It was in the 90's this morning around 10:00. So we are sequestered inside with the doors and windows closed. Thankfully, it's keeping the scorching heat at bay. This gives me the opportunity to sit still and blog.
Matthew, my youngest son just graduated from high school amid a flurry of controversy. It seems he made some underclassmen angry with what he left them in his senior "will."
These guys, (3 of them) are the kind of students who verbally abuse almost everyone they come in contact with. It is my understanding that their favorite abuse is in the form of homophobic slurs and they dish them out generously. According to one eye witness, they also threaten physical violence. Matt and his friends have been on the receiving end of these abuses for a year. My son and friends are good students, athletes, musicians, thespians and all-around good kids. Matt never really felt threatened by these 3 unpleasant underclassmen, he just saw them for what they were, and decided to address it by sending these 3 guys a message in the year book, so last October when they submitted their "Last Will and Testament," he named them, and left them, "fabulous sleepovers and shirtless pillow fights." Uh oh.
When the yearbook came out in June, two things immediately happened. Students were laughing at what Matt wrote, and the 3 guys went ballistic. They wanted to hurt Matt, and I was warned by administrators that there was a real threat to Matt. He was kept home by us on the last day of school. (Consequently missing out on an opportunity to perform with his band for the entire school) There was also some question about whether or not Matt would be allowed to speak at graduation. My initial reaction was to not let him speak- for his own safety, but then changed my mind, after speaking to my family about it. When the community got wind of this situation- the threats, the opportunity to speak, and the incorrect perception that he had been suspended on the last day of school- a poopy storm of epic proportions rained down on the school board and administration. Kids created a Face book page called "Charles O Dickerson in support of Matthew Ploss," people I know called school board members, students and adults alike wrote them notes, called me, sent me notes of support and expressed their outrage. We were trying to keep a low profile throughout all this and I was fascinated to watch this community band together to support my son. I was impressed with the eloquent letters our young people wrote, and their sense of justice, and their passion. I was immensely proud of them! I think they impressed a lot of people, actually.
Here's the happy ending to this story...there were no protests at school. Matt's band played NEAR the school after dismissal on that last day. (It was such a celebration!) He DID get to speak at graduation (and it was terrific) and so far, no harm has come to him. There has been a renewed interest in issues surrounding bullying in our schools, and that is a very good thing.
It was a little more stress than I had planned for, right before graduation, but by now I should just know that nothing is ever easy.
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