Jumping the Fence

To get into the school I have to walk through a gate that is watched over by a guard at all times. There are three different entrances to the school. The rest of the school is surrounded by a tall gate and brick pillars. You see, students aren't allowed to leave school grounds between Sunday afternoon and Saturday afternoon. During the school week, students have to remain on campus at all times. To leave, they have to have a special pass with the official school stamp.

Over the past week there have been some changes. Apparently, some of the students found that the fence was easy to scale. Students were frequently leaving campus to buy snacks or walk around the streets. So, what did the school decide to do? Add sharp metal spikeTs on the top of the fence to make it seem even more like a prison, of course!

There are piles and piles of the spikes on the ground as men have been working to attach them to keep the students in.

Now I need to tell you about one of my students named Ben. Ben is an 11^th grader who has been in the English studies program for two years now. However, his English is significantly worse than most of my sixth grade students. In class, he doesn’t even try. And when forced to speak, his voice is hardly above a whisper.

Although Ben has absolutely no English skills, he is a very clever business man. Ben has recognized the need for outside food and drink. Students are willing to pay top dollar for non-cafeteria food. Ben can often be seen walking through the halls, attempting to hide large bags of food from the teachers that he then sells to his fellow classmates. And he doesn’t just sell his products for what he paid…there is a mark up. Usually 30%, but he can double the price for the popular items.

Now, you are probably wondering “If there are now spikes on the fences, how does Ben get his merchandise?” I wondered the same thing, and so asked one of my coworkers. He laughed and said that Ben makes friends with people with those special stamped notes. He buys them from other students, changes the date, and then uses them  to get past the guards. Clever boy, huh?

Well, I thought so, until I found out that his method is actually a lot simpler than that.

The other day I was leaving school, waiting just outside the gate for my driver to pick me up. I saw two people on bikes ride past me, both with large bags in their baskets. I watched them ride down the sidewalk and come to a stop a little ways down. They quickly picked up their bags, and passed them through the metal bars onto the school property. And who was on the other side of the gate exchanging money for the goods? Why Ben, of course.

His plan is so simple. Genius, really.

Ben may be a failure in English, but I think he’ll still be successful in life.