend. My mother has always said, “children are a blessing.” Mom was right.
Thanks for reading, for staying informed and engaged in our community by reading every day. Please drive safe, be kind, hug your children and have a wicked great spring week!
Please feel free to comment on my musings with a Letter to the Editor by emailing jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or mail a note to Journal Tribune, Attn: Editor, 457 Alfred St. Biddeford. ME 04005.
— Bruce M. Hardina is the Publisher of the Journal Tribune, a singer song-writer, a philosopher, a student of life and the human experience, a columnist, a loving neighbor, friend, father, son and brother.
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