The Wall Guards

Every school has them. The gansta wannabes. The tough boys who are junior hoods, hanging out with the pants down around the hips and shirts untucked despite school regulations about dress. The guys who cut class. The girls who swear even when a teacher is present. Yesterday's hoods, today's homies, unfortunately some will be tomorrow's statistics.

Our mural wall is located at the tough boy hang out corner. En route from my classroom to the office to sign in each morning, I pass the BCB gansta posse. I don't know their names, but I recognize them each day. I say good morning. Sometimes they respond.

After a few weeks, as the mural took shape, I noticed that the boys would be more likely to respond to my "good morning." The girls would move to let me up the steps. And after a few more weeks, someone might say "The wall is looking good" or "What's the picture?" or "When will it be done?"

I'd stop and chat. Thank you for the compliment, it's going well, it's our school's mission statement, this will be orange, that will be green, I hope we're done by graduation.

And then, I'd say, "So you're part of my wall guard posse, right?" And usually the boys would look at me and say "Huh?" And I'd say, "You're out here guarding the wall, making sure no one messes with it. Right?" Well, what could they say, they'd laugh and agree. Every few days, I'd ask another boy, "You're part of my wall guard posse, right?" And he'd agree.

Thus the wall guards were born.

And while a few tiles have been broken or the marbles picked out, there has been remarkably little vandalism to the wall. Zero graffiti.

Because the wall guard posse is keeping an eye on the mural.