Mixed Feelings

When we were camping this weekend I was able to read the previous day's South Bend Tribune, in which I saw some disappointing and very sad news. A college classmate of mine was recently asked to resign from his teaching and coaching position at an area high school for some inappropriate behavior. While I certainly don't condone the specifics that led to his losing his job, I was terribly saddened for him and his family and wish them all the best. Let me first say that I firmly believe we are all responsible for our own choices and their consequences, and he would agree with that as well. However, if the school had the technology to monitor this behavior (which they did), they also had (or certainly should have had) the technology to prevent it. The primary feature of a properly designed security & IT system is not to catch offenders but to prevent offenses from occurring. For example, a camera over a cash register is not to catch a thief but to prevent a theft from occurring in the first place. Measures like this help good people remain good people. I'm certainly not blaming the school for my classmate's mistake, far from it, but they would do well to enhance their preventative security features.

So, I'm sad today. Not that I have even spoken to this person in a decade or so, but hearing stories of people I know, good people, suffering through difficult circumstances makes me sad. I wish my former classmate all the best for the future and hope that he can find love and forgiveness from his family & friends and at some point reestablish his career.