{"id":24510,"date":"2023-06-11T13:06:14","date_gmt":"2023-06-11T17:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=24510"},"modified":"2023-07-18T16:07:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T20:07:46","slug":"episode-830-my-last-class-at-parkdale-c-i-and-the-boy-who-stole-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=24510","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 830 MY LAST CLASS AT PARKDALE C. I. and THE BOY WHO STOLE CARS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EPISODE 830     MY LAST CLASS AT PARKDALE C. I.  and THE BOY WHO STOLE CARS<\/p><\/div>\n


<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 11, 2023<\/div>\n

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This was my last class at Parkdale Collegiate institute, 209 Jameson Ave., Toronto.  A wonderful class as diverse as<\/div>\n
Toronto has become.  When I look at their faces today, June 2023 I cannot help but feel our country is in good hands.\u2019Take a close <\/div>\n
look yourself.  I just love this picture.  <\/div>\n

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NICE THINGS DO HAPPEN<\/div>\n

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Some readers may wonder why I reported the story about Leila Buckler.  My propose was <\/div>\n
to let me tell short story about a boy belonging to a gang who stole cars.   It\u2019s a story of <\/div>\n
which I am proud.  I did something that changed someone\u2019s life big time.   To tell the story<\/div>\n
is to brag.   So it needs to be put in perspective.  My action was a small thing  Leila did<\/div>\n
bigger things.   She rescued many more kids than I would ever know.  And she did it<\/div>\n
quietly.   So please do not see me as a person with an inflated ego.   <\/div>\n

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THE BOY WHO STOLE CARS<\/div>\n

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I still remember where he sat in my class. Halfway down the row next to the window<\/div>\n
which faced Jameson Avenue.  He was a typical kid\u2026a student.   The only difference<\/div>\n
was that he joined my class midway through the fall term.  Our principal or guidance<\/div>\n
office asked if I would take this boy mid term.   Or maybe the did not ask.  No matter,<\/div>\n
he was nice little kid who actually did some of the homework assignments and<\/div>\n
put his hand up tentatively to help me develop a lesson.   He became part of the<\/div>\n
class quickly \u2026and shyly.<\/div>\n

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I mentioned him in some of the staff room babble.   The conversation went<\/div>\n
something like this.<\/div>\n

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\u201cDid any of you get that new student\u2026put in our classes mid term?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes\u2026but he won\u2019t be there long.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHe stole cars\u2026part of a car theft ring.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou must be kidding\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo.  I think he is being held in a group home until the trial.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2019Such  a nice kid.   Seems that way to me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat may be so but car theft is a serious offence.  \u201c<\/div>\n
\u201cHow serious?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJudge will decide.  Car theft penalty is Eighteen months to 10 years in the slammer.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHe will likely get two years less a day owing to his age.    But that is<\/div>\n
hard time for a young kid.\u201d<\/div>\n

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I was startled.  Teachers are not told much about their students.  That is policy.<\/div>\n
Protects kids really, especially those with tough stories.  Like Leila Buckler , one<\/div>\n
of our cheerleaders.  I had not idea she and her dad were living in a flop house<\/div>\n
hotel\u2026room for five bucks a night with a bathroom down the hall.  Dangerous place<\/div>\n
where her dad had to escort her to the wash room. I never knew that. Leila was <\/div>\n
just another face in the class.  Kids do not want to be centred out.<\/div>\n

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CONVERSATION  CONTINUED SOMETHING LKE THIS<\/div>\n

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\u201cJail is no place for this kid.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWell, he\u2019s been caught stealing cars\u2026thousands of dollars in property theft.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cGuilty!  Must pay the price in hard time.\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happens to kids put in prison?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cStories are terrifying.   Some become hardened criminals.  Kids like him could<\/div>\n
also face sexual abuse.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cdoes he have anyone to speak for him?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.  Must be social workers\u2026lawyers\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat about his parents?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSeems they are not in te picture. \u201c<\/div>\n

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And so the conversation continued.  Meanwhile the boy seemed to be enjoying<\/div>\n
our high school,  Parkdale Collegiate institute\u2026a downtown core high school with<\/div>\n
lots of kids in difficulty,   And most kids thriving.<\/div>\n

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The boy preyed upon my mind.  Was there anything I could do?<\/div>\n

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Somehow I became aware of his trial date.   I decided to write a letter to<\/div>\n
the judge with my positive comments about the boy.  Maybe that would help<\/div>\n
a bit.  Maybe not.<\/div>\n

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\u201cYour honour, I would like to say that the boy seems to have been led<\/div>\n
into criminal activity.  He does not seem to be a criminal. I enjoy him As a student in my <\/div>\n
class and worry that jail would do permanent harm to him.\u201d  (something like that) <\/div>\n

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Then a month or so later I got a call from the judge.  Imagine that!<\/div>\n

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She said  \u201cwithout your letter I would have been forced to put<\/div>\n
the boy in jail.  That would not be be the best thing for the boy<\/div>\n
Your letter allowed a group home alternative.   Thank you<\/div>\n

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That phone call made me feel really good.  I never saw the boy again.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Alan skeoch<\/div>\n
 
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Sent from my iPhone<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n


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EPISODE 830     MY LAST CLASS AT PARKDALE C. I.  and THE BOY WHO STOLE CARS alan skeoch June 11, 2023 This was my last class at Parkdale Collegiate institute, 209 Jameson Ave., Toronto.  A wonderful class as diverse as Toronto has become.  When I look at their faces today, June 2023 I cannot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24510\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}