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I finally caught up on email enough to read the insulting piece of rhetoric that Somerville’s schools superintendent sent to parents about the then-impending walkout. She wrote some platitudes about how proud we are of our students, then generously said kids wouldn’t be marked absent if they only did the 17m walkout, but that they WOULD be if they went to the state house. She also said that if any students in the other schools walked out without being signed out to an authorized adult, their parents would be called into the principal’s office. I sent this response to her, my school principal, the PTA, and a families list for my school. I feel a little like I’m trolling her, but also, grrrrr.
Dear Superintendent Skipper,
I regret only having read your missive now; I would've responded to it sooner. I am disappointed in your stance, and urge you to act differently in the future. There are two reasons for this, which align with your themes of education and safety, though not in ways you may like.
EDUCATION
The students who demonstrated and advocated the State House despite the declared snow day displayed courage, integrity, and deep engagement with the society they'll be living with far longer (one hopes) than any of us will. More than that: their activity that day was formative and long-lasting education. I have no doubt that what they experienced that day will reinforce much of what they learn in their social studies classrooms, and enable them to rightly question other learning from an informed place.
In light of this, promising in advance to mark them absent from school for choosing to participate in civic life in this way was a petty and short-sighted declaration that sends the wrong message. They are smart and have huge hearts; they see through platitudes that are not backed up by real support of their lives and action.
SAFETY
Your primary concern should be not the safety but the education of our students. But safety is important. And yet... you must be kidding us all. I mean... right?
Your email below strongly implies, if it doesn't say so out right, that remaining in school makes the students more safe. I don't even know where to begin. Is it with Parkland? The three shootings in U.S. educational institutions in the last two and a half weeks? The eleven this calendar year? Is it the 295 times the phrase "high school" occurs in the Wikipedia list of school shootings in the United States?
They aren't safe. Some of them are less safe than others, whether because of skin color or because they're queer or women or of unexpected genders, or for other reasons. Legislators have been useless; the kids are collectively doing something about it. To imply that going to the State House, where police presence is hopefully far heavier than it is at the SHS, makes them less safe is, to put it kindly, disingenuous.
AND SO
Stand with them. Do better. As you have them make promises to this country every morning with their hands over their hearts, actively support them in the ways they choose to keep these promises.
I dearly hope that by the time my kindergartener* is old enough to want to participate in this sort of civic action, it will not be necessary. But I'm not a fool; it probably will be — and when it is, and he chooses to participate, I hope you or your successor will provide real support.
-Vika Zafrin, an Argenziano parent
Dear Superintendent Skipper,
I regret only having read your missive now; I would've responded to it sooner. I am disappointed in your stance, and urge you to act differently in the future. There are two reasons for this, which align with your themes of education and safety, though not in ways you may like.
EDUCATION
The students who demonstrated and advocated the State House despite the declared snow day displayed courage, integrity, and deep engagement with the society they'll be living with far longer (one hopes) than any of us will. More than that: their activity that day was formative and long-lasting education. I have no doubt that what they experienced that day will reinforce much of what they learn in their social studies classrooms, and enable them to rightly question other learning from an informed place.
In light of this, promising in advance to mark them absent from school for choosing to participate in civic life in this way was a petty and short-sighted declaration that sends the wrong message. They are smart and have huge hearts; they see through platitudes that are not backed up by real support of their lives and action.
SAFETY
Your primary concern should be not the safety but the education of our students. But safety is important. And yet... you must be kidding us all. I mean... right?
Your email below strongly implies, if it doesn't say so out right, that remaining in school makes the students more safe. I don't even know where to begin. Is it with Parkland? The three shootings in U.S. educational institutions in the last two and a half weeks? The eleven this calendar year? Is it the 295 times the phrase "high school" occurs in the Wikipedia list of school shootings in the United States?
They aren't safe. Some of them are less safe than others, whether because of skin color or because they're queer or women or of unexpected genders, or for other reasons. Legislators have been useless; the kids are collectively doing something about it. To imply that going to the State House, where police presence is hopefully far heavier than it is at the SHS, makes them less safe is, to put it kindly, disingenuous.
AND SO
Stand with them. Do better. As you have them make promises to this country every morning with their hands over their hearts, actively support them in the ways they choose to keep these promises.
I dearly hope that by the time my kindergartener* is old enough to want to participate in this sort of civic action, it will not be necessary. But I'm not a fool; it probably will be — and when it is, and he chooses to participate, I hope you or your successor will provide real support.
-Vika Zafrin, an Argenziano parent
