Remembering Simple Times

School Days

“Up in the mornin' and out to school
The teacher is teachin' the Golden Rule
American history and practical math
You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass
Workin' your fingers right down to the bone
And the guy behind you won't leave you alone

Ring, ring goes the bell
The cook in the lunch room's ready to sell
You're lucky if you can find a seat
You're fortunate if you have time to eat
Back in the classroom, open your books
Keep up the teacher don't know how mean she looks

Soon as three o'clock rolls around
You finally lay your burden down
Close up your books, get out of your seat
Down the halls and into the street
Up to the corner and 'round the bend
Right to the juke joint, you go in

Drop the coin right into the slot
You're gotta hear somethin' that's really hot
With the one you love, you're makin' romance
All day long you been wantin' to dance,
Feeling the music from head to toe
Round and round and round we go

Hail, hail rock and roll
Deliver me from the days of old
Long live rock and roll
The beat of the drums, loud and bold
Rock, rock, rock and roll
The feelin' is there, body and soul.”

Chuck Berry (“School Days”)

Just a reminder of what high school was like a few decades ago. We went to school, we worked, we played. We marched in the band and went to Friday night football games en mass. We used too much perfume and after-shave, and cared too much about how we looked. We coveted letter jackets, love notes and bobby socks. We gathered at the pharmacy soda counter for cherry smashes after school, and danced like mad-men at the recreation center on weekends. We were kids. We never had to be anything else.

Today, the kids of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School return to their campus and try to resume life as typical teenagers. They are missing two teachers and fifteen of their fellow students, and they are scarred for life from seeing them gunned down in the hallways of their school. For them, life will never be the same. The innocence of childhood and the simple day-to-day teenage concerns have vanished. Not only are they traumatized by that terrible experience, but they now bear the weight of social activism. They are expected to keep the momentum moving in the direction of freedom and safety from harm. The eyes of the world are on them, and they know it.

And it's not only the kids in Parkland, Florida. Kids all over this country now feel uneasy going to school. Every time the bell sounds for a fire drill, they will fear the worst. I only wish that our elected officials felt the burden of this new reality. I wish they realized that it is their job to make the changes needed. I wish they loved these beautiful children as much as they love their guns and the cash the NRA deposits into their campaign accounts to keep them hooked. It's exactly like a narcotics addiction—one that kills their children instead of them. It's way past time for change. I stand with the children. I hope you do, too.

                                                            In the Spirit,

                                                               Jane