Letter to the editor,

It was one year after the riot exactly. I had heard rumors that teachers would be sitting with us at lunch to comfort us, or some sort of bullshit like that. It was clear to both myself, and all the other students of South High that the teachers were actually meant to be a form of extra security in case that a riot were to break out.

When I got to lunch I discovered exactly what I had feared. Instead of dispersing themselves among students, the teachers all decided to sit in small clusters scattered around the commons. While many students didn’t mind, I myself was infuriated by this action. These same teachers who preach about leadership and leaving your comfort zone were sitting among themselves. Even the “culturally competent” open teachers were standing with their peers, obviously feeling awkward being in such a large room with students who weren’t similar to themselves. The only exception to these angering clusters was Mr. Winnis, who decided to actually be a leader and interact with a group of students. After searching the lunchroom for teachers like Mr. Winnis sitting next to students I found none, and noticed that, in fact, many teachers would rather sit by themselves at tables instead of conversing with students.

When I eventually talked to a staff member about the topic (after he almost started a his own riot with a poorly planned dance battle) his response was that it wasn’t “that big of a deal”, and that I would “feel the same way” if I were in their position. Upon discovering that even administrator level faculty didn’t see the fault in their choice of seating I gave up. It was clear to me that the faculty of South were just as incompetent as the put on to be, and that there was no point in even trying to point out the flaws in their actions.

Since that lunch I have lost a tremendous amount of respect for the South High faculty. How can these teachers preach challenge by choice and leadership when they themselves show no sign of leadership skills or ability to leave their comfort zone. I can only hope that one day the South High faculty will gain enough courage to talk to students who they don’t know.

Sincerely,

Michael Diaz

South Senior