Crime Of The Century

I have often said that people who vandalize and steal from schools are on a par with those who might also enjoy kicking a blind dog. What sort of master criminal is lurking out there with the clever plan and initiative to creep into the playground after dark and spray paint their gang signs across any and all flat surfaces. My mother suggested once upon a time that this is a sign of poor toilet training. This need to mark territory is absurd in the extreme, but somehow tagging a moving subway train or scaling a four-story water tower to proclaim your love for your paramour has some element of drama to it. Defacing public property primarily for the reason that it is standing still doesn't seem to make the same kind of spectacle. The already institutional tone of the public school palette is not enhanced by the black or green that is favored by your average school-tagger. One might suspect an inside job, with the Buildings and Grounds Paint Crew insuring job security by having something to paint taupe every few weeks.
Then there's the break-ins. The good news is that my room wasn't ransacked or vandalized. The thieves came in and took what they wanted: the only thing behind a lock. The fact that they didn't touch any of the dozens of computers and monitors speaks only to the limited interest and focus of the criminal mind. Brad Pitt and George Clooney didn't plan this caper. No, instead we lost some equipment and the time that it took to fill out a police report. The alarm system at our school proved to be little hindrance to whoever it was that found their way in. The broken cabinet door didn't leave any clues either, though we were fortunate to have an officer come straight out to take a look at the scene of the crime. He echoed our sentiments about the type of person who would choose a school to rob. At night. Over Christmas vacation. For whatever they could carry out in two hands, probably to sell the next day.
Dreams we might have of some solid citizen stepping forward to return the school property continue to linger as the outrage shifts to tired resignation. They didn't hurt anything except a cabinet and left the computer lab essentially intact. I was teaching later that morning, in a graffiti-free environment.