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--> --> Closing Briscoe is not `fun' By Linda Fox Smith Ashland I hope you will all bear with one more school closure observation. I am a Briscoe parent, and I would like to offer my thoughts. On Sept. 5, 2001, the Briscoe family was dealt a tremendous blow as the parents and grandfather of one of my son's classmates were killed in a plane crash. We were all reeling from the tragedy and preparing to attend the memorial service when 9-11 happened. I cannot tell you how comforting it was to be in those hallways, with those children, with those parents and teachers that are the Briscoe community during that incredibly challenging time. Kimberly Bruhn recently wrote in The Tidings that "The building a school is housed in is just that." Yes, it is just a building. I could not agree with Ms. Bruhn more. It is not the building, it is the people. And, yes, people are losing sight of the big picture. However, it is not her child's school that is closing, and it is not the building we are losing. Julia Roupp wrote to The Tidings encouraging us to hug our children and let them know that "this could be fun." Her children have moved on from Briscoe. It is not her child's school that is closing. It is not the building we are mourning. It is not the fact that we cannot, or will not, invite our children to see change as a positive thing. It is the loss of that very important community called Briscoe that we are mourning. Just as I would not tell someone who suffered a loss, was going through a divorce, or lost their job to "hug your child and let them know that this could be fun." Please respect that our children have shed tears over this loss, and our children may be a bit nervous about going to a new school. Some children don't respond to change, challenges or new opportunities as readily as others. Please respect that most certainly you and your children would have some of the same feelings. I would like to think we can all offer compassion rather than criticism. Of course the loss of a building, in the big scheme of things, is a small matter. Of course we are trying to present our children with the opportunities that await them. I believe we will all find our place among new school communities in the coming year. believe there will be positive things to come from merging schools, sharing teaching talent, and hopefully easing the burden of the financial crisis. Please think about this; if your friend's home burned down and you were standing with them in front of the ash that was their home, you wouldn't say, "It was only a house," or "hug your child and tell them this could be fun." Hopefully, you would, without hesitation, open your home to them, hug them, and tell them how sorry you are for their loss, and help them begin the transition. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing