(West Philly, USA) A typical door at Sayre High School, where I am working on a prototype school-based communty health center and a college prep program.

The first thing that struck me when I visited Sayre School in West Philadelphia was how the doors would automatically lock once they were shut. It could only be opened from the inside. It was a hassle, and every time I went out of a room, I had to knock on the door to get someone to open it for me.

Initially, this struck me as being rather strange. However, as I walked around the school, I noticed the ubiquitous security features absent from my high school life. I noticed that some doors to classrooms and offices were reinforced by iron grilles. Some were adorned with shattered glass such as the one featured above. These images reminded me that I was in a school where violence and crime was a part of everyday life. I believe that environment plays a big part in shaping the individual and this was certainly not an environment where students can be shaped to their fullest potential.

Having lived in a school surrounded by barb wired fences before, I always wondered if security was meant to keep people out or to keep people in. In placing the iron grilles on doors, what kind of message are we sending to students? How does this siege mentality contribute to their attitudes towards their teachers, or their self-esteem?

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A note from my Prof when I mentioned that I wanted to skip his class for a talk on ‘Globalization and Equlibrium Inflation Output Tradeoffs’:

You can miss class anytime the marginal costs of attending outweigh the marginal benefits of the next best alternative. I intend to send out an outline of the topics to be covered Tuesday, since there is so much to cram into the last session before the quiz. That should help you prepare.

PROF