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 11th
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.
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