The gym was hot, though I was attempting to pay close attention to the students that

filled the bleachers. I was interested in who was sitting with whom, which seemed nervous or
uneasy, etc. I was almost immediately taken aback when the school climate officer, who
identified himself as the individual in charge of discipline, began speaking about the district
policy about fighting. He described the harsh repercussions stemming from group fights (a
two-on-one fight, for example) and juxtaposed this with a one-on-one fight which engenders less
severe repercussions. He went onto suggest that he was capable of handling the latter ‘all day’,
that he had years worth of videos of fights on his phone, and that if a student were to engage in a
one-on-one fight that they be sure they would be able to handle themselves. A handful of the
students engaged with him while others looked uncomfortable or frightened. I was taken aback
but have been doing my best to reserve judgement.

Now a few days removed from an incident that, admittedly, left me taken aback, I am
reflecting on it with a tremendous amount of sadness. My reaction on behalf of the students is
natural I think: I worry about the ways that they will come to see themselves and the ways they
perceive themselves as being understood by the school. Furthermore, it seems to me that these
comments were made out of a recognition that Sayre, perhaps in its capacity as a neighborhood
school, bears a certain reputation. Once again, I worry about what sort of effect that will have on
the young people in the school.

In the midst of a deep sadness, I am also curious. In attempting to approach this

experience from a place of inquiry, as opposed to judgement, I am wondering what would lead
an adult, on the first day of school, to approach the topic of fighting in this way. What
experiences has he had either personally, with students, and/ or at Sayre that led to this
approach? Was it an impulsive decision, or something that was planned in advance? I am still
reflecting on this incident and generating questions, and I expect to return to this topic moving
forward.