I don't know about kids today. Of course I do not know much about anything these days, but I digress even before beginning this post. Let me start again!
Dresden Public School circa 1945. Note basement windows, lower level.
I do not know about kids today but very early in my life I learned about big guys and little guys...and strength in numbers. The lesson came in the form of what is today a vivid memory and it goes something like this...
Unlike schools today, the Dresden Public School that both my parents also grew up in, had a full basemen, divided in the middle to create a girls' side and a boys' side, complete with rest rooms in each. The basement served as a shelter of sorts for kids on rainy and snowy days because we were not allowed in classrooms until the stroke of the intimidating hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m,
There was a bullying segment in the boys side of the school, consisting primarily of big, tough guys from Grades 7 and 8 who got their jollies from the imposition of a game called "jail". It was just an accepted fact that sooner or later we little guys would be captured by the big guys somewhere in the school yard (we could run but we couldn't hide) and herded off to jail in a portion of the basement that was closed off with only a small entranceway.
Four or five of the big guys would stand guard at the entranceway and with arms locked block any attempt by their smaller prisoners to escape, holding off victorious until the school bell rang. That is, until a few brave little guys had an idea. Instead of just one or two of us, let's all (often more than two dozen captives) storm the big guy blockade together and force our way out. In other words, gang up on em!
What ensued was an intense struggle of determination vs. brute force, and after a couple of test-run attempts over the course of several days, the little guys broke through for the first time leaving several of the jail-keepers behind to lick their wounds. Freedom at last and it had a sweet taste, kind of like the sticky buns sold at Burn's Bakery across the street from the school.
The game of jail seemed to loose its appeal for the big guys after several more successful, dare I say humiliating, breakouts by the little guys.
It wasn't so bad going to school after that!
Don't ever tell me that there is not strength in numbers. That's one thing I DO KNOW from a lesson I learned along with a bunch of little guys from the Dresden Public School all those years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment