Last week, the first school to take a chance on hiring me (albeit for an in-school suspension position paying $6.00 an hour) burned to the ground. Middleton High School, located in a rural suburb of Boise, lost 75% of the original school structure when an electrical fire ignited at around 7 AM last Thursday. Fortunately, everybody was able to get out in time, and there were no injuries. You can check out some coverage at www.ktvb.com .
Through the miracle of modern technology I was able to talk to a few of my former colleagues the day of the fire. They are going to have a tough road to recovery from this tragedy. Many of my friends from that school district have not only worked their whole lives in that building but also graduated from there. I couldn't imagine trying to teach, let alone learn, in that environment right now.
At least 23 teachers lost their rooms, and the school's main server containing transcripts from past and present students was engulfed in flames. What's remaining is being sent to a cyber forensics team in Salt Lake City where they will hunt for salvageable data. The P.E. department has lost the main gym used by the 700 middle school students who attend school in the adjacent building. All of the administrative offices are gone. So I guess kids can't cause trouble in the classroom anymore because there's no place to send them.
Sitting over here in Poland makes me feel helpless when people who treated me like family are going through such an ordeal. At the same time I feel guilty for feeling fortunate I'm not working there this year. Months of frustration lie ahead for everybody there. Schools are not rebuilt overnight and the timeline puts completion of a new facility around July 2008.
Class was back in session yesterday for the high school . . . apparently they are going to double up the number of kids in each classroom at the middle school. 60 kids and 2 teachers in a room built to hold 30 kids? Drastic times call for drastic measures, I guess.
You can also see more pictures and read a few stories at: www.idahostatesman.com
Anybody back in Middleton who happens to read this blog, get in touch, add a comment and let me know how you're coping with this. I'd love to get a firsthand account of what students and teachers are facing right now.
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